Benton Harbor, MI - US-31 Extension & I-94 EB to Kalamazoo
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ธ.ค. 2024
- Quick look at US-31 extension to I-94 in Benton Harbor, Michigan and driving eastbound I-94 to Kalamazoo, Michigan.
*Please do not randomly drive into work zones if you have no business doing so. It is dangerous for both yourself and the workers.*
Music & Artist:
1. Roosevelt - Night Moves
2. Roosevelt - Last To Know
Date Recorded:
8/20/2021
Technical Stuff:
Camera: Sony ZV-1
Tripod: Sunpak 6000PG
Car: 2008 Chevy Impala
Driver: Edward
Video editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Picture editing software: Photoshop CC
5:08 It sucks that they demolished the Highland Avenue bridge. That was one of the only surviving overpasses on I-94 with original R4-type railings without any modern junk added. It was built in 1960 when they put the freeway in.
Also, I hope one day they widen the freeway from all the way from Indiana to Detroit to a 3 lanes per direction
Yeah it's always a shame to see these older bridges getting demoed. Another similar bridge with existing R4 railings is scheduled to be rehabed with Type 6 railings. Definetely agree with the widening... It only takes 10 miles to pass a truck that's already passing another truck in the right lane.
It's three lanes all the way to Dexter, west of Ann Arbor. It does need to be widened west of there, though.
The original idea for that route was to go due north to meet at the I-196 / I-94 Interchange, which would have made more sense as US-31 continues along I-196 to Holland. Would have made for less construction that way as well. But, if they had pursued that, I'm sure it would have been in purgatory for another ten years or so.
Good thing no cops saw you messing around on the future highway because they could write you a ticket for that!
I did the same thing though when the M-6 Freeway was being built in Grand Rapids back in the early 2000's. The second section (Broadmoor Ave (E.Beltline) to US-131 was just about completed and it was days away from being opened. I slipped onto the freeway in the middle of the night just to drive it and got off at Kalamazoo Ave. (last exit before the highway stopped at US-131. I was extremely lucky that there were no MSP out. I wasn't speeding down it or anything, I was just cruising along at about 45 MPH just checking out the sights. There were a few who were caught on that road speeding and got hefty fines for both the speed and for being on an illegal road, lol.
I wish the freeway could've been connected directly to I-196, just a bit more north, as well. It'll avoid having to make the odd S-shaped curve and bottlenecking traffic on I-94. A lot with the locals I've talked with seemed glad to have this extension constructed, but I guess the native butterflies will keep their peace.
As for illegally driving on the new highway, I was actually in a vehicle with beacons and permission to be on site. Was working a pretty sweet internship gig at the time and took that short detour when we packed up for the day. Had the opportunity to work with the pile drivers for the future Benton Center Rd bridge. Not many opportunities for me to do that legally now lol. I bet driving down M-6 must've been pretty sweet. I love seeing new freeway construction. Pretty rare these days in Michigan
Great video with a great soundtrack. And Kalamazoo is now one of my favourite place names in the world, lol. You have yourself a new subscriber from Australia 😊
Thanks! I have been waiting a long time to find a decent recording to match these songs. It's a shame that there's no actual zoo in Kalamazoo though...
Great video! I have been waiting for these projects for a while, and it's great to see them being built right now and in person! :)
The one that I am most excited to drive on is the US 31 extension to I-94 (as well as finally clinching the St. Joesph Valley Parkway in full)!
Much appreciated! It's truly rare to see any new freeway project getting constructed here in 2021.
that was an awesome, interesting way to start the video! Loved how it transitioned into this CLASSIC song! Hope all is well man! Glad to see you're still making content!
Hey you know I had to! Been waiting way too long to use this song. Still got a bunch of oldies I'm still waiting to use.. And yes, things are going good! I appreciate ya stopping by and commenting.
cool
When MDOT is going to build a tunnel from Michigan to Illinois under the lake
With all the EGLE and DEQ restrictions/requirements these days, probably never.
I found your video great. The scenery is so beautiful. Wish I could go there once. Thank you so I found your video great. The scenery is so bea. I like too. Good like toooooo@-/-!’
Thanks for watching! West Michigan is definitely a great place to visit.
I’m glad they are finally finishing that project. That unfinished section of 31 always seemed so eerie to me for some reason. Like something from a zombie apocalypse movie 😂
I'm curious how this project will actually impact traffic utilizing US-31 more. I agree with the zombie-like apocalypse ending there, especially with the overgrown weeds and shrubs. Thanks for watching!
Neat, it was really neat to see the construction for the US-31 extension. I'm pleased to see that project is actually being constructed, I never thought they'd actually get it done.
That's neat about the old US-12 pavement. I remember supervising a watermain installation job on a road in Cambridge here in Ontario. The road was a former alignment of Hwy 24, and still had the old twin slab concrete pavement beneath the current asphalt. It was pretty time consuming for the contractor to remove the 80 year old concrete pavement to install the watermain.
How is the reconstruction of 94 progressing through Jackson?
I'm glad to see the project underway as well. Although I'm a little disappointed that we couldn't see US-31 just connect directly to I-196 and skip merging with I-94 altogether to make the final connection - must be a good reason for that I'm sure...
I hear ya, especially with the older concrete pavements constructed back in the day. We add so many different additives to concrete mixes these days and the concrete cure time is probably a fraction of the cure time compared to when the original concrete highways were built.
The project is going pretty well. The contractor is getting a little behind on the bridge work, but that's really statewide with a shortage of materials and workers. Definitely no shortage of work in Michigan with all the new bond financing work going on in the state. Thanks for commenting!
What's the song
They didn't even build a true freeway to freeway interchange at I-94/US 31, LOL.
I-94 near with US 31 and I-196 still have widenibg to do. I wonder when it will be done.
Edit: As well as the one in Kalamazoo.
The US-31 project is set to open in late 2022 with still some misc. punch list work. I'm not too positive on the Kalamazoo widening. I've heard that job is a little more than a bit behind. It looks like their bridge work is going to go into the winter months.
Michigan's traffic signals are obsolete! Old-fashioned design with span wires, signal heads not centered with the lanes, no reflectorized backplates, etc.