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M-216 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-216 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan
that serves as a connector route between M-40
at Marcellus
and US Highway 131
(US 131). The highway runs through a rural area of the southwestern part of the state. It has been a part of the highway system since 1935; the current form of the roadway was finalized in 1939. Between 2,400 and 3,900 vehicles use the highway each day on average.
. The highway follows Main Street eastward in the village, crossing a branch line of the Canadian National Railway
. East of town, M-216 passes through farm fields and jogs to the south around Lewis Lake. The highway runs along Marcellus Road through the rural landscape that is a mix of farm fields and woods. The trunkline crosses the Cass
– St. Joseph
county like before running through the unincorporated community of Howardsville in Flowerfield Township
. After passing by the Pine View Golf Club, the road comes to its end at US 131.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) maintains M-216 like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric called annual average daily traffic
, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2009 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-216 were the 3,853 vehicles daily in the village of Marcellus; the lowest counts were the 2,421 vehicles immediately east of town. No section of M-216 has been listed on the National Highway System
, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
that serves as a connector route between M-40
M-40 (Michigan highway)
M-40 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway runs from US Highway 12 near the Indiana state line in Porter Township north through Paw Paw and Allegan to end in the outskirts of Holland...
at Marcellus
Marcellus, Michigan
Marcellus is a village in Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,162 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Marcellus Township...
and US Highway 131
U.S. Route 131
US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...
(US 131). The highway runs through a rural area of the southwestern part of the state. It has been a part of the highway system since 1935; the current form of the roadway was finalized in 1939. Between 2,400 and 3,900 vehicles use the highway each day on average.
Route description
M-216 begins at a junction with M-40 in the village of Marcellus to the southwest of KalamazooKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. The highway follows Main Street eastward in the village, crossing a branch line of the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
. East of town, M-216 passes through farm fields and jogs to the south around Lewis Lake. The highway runs along Marcellus Road through the rural landscape that is a mix of farm fields and woods. The trunkline crosses the Cass
Cass County, Michigan
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...
– St. Joseph
St. Joseph County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,422 people, 23,381 households, and 16,600 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 26,503 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
county like before running through the unincorporated community of Howardsville in Flowerfield Township
Flowerfield Township, Michigan
Flowerfield Township is a civil township of St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,592 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. After passing by the Pine View Golf Club, the road comes to its end at US 131.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan Department of Transportation
The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...
(MDOT) maintains M-216 like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric called annual average daily traffic
Annual average daily traffic
Average Annual daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning and transportation engineering. It is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided by 365 days. AADT is a useful and simple measurement of how busy the road is...
, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2009 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-216 were the 3,853 vehicles daily in the village of Marcellus; the lowest counts were the 2,421 vehicles immediately east of town. No section of M-216 has been listed on the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...
, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.