BENTON TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Sept. 27, 2022) – The connection between DeZwaan in Holland and the Golden Dome in South Bend is now complete.
Governor Whitmer and Congressman Fred Upton were among the dignitaries on Monday, for a ceremony just east of the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph vicinity, celebrating the completion of US-31 in Michigan, from the Indiana state line to near Mackinac City. A nearly two-mile stretch just south of I-94 was never worked on when the highway was built in the late 1970’s, due to the belief that it would impact the habitat of the endangered Mitchell’s Satyr Butterfly. This meant that motorists had to use detours to get around that habitat. After working directly with environmentalists and conservationists from the Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor, state officials announced that the project would be restarted in 2020.
When the highway opens for vehicles by the end of October, the state Department of Transportation claims that motorists will save about three minutes per trip through reducing time-consuming merges and resulting traffic. More than 17,000 drivers get from US-31 to I-94 every day, and three minutes per trip adds up to over 35 days’ worth of time saved every single day.
In addition, the project should help reduce the risk of crashes while lowering costs. M-DOT claims that the slowing down, stopping, turning, and accelerating resulting from exiting and merging onto this freeway uses an estimated 125,000 gallons of gas a year, worth roughly $470,000 based on recent fuel prices.
