Michigan’s Hidden Interstate 296 Remains a Mystery To Nearly All of the State’s Motorists

There's a good chance you've driven on Interstate 296 in Michigan as you've criss-crossed the state via its freeways. There's an equally good chance you had no idea you've driven on Interstate 296.

I-296 in Michigan is a rarity in America's interstate system. It's a hidden route.

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Hidden, meaning the route number is officially assigned but it is not displayed to drivers. Nor does it show up on any maps - or at least it shouldn't.

So where is I-296? It's better known as a stretch of US 131 through Grand Rapids. The stretch of that freeway between I-196 downtown and I-96 in Walker is officially designated as I-296.

Here's where that stretch of road runs:

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It's nearly all shared pavement with US 131 save for the short ramps to I-96. While still unsigned, that little bit of I-296 stands on its own and it not a part of the larger US 131.

So why was the freeway designated and then unsigned? The concept for the road was part of the initial plans for the national interstate system but the numbering of the route for the travelling public was seen as redundant and potentially confusing. The freeway remains officially designated even if its unsigned as freeway routes receiving greater funding priorities from the federal government generally over non-interstate routes.

The revelation of I-296 was shared recently on Facebook's Grand Rapids Informed group. Some were in the know on the freeway and for many others it was surprising new information.