Michigan Drivers are Very Specifically Horizontal or Vertical Commuters – Which are You?

Here's something you've likely never considered on your daily driving across Michigan, are you a vertical or horizontal commuter? Meaning, particularly in the Lower Peninsula, are you oriented to driving mainly north-south or east-west?

The discussion came up recently on Reddit about which is better, having to do a regular commute vertically or horizontally? The original poster (OP) in this case debated between horizontal routes, I-96 (which runs from Muskegon to Detroit via Grand Rapids and Lansing) and I-94 (from New Buffalo to Port Huron via Kalamazoo, Jackson and Detroit), stating they would rather live along the I-94 corridor but commute to work along I-96. The post concludes with an exclaim, "I don't even know what you vertical-highway-associated Michiganders do."

So consider, if you do make any kind of commute in your daily drive, is it vertical or horizontal? A driver on, say I-75, US-127 or US-131 would be in the vertical category. An oddity is Interstate 69. A north-south interstate and numbered as such, the expressway takes a huge curve in Lansing to become east-west oriented to travel between Lansing and Port Huron via Flint.

READ MORE: The Mackinac Bridge Should Not be Part of America's Interstate Highway System - Here's Why

There are a few different considerations when thinking of horizontal versus vertical drivers. First, horizontal commuters by the nature of the earth and sun will deal with rising and setting suns on either their morning or evening commute. For North-South commuters, wind and storms generally move from west to east so will impact those roads perhaps with greater force.

As for leisure commuters, there are some legendary choke points heading south from Northern Michigan at the end of summer weekends. But that's not just a north-south issue. Anyone who has been on horizontally focused I-94 in Berrien County heading towards Indiana and eventually Chicago knows about the traffic issues there.

Another consideration that affects I-94 more than any other expressway is truck traffic. Being a key artery between Chicago and Detroit - and further east to the most populated regions of Canada, semis would be more prevalent on that road than elsewhere.