Interstate 496

Interstate 496 (I-496) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that passes through downtown Lansing in the US state of Michigan. It is a loop route that connects I-96 to the downtown area. It has been named the R.E. Olds Freeway for Ransom E. Olds, the founder of Oldsmobile and the REO Motor Car Company. The freeway runs east–west from I-96/I-69 near the downtown area and north–south along a section that runs concurrently with US Highway 127 (US 127). The freeway also passes a former assembly plant used by Oldsmobile and runs along or crosses parts of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers

The freeway was built starting in 1963 and completed on December 18, 1970. The area south of downtown Lansing where it was constructed was the location of a historically black neighborhood. The neighborhood was formed based on the segregations practices of the early 20th century. Community leaders worked for different housing opportunities for the black residents displaced by I-496 rather that fight the freeway. As the trunkline neared completion, competing proposals to name it resulted in two similar, but separate designations applied to I-496. The city originally approved one name in honor of a former mayor, however the demolition of Olds Mansion prompted the local historical society to propose a memorial to Olds. The city renamed it the Oldsmobile Freeway, which is the name under which it opened in December 1970. Two years later, the Michigan Legislature restored its name and it has been the Olds Freeway since.