Route Description
I-496 starts at an interchange with I-96/I-69 at that freeway's exit 95 in Delta Township in Eaton County. The freeway runs eastward through suburban areas of the township adjacent to some residential subdivisions. There is an interchange with Creyts Road before the trunkline angles to the northeast a bit. At the interchange with Waverly Road, I-496 crosses into Ingham County. The freeway then runs parallel to the Grand River. Near a partial interchange with Lansing Road (old US 27), the freeway gains a pair of service drives: St. Joseph Street runs one-way westbound on the north side, and Malcolm X Street runs eastbound to the south. The next interchange is for the connection to the Capitol Loop and M-99, both of which run along Martin Luther King Boulevard. The Capitol Loop, also internally numbered Connector 496, is a signed connector that provides access to various state government buildings like the Michigan State Capitol. South of this interchange, M-99 connects to the Lansing Car Assembly plant, a former facility for Oldsmobile.
Continuing eastward, I-496 passes north of the assembly plant complex and south of the downtown core. East of a partial interchange with Walnut Street, the freeway passes the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, which is located on its southern service drive. The south side of the freeway is park land adjacent to the confluence of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers. I-496 crosses the Grand downstream from the confluence and meets the eastern terminus of the Capitol Loop. This interchange with Cedar and Larch streets is also a connection to Business Loop I-96 (BL I-96) and Pennsylvania Avenue. St. Joseph Street ends after the connection to Pennsylvania Avenue. The main freeway crosses a rail line owned by CSX Transportation. I-496 runs parallel to the north side of the rail line while Malcolm X Street follows to the south as far as the Clemens Avenue overpass. I-496 crosses into East Lansing near the Red Cedar Natural Area.
After crossing the city line, I-496 turns southward and merges with US 127. The two highways run concurrently, and they cross a line of the Canadian National Railway that is also used by Amtrak. The freeway runs along the western edge of the campus of Michigan State University. South of campus, the freeway crosses back into Lansing and has an interchange with Jolly Road before entering Delhi Township. About two-thirds mile (1.1 km) south of Jolly Road, I-496 meets I-96 and terminates; US 127 continues southward as a freeway toward Jackson.
Like other state highways in Michigan, I-496 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). In 2011, the department's traffic surveys showed that on average, 61,082 vehicles used the freeway between BL I-96 the Trowbridge Road interchange south of US 127 and 17,600 vehicles did so each day west of Creyts Road, the highest and lowest counts along the trunkline, respectively. As an Interstate Highway, all of I-496 is listed on the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.
Read more about this topic: Interstate 496
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