M-343 (Michigan highway)

M-343 is a state trunkline highway in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It runs for almost eight miles (13 km) along Gull Road between the northeast side of Kalamazoo and continues through rural areas on the way to Richland. The highway was created in January 2019 from a section of M-43 after that highway was rerouted in the aftermath of a series of jurisdictional transfers in downtown Kalamazoo. It had been a part of the state highway system for a century under its previous number until it was given its current designation.

M-343
M-343 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length7.928 mi[1] (12.759 km)
ExistedJanuary 7, 2019 (January 7, 2019)[2]–present
Major junctions
West endRiverview Drive in Kalamazoo
East end M-89 in Richland
Location
CountiesKalamazoo
Highway system
← M-331I-375 →

Route description

M-343 starts where Gull Road intersects Riverview Drive east of the Kalamazoo River in Kalamazoo.[3] From there, the highway follows Gull Road northeasterly past Riverside Cemetery and Borgess Medical Center on the northeast side of Kalamazoo. M-343 passes a number of commercial properties as it exits Kalamazoo and enters farmland. As the highway approaches Richland, there are additional businesses flanking the roadway. M-343 then turns due east along D Avenue for a short distance before terminating at an intersection with M-89 in the middle of Richland.[4][5]

One section of M-343 was listed on the National Highway System (NHS) when the highway was part of M-43. This section is between the highway's western terminus at Riverview Drive and Sprinkle Road in Comstock Township.[6] The NHS is a network of a network of highways that are considered important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[7]

History
M-343 in Richland, May 2019

Passage of the State Reward Trunk Line Highways Act on May 13, 1913, provided for 3,000 miles (4,828 km) of roadways in a state-financed system.[8] No division of the original system included Gull Road between Kalamazoo and Richland,[9] but it was included as a state reward road by the following year.[10] In 1919, the state highway system was signposted for the first time,[11] and Gull Road was first signed as a state highway that year as a part of M-43. The section closest to Kalamazoo was paved, while the remainder was a gravel roadway.[12] By September 1924, it was shown as fully paved on state maps.[13]

In 2018, planners with the City of Kalamazoo negotiated with MDOT a transfer of the jurisdiction of several streets in the city's downtown. The goal was to give the city greater control, allowing Kalamazoo to convert one-way streets to two-way traffic, lower traffic speeds and giving the city flexibility on permitting and parking.[14] On January 7, 2019, the City of Kalamazooo accepted jurisdiction over those streets from MDOT, ending their status as state trunklines.[2] As a result, MDOT rerouted M-43 out of downtown Kalamazoo, running along US Highway 131 west of Kalamazoo north to Plainwell and then southeasterly along M-89 back to its previous alignment at Richland. The segment of highway retained by the state along Gull Road was renumbered M-343 afterwards.[4] The number was given an odd initial digit to signify that the highway is a spur of M-43; M-143 was taken by a highway in East Lansing.[15] Signage reflecting the change was erected in August 2019.[16]

Major intersections

The entire highway is in Kalamazoo County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Kalamazoo0.0000.000Riverview Drive
Richland7.92812.759 M-89 to M-43 – Plainwell, Battle Creek
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also
  •  Michigan Highways portal

References
  1. Michigan Department of Transportation & Michigan Center for Shared Solutions and Technology Partnerships (2009). MDOT Physical Reference Finder Application (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  2. Barrett, Malachi (January 8, 2019). "Kalamazoo Accepts Control of State Trunklines Spanning City". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  3. Michigan Department of Transportation (2019). Truck Operator's Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:221,760. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Kalamazoo inset. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  4. Michigan Department of Transportation (2019). Truck Operator's Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. § M9. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  5. Google (April 24, 2019). "Overview Map of M-343" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  6. Michigan Department of Transportation (2005). National Highway System: Kalamazoo Urbanized Area (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  7. Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  8. Kulsea, Bill & Shawver, Tom (1980). Making Michigan Move: A History of Michigan Highways and the Michigan Department of Transportation. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. p. 7. OCLC 8169232. Retrieved January 18, 2012 – via Wikisource.
  9. Michigan Legislature (1915) [enacted May 13, 1913]. "Chapter 91: State Reward Trunk Line Highways". In Shields, Edmund C.; Black, Cyrenius P. & Broomfield, Archibald (eds.). The Compiled Laws of the State of Michigan. Vol. I. Lansing, Michigan: Wynkoop, Hallenbeck and Crawford, State Printers. pp. 1868–72. OCLC 44724558. Retrieved May 1, 2019 – via Google Books.
  10. Michigan State Highway Department (1914). Road Map of Michigan Showing State Reward Roads (Map). [1:760,320]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Lower Peninsula sheet. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  11. Michigan Legislature (1919) [enacted March 18, 1919]. "PA 19: An Act to Provide for the Construction, Improvement and Maintenance of Trunk Line Highways". In Vaughn, Coleman C. (ed.). Public Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Regular Session of 1919 Containing Joint Resolutions and Amendments to the Constitution. Fort Wayne, Indiana: Fort Wayne Printing. pp. 31–35. ISSN 0893-2573. OCLC 1757300. Retrieved May 1, 2019 – via Google Books.
  12. Michigan State Highway Department (July 1, 1919). State of Michigan (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Lower Peninsula sheet. OCLC 15607244. Retrieved April 24, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  13. Michigan State Highway Department (September 15, 1924). Official Highway Condition Map (Map). [c. 1:823,680]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019 – via Archives of Michigan.
  14. Krafcik, Michael (January 6, 2019). "MDOT Streets Could Be Turned Over to Kalamazoo Following Monday Vote". Kalamazoo, Michigan: WWMT-TV. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  15. Minegar, Andrew (August 26, 2019). "Portion of M-43 Re-Designated to M-343 After MDOT Hands Over Road to Kalamazoo". Kalamazoo, Michigan: WWMT-TV. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  16. Devereaux, Brad (August 27, 2019). "M-43 Rerouted, Section Renamed M-343 as Kalamazoo Takes Control of Streets". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved February 14, 2020.

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  • M-343 at Michigan Highways
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