MEMORIAL HIGHWAYS - H.B. 4878 (S-2): FIRST ANALYSIS


House Bill 4878 (Substitute S-2 as reported)

Sponsor: Representative Thomas George

House Committee: Transportation

Senate Committee: Transportation and Tourism


Date Completed: 9-28-01


RATIONALE


Since at least 1925, the Michigan Legislature has periodically enacted laws and approved resolutions naming highways or parts of highways, or requesting the State Highway Commissioner to designate particular highways. Typically, roadways are named to recognize prominent individuals or groups of people, such as war veterans, or to commemorate historical events. Most recently, for example, Public Act 56 of 2001 named a portion of I-69 the "Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway". In most cases, whenever a highway is named, a new law or resolution is enacted or adopted. As a result, at least two dozen such Public Acts have been codified and over 40 resolutions have been adopted. Evidently, the number of highways named in this manner has caused some confusion; for example, some portions of a roadway bear more than one name. To provide for a less confusing practice of naming highways, it has been suggested that all of the highway designations be consolidated into one statute.


CONTENT


The bill would create the "Michigan Memorial Highway Act" to repeal and recodify a number of statutes and resolutions naming highways or parts of highways in Michigan after individuals, events, or organizations.


Under the bill, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) would be required to provide for the erection and maintenance of suitable markers at the approach of any of the highways only when sufficient private contributions were received to pay the cost of putting up and maintaining those markers.


Table 1, following, indicates the name of the highway under the bill, the route affected, the general location, and the source that either named the highway or requested the State to designate it, which the bill would repeal and re-enact. (The source is a Public Act (PA), Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR), House Concurrent Resolution (HCR), Senate Resolution (SR), House Resolution (HR), or, according to MDOT, the State Highway Commissioner. A precise description of the route, the person honored, and the counties affected is available on the MDOT Internet site.)


Table 2 lists a Public Act and resolutions that the bill would repeal but not re-enact.

ARGUMENTS


(Please note: The arguments contained in this analysis originate from sources outside the Senate Fiscal Agency. The Senate Fiscal Agency neither supports nor opposes legislation.)


Supporting Argument

The bill would repeal a combined total of 67 Public Acts and resolutions, and re-enact all but seven of them into a single statute. It is clear from this legislation that the number of named highways has proliferated over the years, and the method of naming highways has included the enactment of legislation, the adoption of resolutions by the Senate or the House or both, and, in some past cases, a designation by the State Highway Commissioner. While most of the enacted legislation has been codified in one place in the statutes, the resolutions are not similarly published together. This can lead to confusion and duplication. To avoid this result, and provide for an orderly inventory of named highways, the bill would consolidate them into one statute. At the same time, the bill would prevent an excess of signage that can result from duplicative names and confuse motorists.


Supporting Argument

Under the bill, the Transportation Department could not put up signs for named highways until it had received enough private contributions to cover the cost. This would codify the Department's current practice as well as reflect similar language that has been included in recently enacted highway-naming legislation.


- Legislative Analyst: S. Lowe


FISCAL IMPACT


The bill would not have a fiscal impact on the State as the costs of erecting highway markers would be borne by private contributions. Current practice requires highway markers to be paid for by private funds, regardless of whether a highway was named under a Public Act, resolution, or the authority of the State Highway Commissioner.


- Fiscal Analyst: C. Thiel

Table 1


Highway Names Repealed & Re-enacted under H.B. 4878 (S-2)



Name
Route
Location
Source
Carleton Road US-223, M-34, M-99 Calhoun, Hillsdale, Lenawee & Monroe Co. to Homer PA 113 of 1925
Roberts-Linton Highway & Veterans of World War I Memorial Highway US-23 Saginaw to Bay City SR 35 of 1931
Frank D. Fitzgerald Memorial Highway M-43 E. Lansing to Grand Ledge Commissioner
Earle Memorial Highway M-53 Detroit to M-25 in Huron Co. PA 118 of 1941
United Spanish War Veterans' Memorial Highway US-23 MI-OH line in Monroe Co. to Mackinaw City PA 207 of 1945
United Spanish War Veterans' Memorial Highway US-2, M-35, M-41, M-69, M-95 St. Ignace to Ironwood PA 104 of 1949
Leif Erikson Memorial Highway M-95 MI-WI line in Dickinson Co. to Champion Commissioner
107th Engineer Memorial Road M-107 Ontonagon Co. Commissioner
Blue Star Memorial Highway US-31 MI-IN line in Berrien Co. to Straits of Mackinac PA 71 of 1952
Pulaski Memorial Highway US-12 Detroit to Lake Michigan PA 11 of 1953
Clara Barton Memorial Highway M-125 & M-24 MI-OH line in Monroe Co. to I-96 in

Wayne Co.

 PA 80 of 1954
Pere Marquette Memorial Highway US-31 Muskegon-Oceana Co. line to Mason-Manistee Co. line PA 93 of 1954
Columbus Memorial Highway M-102 Farmington to M-3 in Macomb Co. PA 86 of 1955
AmVets Memorial Drive US-2, US-41, & M-35 Escanaba to Co. Rd. 426 PA 144 of 1959
Green Arrow Route M-66 M-78 in Calhoun Co. to US-131 in Kalkaska Co. PA 170 of 1959
Mackinac Trail US-131 MI-IN line in St. Joseph Co. to M-66 in Kalkaska Co. PA 170 of 1959
Green Arrow Route-Mackinac Trail US-131, US-31 M-66 to US-31, US-131 to Straits of Mackinac PA 170 of 1959
AmVets Memorial Parkway I-94 Kalamazoo Co. HCR 13 of 1963
Adler Memorial Highway M-10 Oakland Co. between US-24 & M-102 HCR 309 of 1966
American Legion Memorial Highway I-75 MI-OH line to Sault Ste. Marie HCR 21 of 1969
David Dunbar Buick Freeway & UAW Freeway I-475 Genesee Co. HCR 22 of 1969 & HCR 583 of 1980
Louis Chevrolet Freeway I-69 Shiawassee-Genesee Co. line to Genesee-Lapeer Co. line HCR 22 of 1969
Walter P. Reuther Highway I-696 Oakland & Macomb Co. SCR 57 of 1971
Charles J. Rogers Interchange I-75 & M-8 Interchange Wayne Co. SCR 150 of 1971
Olds Freeway I-496 Lansing HR 48 of 1970 &

SCR 345 of 1972

Gerald R. Ford Freeway I-196 Kent, Ottawa, & Allegan Co. SCR 415 of 1974
G. Mennen Williams Highway & Prentiss M. Brown Memorial Highway I-75 Cheboygan Co. & Mackinac Co. SCR 559 of 1976 & SCR 560 of 1976
Sojourner Truth Memorial Highway M-66 Calhoun Co. PA 93 of 1976
Philip A. Hart Memorial Highway I-275 I-75 in Monroe to I-69 in Oakland Co. SCR 307 of 1978
Veterans Memorial Highway M-59 Pontiac to Utica HCR 691 of 1978
Christopher Columbus Freeway M-53 Sterling Heights to Washington HCR 694 of 1978
Veterans Memorial Highway I-69 Flint to Port Huron HCR 545 of 1980
Chevrolet-Buick Freeway I-69 Genesee Co. HCR 622 of 1980
DeWayne T. Williams Memorial Highway I-69 Lapeer to Port Huron SCR 914 of 1984 & HCR 690 of 1976
American Legion Memorial Highway I-75 MI-OH line to Sault Ste. Marie PA 174 of 1984
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Highway I-94 business loop Albion SCR 42 of 1985
Jacobetti Highway M-28 M-123 in Chippewa Co. to Negaunee HR 506 of 1986
Disabled American Veterans Highway M-121 Genesee Co. HCR 986 of 1988 & HCR 344 of 1989
Fort Custer Memorial Highway M-96 I-94 business loop in Kalamazoo to Augusta HCR 677 of 1988
Veterans Memorial Road M-125 Monroe Co. HR 365 of 1989 & HCR 414 of 1989
Moses J. Jones Parkway US-31 business route Muskegon HCR 425 of 1989
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway M-59 I-96 in Livingston Co. to M-3 in

Macomb Co.

 HR 324 of 1989 &

PA 240 of 1992

AmVets Memorial Highway I-96 Wayne Co. to Muskegon Co. HCR 134 of 1990 & PA 124 of 1994
Walter P. Chrysler Freeway I-75 Wayne Co. &

Oakland Co.

 HR 627 of 1990 &

SR 435 of 1990

Joseph H. Meagher Memorial Highway M-38 Ontonagon Village to Houghton Co. line SCR 286 of 1992
Haskell L. Nichols Memorial Highway US-127 Jackson Co. to I-94 PA 249 of 1992
117th Quartermaster Battalion (In Honor of) M-117 M-28 to US-2 in Mackinac Co. HR 148 of 1993
Iron Brigade Memorial Highway US-12 Wayne Co. to MI-OH line in Berrien Co. HCR 626 of 1994
St. Joseph Valley Parkway US-31 MI-IN line to I-94 in Berrien Co. HCR 26 of 1993
World War II Veterans Memorial Highway M-37 US-10 in Lake Co. to Lake-Wexford Co. line SR 205 of 1995
Disabled American Veterans Memorial Highway I-275 north of Livonia intersection of I-275 & I-96 PA 185 of 1996
Matt McNeely Boulevard M-85 Detroit between Outer Dr. & I-75 PA 14 of 1997
Paul B. Henry Freeway M-6 Kent Co. &

Ottawa Co.

 PA 399 of 1998
Keith Deacon Memorial Highway M-5 Farmington & Farmington Hills PA 12 of 1999
Sydney Ouwinga Memorial Bypass US-131 bypass between M-115 and Boon Rd. in Wexford Co. PA 174 of 2000
Veterans' Memorial Drive M-33 Ogenaw Co. & Oscoda Co. PA 174 of 2000
Veterans' Memorial Highway M-32 Alpena between Ripley Blvd. &

Bagley St.

 PA 174 of 2000
D.H. Day Highway M-109 Leelanaw Co. PA 17 of 2001
Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway I-69 Shiawasee Co. exit 105 to Genesee Co. exit 135 PA 56 of 2001


Table 2


Highway Designations Repealed under H.B. 4878 (S-2)



Name/Other
Route
Location
Source
Arthur Vandenberg Memorial Highway US-16 Detroit to Muskegon PA 70 of 1952
William Howard Taft Memorial Highway Mackinac City to MI-OH line HCR 9 of 1933
Michigan Bicentennial Freedom Way (1976 only) I-75 SCR 216 of 1975
I.L. "Curley" Lewis Highway (commemoration) Upper Peninsula HCR 401 of 1981
Scenic route designation US-23 Standish to Mackinaw City HCR 67 of 1983
Martin Luther King Memorial Highway Skyline Drive Battle Creek HCR 34 of 1991
Business 31 US-31 Berrien Co. HCR 25 of 1993

H0102\s4878a

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.