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The Capitol Loop is a state trunkline highway running through Lansing, Michigan, in the United States that was commissioned on October 13, 1989. It forms a loop route off Interstate 496 (I-496) through downtown near the Michigan State Capitol complex, home of the state legislature and several state departments. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has labeled it as Capitol Loop I-496 or CL I-496 on some maps, similar to the Business Loop Interstate nomenclature. However, unlike other business loops in Michigan, it has unique reassurance markers—the signs that serve as regular reminders of the name and number of the highway. It is known internally at MDOT as Connector 496 for inventory purposes. The route follows a series of one-way and two-way streets through downtown Lansing, directing traffic downtown to the State Capitol and other government buildings. Unlike the other streets downtown, the seven streets comprising the Capitol Loop are under state maintenance and jurisdiction. The loop was originally proposed in 1986 as part of a downtown revitalization effort. Almost from the beginning before the highway was commissioned in 1989, it was affected by controversial proposals. Several suggestions by community leaders to rename city streets in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. were rejected. In the end, Logan Street was given a second name, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and the original name was eventually dropped. Meetings beginning in 1999 dealt with rebuilding the streets as part of a downtown beautification project. The project was delayed to accommodate replacing the sewer system under the roadway at the same time as the streetscaping. The downtown business community protested the original scope of construction, and the Lansing City Council threatened to cancel the project in response to the controversy. Instead of losing the investment in the downtown area, the scope of the project was reduced in scale, and the project was completed in 2005, three months ahead of schedule. In 2010, additional controversies surfaced regarding the posting and enforcement of speed limits on city streets in Michigan, including the streets that make up the Capitol Loop. The newest controversy over speed limits is related to compliance with a 2006 state law aimed at eliminating speed traps. == Route description == The Capitol Loop serves as a connection between the other state highways in Lansing and the Michigan State Capitol complex. The trunkline starts at the northern end of M-99 at exit 5 on I-496. It runs north on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, where the street is divided into north- and south-bound sections, each three lanes wide, separated by the Union Missionary Baptist Church off St. Joseph Street. A block north of the church, the sections of the street are divided by a central median north of Lenawee Street. At Allegan Street, the Capitol Loop becomes a one-way pair. Eastbound traffic continues on Allegan Street, passing to the south of the Hall of Justice,〔〔 home to the Michigan Supreme Court.〔 Westbound traffic is carried on Ottawa Street, one block to the north of Allegan Street. The Hall faces Butler Boulevard, which provides access from Allegan and Ottawa streets. Past Butler Boulevard, traffic passes the north side of the Library of Michigan and Historical Center complex. Between Pine Street and Capitol Avenue, Allegan Street continues south of the Michigan State Capitol. Allegan Street ends at a one-way street, Grand Avenue, and eastbound Capitol Loop turns north on this three-lane street.〔〔 The two directions of traffic on the Capitol Loop are reunited at the two-way Michigan Avenue. Eastbound traffic turns east along Michigan Avenue; westbound traffic turns north off Michigan onto Grand Avenue. Michigan Avenue runs with two lanes in each direction and a center turn lane, crossing the Grand River.〔〔 East of the river, it approaches a complex of museums on Museum Drive, including the Michigan Museum of Surveying, R.E. Olds Transportation Museum (named for Oldsmobile founder, R.E. Olds) and the Impression Five Science Museum south of Riverwalk Park. The Capitol Loop meets the one-way pairing of Cedar and Larch streets on Michigan Avenue near Cooley Law School Stadium, home of the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball team.〔 Cedar and Larch carry Business Loop Interstate 96 (BL I-96). The two highway designations merge and run concurrently along the pair of streets. Eastbound Capitol Loop and eastbound BL I-96 follow Cedar Street southerly; westbound Capitol Loop and westbound BL I-96 are routed northerly on Larch Street. Cedar Street runs southeasterly along the Grand River angling toward Larch Street. The two streets merge where they meet I-496. This interchange at exit 7 along I-496 marks the eastern end of the Capitol Loop, but BL I-96 continues south of I-496 on Cedar Street.〔〔 No part of the Capitol Loop is included on the National Highway System, a system of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Capitol Loop」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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