National Highway System in Michigan
The National Highway System (NHS) is, as the name implies, a nationwide system of primary highways and, although designated on a national basis, maintained by each of the states. Unlike the Interstates or US Highways, the NHS is not designated by a type of route designation or highway sign. Rather, the system was selected from existing highways by transportation officials in each state with assistance by county and local authorities. These officials were charged with selecting the streets, roads, highways and freeways with, according to MDOT, "the greatest state, regional and national significance."
The NHS was created as a part of the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, signed into law on November 28, 1995 and expanded a few years later as a part of the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21), signed on June 9, 1998. The system currently stands at approximately 160,000 miles of Intestates, other freeways and various other principal highways. From MDOT, the stated objective of the National Highway System is to:
As for mileage breakdowns, both the national and Michigan statistics from 2010 are presented below:
| Total | Interstates | Other State Highways |
County Roads & City Streets |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 159,326 miles | 47,328 miles | 113,504 miles | |
| Michigan | 5,119 miles | 1,244 miles | 3,207 miles | 305 miles |
Additional Information
National Highway System (NHS) Maps - from MDOT.- National
Highway System - from the FHWA. Provides a great overview
of the NHS from the federal level.
- Map
of NHS in Michigan - from the FHWA.
- The National Highway System: A Commitment To America's Future - an article by former FHWA Administrator Rodney Slater from the Spring 1996 issue of Public Roads magazine.
Backbone: Creation of the National Highway System - a comprehensive history and overview of the NHS from FHWA's "resident historian," Richard F. Weingroff.