East of Grand Rapids, the highway was a major artery of national importance, and was added to the proposed "Interregional Highway System" as part of a northern route between Chicago and Detroit by the 1940s [REF].
Construction of the Brighton-Farmington Expressway piece of the US 16 upgrade began in 1956,[REF] and, when a piece opened on August 1, 1957, it was the first section of funded Interstate to open in Michigan [REF].