Since I’m a Michigan native I found this Time article interesting. I’d love to see this happen! Michigan is such a beautiful state. These repurposed roads would ideally draw many more people to Michigan to enjoy our great summers on the lakeshore, fantastic fall colors and fun winter sports.
Off the Interstate: Turning ‘Blue Highways’ Green (Time)
Kim Gallagher has a plan for America’s “blue highways,” the thousands of miles of dusty, old, single-lane heritage routes that wend desolately through the countryside: turn them green. Superseded by high-speed interstates, many of these narrow byways have been long forgotten, along with the faded small towns they connect, says Gallagher, a project manager for the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission. But off-the-beaten-path America could be revived, she says, by transforming little-used roadways into “green highways” that cater specifically to electric-vehicle drivers and other slow-moving, eco-minded tourists traveling by bicycle or on foot.
“We need innovation in [Michigan]. We’ve got beautiful scenery. And we see the low-speed, low-range electric-car industry bringing them together,” says Gallagher, who is heading up a project to revitalize the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail in Michigan, her home state. She thinks green corridors could resuscitate Main Streets in Michigan and across the country. “This could be a small boon to local merchants, healthy-café owners, bed-and-breakfasts,” she says. “We just want everyone to slow down and enjoy the view; the road is like a destination itself.”
