Interstate 196 (
I-196) is an
auxiliary Interstate Highway that runs for in the US state of
Michigan. It is a
state trunkline highway that links
Benton Harbor,
South Haven,
Holland, and
Grand Rapids together. In
Kent,
Ottawa, and
Allegan counties, I-196 is known as the
Gerald R. Ford Freeway, or simply the
Ford Freeway, after the 38th
President of the United States,
Gerald Ford, who was raised in Grand Rapids and served Michigan in the
House of Representatives. This name generally refers only to the section between Holland and Grand Rapids. I-196 changes direction; it is signed as a north–south highway from its southern terminus to the junction with
US Highway 31 (US 31) just south of Holland, and as an east–west trunkline from this point to its eastern terminus at an interchange with
I-96, its parent highway. There are currently three
business routes related to the main freeway. There are two business loops (BL I-196) and one business spur (BS I-196) that serve South Haven, Holland and the Grand Rapids areas. Another business spur for
Muskegon had been designated relative to the I-196 number.