 Michigan left intersections are common in the Lower Peninsula, but this intersection was the first in the UP built that way.In 1993, the federal government announced plans to close K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in 1995.The after effects of the base closure were the impetus for a December 1996 study by UP counties on the designation of a north–south highway corridor in the region to help fuel redevelopment at the base; the study would help MDOT and the counties prioritize transportation funding.