Editing Interstate 96 (section)

===Norton Shores to Grand Rapids===
[[File:Interstate 96 and Sternberg Road.jpg|thumb|left|Westbound I-96 as it passes under Sternberg Road approaching US&nbsp;31|alt=Photograph of]]
I-96 begins at a [[partial cloverleaf interchange|three-quarter cloverleaf interchange]] with [[U.S. Route 31 in Michigan|US&nbsp;31]] northeast of the [[Muskegon County Airport]] in [[Norton Shores, Michigan|Norton Shores]], near [[Muskegon, Michigan|Muskegon]]. At the starting terminus, the highway has a grassy median and two lanes in each direction as it travels southeasterly through rural [[Muskegon County, Michigan|Muskegon County]]. The freeway is paralleled by Airline Highway in an area with a mix of fields and residences as far as [[Fruitport, Michigan|Fruitport]]. I-96 bypasses that village to the north and east before crossing into [[Ottawa County, Michigan|Ottawa County]] at Fruitport Road. After a distance of about {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} in the county, the trunkline reaches [[Crockery Township, Michigan|Nunica]]. The highway crosses the Crockery Creek and turns eastward toward [[Coopersville, Michigan|Coopersville]]. The freeway runs parallel to the [[Grand River (Michigan)|Grand River]], about {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} to the north. Near Ironwood Drive, I-96 turns southeasterly again and goes through [[Marne, Michigan|Marne]].<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

Beyond Marne, I-96 passes the western end of [[M-11 (Michigan highway)|M-11]] and crosses into [[Kent County, Michigan|Kent County]], curving around a rest area for the eastbound lanes. The freeway runs eastward through a light industrial area of the suburb of [[Walker, Michigan|Walker]] as it enters the [[Grand Rapids metropolitan area]]. At the interchange with Alpine Avenue, [[M-37 (Michigan highway)|M-37]] merges onto the freeway and the two [[concurrency (road)|run concurrently]] past the studios for [[WZZM|WZZM-TV]]<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/> with its iconic [[Weather beacon|weatherball]], a {{convert|16|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} sphere {{convert|100|ft|m}} above the ground that uses colored lights to display a weather forecast.<ref name=weatherball>{{cite news |author = Staff Writer |url = http://www.wzzm13.com/weather/article/118804/14/The-Story-of-the-13-Weatherball |title = The Story of the 13 Weatherball |date = August 15, 2011 |publisher = [[WZZM-TV]] |location = Walker, Michigan |access-date = March 9, 2013 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130412050750/http://www.wzzm13.com/weather/article/118804/14/The-Story-of-the-13-Weatherball |archive-date = April 12, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Adjacent to the studios are the ramps from eastbound I-96 to southbound [[U.S. Route 131|US&nbsp;131]] and from northbound US&nbsp;131 to westbound I-96.<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/> These ramps mark the northern end of [[Interstate 296|I-296]], an [[unsigned highway|unsigned]] auxiliary Interstate Highway designation applied to them and the US&nbsp;131 freeway south to downtown Grand Rapids.<ref name=PRFA/> I-96 turns northeasterly past a commercial area to a three-quarter cloverleaf interchange that provides all of the other connections with US&nbsp;131 next to a crossing of the Grand River.<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

[[File:WZZM 13 Weatherball.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[WZZM#Weatherball|WZZM-TV's Weatherball]] next to I-96 in Walker|alt=Photograph of]]
East of the river, I-96 and M-37 pass through the northern suburb of [[Comstock Park, Michigan|Comstock Park]], intersecting [[M-44 Connector (Michigan highway)|Connector M-44]] (Conn. M-44, Plainfield Avenue) near [[Lamberton Lake]]. Past that interchange, the freeway angles southeasterly and then southward, bypassing Grand Rapids to the northeast. East of downtown, I-96/M-37 meets [[Interstate 196|I-196]] (Gerald R. Ford Freeway) at a partial interchange; traffic headed eastbound on I-196 must enter I-96 eastbound and only westbound I-96 traffic may enter I-196. Immediately east of the interchange is another for [[M-44 (Michigan highway)|M-44]] (East Beltline Avenue) where M-37 separates from the freeway to turn southward. Through this series of interchanges, I-96 curves to the east and then turns back southward after passing through them. There are two more interchanges for [[M-21 (Michigan highway)|M-21]] (Fulton Street) and Cascade Road before I-96 meets the eastern end of M-11 at 28th Street. The next interchange for 36th Street provides access to the [[Gerald R. Ford International Airport]]. The freeway continues to the east of the airport and then intersects the eastern end of [[M-6 (Michigan highway)|M-6]] (Paul B. Henry Freeway, South Beltline Freeway) at an interchange over the [[Thornapple River]].<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>