South Beltline (Paul B. Henry) Freeway

Michigan State Transportation Commission Chair Ted Wahby spoke for a few moments, again thanking many of those who made the South Beltline a reality. Photo ©2004 Christopher J. Bessert. All Rights Reserved.

Lieutenant Governor and, on this day, Acting-Governor John Cherry spoke at length about the M-6/South Beltline project and echoed the under budget and ahead of schedule sentiments touched on by earlier speakers. He also spoke highly of the late Representative Paul B Henry, after whom the freeway is dedicated, and his securing of funding for the project. Photo ©2004 Christopher J. Bessert. All Rights Reserved.

After the actual cutting of the ribbon spanning the highway, yours truly and three co-workers from the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council posed in front of the event tent on the westbound lanes of the freeway. The crowd of spectators gathered on the Byron Center Ave overpass is beginning to dissipate. Photo ©2004 Christopher J. Bessert. All Rights Reserved.

Even while the WOOD-TV 8 "Mobile Newsroom" microwave truck, parked on the eastbound lanes of the South Beltline, was transmitting images of the ribbon-cutting event back to the studios in Grand Rapids, a WOOD-TV 8 "Sky Link" satellite truck arrived on the Byron Center Ave overpass to prepare for live news remotes for the Noon, 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 and 11:00 PM newscasts. In addition to WOOD-TV 8, other local news media from WZZM 13, WXMI Fox17, Woodradio AM 1300, WKZO 590, the Grand Rapids Press and the Advance newspapers were present. Photo ©2004 Christopher J. Bessert. All Rights Reserved.

As the first cars prepared to move out down the eastbound side of the South Beltline, this shot illustrates the long line of cars parked four abreast on the eastbound lanes as well as two abreast on the loop ramp from southbound Byron Center Ave, barely visible in the distance on the left side of the image. Photo ©2004 Christopher J. Bessert. All Rights Reserved.