Since the 1920s, the State Highway Dept has been slowly building a Grand Rapids Beltline System of highways around all sides of the city, forming a "box of highways" of sorts.

By the 1940s, the state had completed the West Beltline (Wilson Ave), the South Beltline (28th St) and the portion of the East Beltline north of Cascade Rd to US-131/Plainfield Ave. At that time, US-131 ran through Grand Rapids via Division & Plainfield Avenues.

In the summer of 1953, all of the highway bypass routes around the south and east sides of Grand Rapids were redesignated as part of mainline US-131. The earlier route of US-131 from 28th St and Division Avenues to East Beltline and Plainfield Ave & Northland Dr were then redesignated as BUS US-131.

While the state continued to improve and extend the US-131 highway system to extend from south to north in the state, US-131 continued through the East Beltline to Plainfield Ave northeast of Grand Rapids.

In December of 1962, the US-131 freeway from Grand Rapids through to 1-96 opened. East Beltline Ave from 28th St north to Plainfield Ave was re-designated as a southerly extension of M-44.

In 1969, the US-131 freeway was opened north of Grand Rapids past Rockford to 14 Mile Road. Plainfield Ave from I-96 north to M-44/East Beltline Ave was redesignated as CONN M-44 ("Connector M-44").

The East Beltline via Northland Dr & Wolverine Blvd from Plainfield north to Belding Rd retained the M-44 designation.

At the same time the new segment of US-131 opened, the M-37 designation was re-routed around Grand Rapids to continue north with M-44 along East Beltline Ave to I-96. Both run across the north side of Grand Rapids to Alpine Ave. And that’s how things have pretty much remained – at least for now!