The system was created and expanded in scope c. October 5, 1970, after it was approved by the County Road Association of Michigan and the State Highway Commission.

At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Howard "Gene" Temple owned a motel along the roadway in Saugatuck, and they were dismayed over the number of canceled reservations they were receiving because guests could not find their business.

Mrs. Temple approached the Village of Saugatuck and the local chamber of commerce to get better highway markings for the area.

These meetings resulted in a test program for the 1970 state highway map that marked Blue Star Highway as A-2; the Allegan County Road Commission spent $2,000 (equivalent to $12,100 in 2023[4]) to erect about 50 markers along the road in their county.

[3] A second road in the Upper Peninsula was designated B-1 between Engadine and Rudyard in Mackinac and Chippewa counties.

The markers used were the blue and yellow pentagon shields developed by the National Association of County Engineers.

The first of these revised assignments were shown on the 1971 state highway map; A-2 retained its number but B-1 was renumbered to H-40 in the Upper Peninsula.

The boundaries for each zone are determined by major state trunkline highways on each peninsula.