Michigan Transportation Links
Most of the following links lead to external websites not connected with the Michigan Highways website and, of course, no guarantee can be given as to the content, availability, or suitability of what is on those sites. If you notice a broken or incorrect link, please drop me a line. Feel free to also suggest any link you think should be included here as well!
The links on this page are arranged first according to an overall "category" then alphabetically within each category. Scroll through the list or choose from the category links below to jump to that section:
Official Links
- Michigan
Department of Transportation (MDOT) - the governmental
agency charged with the maintenance of the state trunkline system.
Below are several specific pages from MDOT's site:
- Official State of Michigan Transportation Map - all about the map, links to online versions and how to order your own printed copy free of charge.
- Road & Bridge Projects - information on many of the largest road and bridge projects from around the state.
- Roads & Travel - includes Major Road Repair Projects, Bicycling, Ridesharing, Safety and more.
- Road Construction Links - from MDOT can be found under the "Road Construction Links" heading below.
- County Road Association of Michigan - an organization comprised of the various County Road Commissions across the state, with links to the official sites where available.
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General & Statewide Links
- Michigan Left Turn - everything you ever wanted to know about Michigan Left-Hand Turns and why they're not that bad when you get to know them. Includes the history of the Michigan Left as well.
- Michigan Highway Ends Gallery - maintained by Dan Garnell, this site "documents the endpoints of the many state routes that dot the landscape of the Wolverine State." Every highway has its terminus and this site helps document them pictorially!
- Highways at blcamp.com - the Highways section of Barry L. Camp's website.
- Michigan Highways on Interstate80.info - page after page of highway photographs from all over the state, taken by Eric Buchanan.
Michigan at CanHighways.com - the Michigan section of Cameron Bevers' and Scott Steeves' comprehensive CanHighways.com website.- The County Road Signs of Michigan - photos of county road signs from Sean Lyons (last updated 2006).
- Michigan Road Photos - by Dan Garnell, showcasing various highway scenes from the Wolverine State (unfortunately, no updates since 2003).
- Midwest Roads - from Craig Holl and Scott O. Kuznicki, "an information source for roadway transportation enthusiasts!" which should feature some Michigan-related content... someday...
- MPG Roads: Michigan Gateway - the Michigan section of Geoffrey Hatchard's MPG Roads website featuring "Images and maps from the Great Lakes State."
- Wolverine State Road Gateway - jointly maintained by Dan Garnell and Sean Lyons as "your all-access pass to the highways and by-ways of the State of Michigan."
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Regional Links
- BT's Detroit Road Guide - from Dan Ploch (no longer actively maintained).
- Michiana Roads - Marc Fannin's site describing the roads and highways in the area known as "Michiana," comprising of Southwestern Michigan and Northern Indiana outside Chicagoland; South Bend, Indiana, is the regional center. As a part of his website, Marc's Routes in Niles, Michigan Throughout the Years attempts to make sense of the plethora of highway routings over the years in the Greater Niles area in southeastern Berrien County.
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Road Construction Links
AAA
Michigan Live Traffic Reports & Construction Updates - regularly updated
road construction information compiled in cooperation with the Michigan
Department of Transportation.- MDOT
Latest News & Road Work Advisories - from MDOT.
Also links to specific MDOT pages
below:
- Mi Drive Interactive Map - MDOT's interactive mapp applicaiton showing road construction (current and future), live traffic cameras, live traffic speed data, active roadway incidents, message signs, carpool lots, rest areas, roadside parks, and various search functions.
- Lane Closures - find out which roads and highways will have lane closures. View this statewide lane closure search to plan your travel route. Avoid big lane closures by planning ahead.
- 2012 Construction Map (PDF) - from the State of Michigan in conjuntion with MDOT.
- Major Projects Under Construction - providing a listing of major MDOT projects.
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Links to Specific Roads/Routes/Corridors
- High Priority Corridor No. 5 (I-73/I-74) - from the AARoads.com website. Includes information on I-73 in Michigan.
- I-69info.com - operated by Chris Lawrence, "intended to provide accurate and timely information about the national I-69 project, and is made available as a free service for interested and concerned citizens along the route and elsewhere."
- Traveling the Dixie Highway in Michigan - R. W. Reini's illustrated description of a southbound trip down the famous Dixie Highway, the eastern branch of which went from Sault Ste. Marie down to Florida.
- US-23
Sunrise Side Coastal Highway - Website contains this Heritage Route's Management Plan, Support Documents, and Press Releases.
- Discover US-23: The Huron Shores Heritage Route - 200 miles of specacular scenic views of Lake Huron and an astounding array of large public forest and recreational properties await travelers on the Huron Shores Heritage Route.
- Copper Country Trail National Byway - Copper Country Trail National Byway, first designated as a Michigan State Heritage Route in 1994, joined the America’s Byways collection in 2005.
- Whatever Happened to the Dixie Highway? - an excellent site by Robert V Droz detailing the history of one of the more famous "Names Auto Trails."
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Traffic & Commuting Links
- AAA
Michigan Live Traffic Reports & Construction Updates - regularly updated
road construction information compiled in cooperation with the Michigan
Department of Transportation.
- Driving Today with Matt Helms - a regular feature in the Detroit Free Press.
- WOOD-TV 8 Traffic - the traffic page from WOOD-TV 8 Grand Rapids. Also features a Traffic Cameras page.
- Michigan
State Police Weather & Road Condition Report - a handy site
updated at least daily by the various MSP posts throughout the state
from November through April.
- Tom Greenwood's Commuting - a regular feature in the Detroit News.
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Michigan's Bridges & Ferries
- Bridges, Borders & Ferries News - from the MDOT website, includes:
- Bridge Tolls - a one-stop page for fare information for the International, Mackinac, Blue Water, and Ambassador bridges as well as the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
- Ferries - a comprehensive listing of the passenger and automobile ferries around the state.
- Ambassador Bridge - from the operators of the Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario.
- Beaver Island Boat Company - each year, the BIBCo ferries make approximately 375 round trips to the island, travel over 24,000 miles, transport over 40,000 passengers, carry around 6,500 vehicles and approximately 15,000 tons of freight.
- Blue Water Bridge - this crossing consists of two unique bridges, the Original Blue Water Bridge, opened in 1938 and renovated in 1999 is a three lane west bound bridge. The Second Blue Water Bridge, which carries three lanes of east bound traffic, is an impressive modern bridge opened in 1997. State of the art facilities make the Blue Water Bridge crossing one of the smoothest and most modern crossings in the world.
- Bluewater Ferry - crossing the St Clair River between Marine City, Michigan and Sombra, Ontario.
- Detroit-Windsor Tunnel - a site from the operators of the "first and only vehicular subway ever built between two nations." One of the two connections between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. Formally dedicated on November 1, 1930.
- Drummond
Island Ferry - the only connection between the mainland
(Upper Peninsula) and this large island in northern Lake Huron. The
Drummond Island Ferry is also a link in the route of M-134 between
De Tour Village and the island.
- EUPTA Ferry System - the Drummond Island, Neebish Island and Sugar Island ferries are operated by the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority.
- Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere - an excellent website by Nathan Holth: "With a focus on metal truss bridges, this site provides photos, information, and maps for historic bridges in Michigan, part of Ontario and Pennsylvania, and several other places, and discusses why many of these bridges are in danger of demolition."
- [Houghton-Hancock Bridge] Three Spans over the Portage - "The history of the three bridges to span the canal between Houghton and Hancock" from Kevin E. Musser's excellent Copper Range Railroad historical website.
- International Bridge - The International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie is the only vehicular crossing between Ontario and Michigan within a 600-mile distance. The Bridge connects two cities, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
- Ironton Ferry Service - The Ironton Ferry operates during the late spring, summer, and early fall months across the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix.
- Lake Express Ferry - began service in June 2004 linking the cities of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Muskegon, Michigan. The high speed Lake Michigan crossing takes just two and one-half hours, saving passengers a lengthy drive through heavily congested Chicago.
- Isle Royale Ferries:
- Isle Royale Line, Inc. - the privately-run passenger ferry, Isle Royale Queen IV, between Copper Harbor and Rock Harbor on Isle Royale.
- National Park Service: Transportation Services - the NPS-operated MV Ranger III offers service between Houghton and Rock Harbor on the island.
- Lake Michigan Carferry: S.S. Badger - cruise coast to coast in four hours. The 410' S.S. Badger offers daily sailings during the Spring, Summer and Fall between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The 4-hour cruise features food, entertainment, a gift shop and spectacular views of Lake Michigan. This is the last remaining original carferry traversing Lake Michigan.
- Mackinac Bridge - the official site of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, the agency charged with upkeep and maintenance of one of the world's most graceful suspension bridges. This site features a live "BridgeCam," fare schedule, photo galleries, information on the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk, updated news and even up-to-the-minute bridge conditions! Full of great information on what has been described as an "Eighth Wonder of the World." Opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.
- Mackinac Island Ferries:
- Arnold Transit Co. - serving Mackinac Island since 1878.
- Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry - serving Mackinac Island since 1945.
- Star Line Ferry - serving Mackinac Island since 1977.
- Plaunt Transportation, Inc.: Ferry Service to Bois Blanc Island - the sole provider of ferry services to Bois Blanc Island with daily sailings when the Straits are not frozen over from Cheboygan to Pointe Aux Pins. The ferry, Kristen D, can accommodate up to 16 vehicles.
- Walpole-Algonac Ferry Line, Ltd. - in operation for over 100 years, operating out of Walpole Island, Ontario, the ferry crosses the St Clair River to Algonac, Michigan and is the closest route between Detroit and Chatham/Wallaceburg/London/Toronto areas.
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Links to Adjacent States & Provinces
- Illinois
Department of Transportation (IDOT)
- Illinois
Statewide Winter Road Conditions - from IDOT.
- Getting Around Illinois - an interactive mapping site provideing the ability to search and display several sources of transportation data. You can find information on winter road conditions, annual average daily traffic, road construction, trucking routes, and planned road projects.
- Illinois Highways Page - from Rich Carlson: "Your complete guide to the origin and evolution of the Illinois Numbered Highways System."
- Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA)
- Indiana
Department of Transportation (InDOT)
- InDOT: TrafficWise - TrafficWise is an INDOT program that uses Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to relieve traffic congestion and improve safety.
- The Kings Highways - Cameron Bever's excellent site on the highways of Ontario.
- Ohio
Department of Transportation (ODOT)
- Buckeye Traffic - from ODOT.
- OHGO - the official source for real-time Ohio traffic updates from ODOT.
- The Ohio Regional Pages - a Roadfan.com site brought to you by Sandor Gulyas and Marc Fannin covering "roads and highways in all regions of Ohio with photographs, route information, important and unusual features, and related links."
- Ohio State Highways (via archive.org)- John Simpson's unofficial site with detailed route information for each Ohio state highway (updates ceased in 2001.)
- Ohio Turnpike Commission (OTC)
- Ontario Highways - companion site to this one, maintained by Chris Bessert.
- Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) - English site.
- Ministère des Transports de l'Ontario - Site en français.
- Ontario Road Closures - from the MTO.
- Ontario Winter Road Condition Reports - from the MTO from the end of October through April.
- Wisconsin
Department of Transportation (WisDOT)
- 511wi- My 511wi is a service of WisDOT which offers travel information along with personalized routes and alerts of your choosing.
- Wisconsin
Winter Road Conditions - from WisDOT via 511wi.
- Wisconsin Highways - companion site to this one, maintained by Chris Bessert.
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Miscellaneous & Other Links
- Michigan Broadcast Guide - a professionally-done, excellent website devoted to broadcasting in Michigan. While not directly highway-related, you've gotta do something while driving the highways and byways of Michigan!
- Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association (MITA) - MITA is a statewide construction trade association formed in 2005 through the merger of Associated Underground Contractors and the Michigan Road Builders Association.
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