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Highways 10 through 19

US-10 | M-10 | M-11 | US-12 | M-13 | M-14 | M-15 | US-16 | M-17 | M-18 | M-19 | Jump to Bottom
US-10 Western Entrance:From Wisconsin via the Lake Michigan Carferry at the ferry docks in Ludington, south end of James St
Eastern Terminus: Jct I-75/US-23 (at Exit 162) & M-25/BS I-75 just west of Bay City
Length:140.68 miles
Map:Route Map of US-10
Notes: Prior to the coming of the Interstates, US-10 was a key US Highway in Michigan. Beginning in the heart of downtown Detroit at a junction with US-12, US-16 and US-25, US-10 continued through such cities as Pontiac, Flint, Saginaw and Midland, all the while gradually bending west to cross the Lower Peninsula to meet the Lake Michigan Carferries at Ludington, where the route continued across the lake via the ferry to Manitowoc, Wisconsin and on to Seattle. In present times, just as US-10 was truncated at Fargo, North Dakota in the west, it was scaled back from Detroit to end in Bay City in 1986. Also, after many years of tenuous service, the Lake Michigan Carferry service is again running strong, ferrying people and their automobiles between Ludington and Manitowoc, providing that crucial link in the route of US-10.
For more information about the Lake Michigan carferry, the S.S. Badger, visit the Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc. website for current sailings, historical information, fares, and activities to do while on board the four hour crossing.
Updated For the first forty years of the existence of the US-10 freeway—now stretching from west of Farwell to Bay City—no exit numbers or milemarkers were posted along its route. For decades, MDOT only posted exit numbers and milemarkers along routes which actually began as freeways or entered Michigan at the southern or western state boundaries. Some routes, such as US-10, became freeways part-way through their travels through the state, and these routes were not assigned milemarkers. Starting in the early 1990s, MDOT began slowly milemarking the remaining freeways in the state, posting milemarkers on US-10 between Farwell and Bay City in 2001. It wasn't until 2010-12 that most of these freeways, however, had exit numbers assigned and US-10 was no exception. New exit signs along the US-10 freeway between Farwell and Bay City were installed in 2012 featuring exit numbers matching the milemarkers erected a decade before.
History:1920s - Before the advent of the US Highway system in the mid-1920s, the Ludington-to-Detroit route of US-10 was made up of the following state routes: 1) M-20 from Ludington to Midland; 2) M-24 from Midland to Saginaw; and 3) M-10 from Saginaw to Detroit. (For the complete history of M-10 in Michigan, please see the M-10 listing below.)
1926 - The US-10 designation was added in Michigan from Ludington to Detroit. Some 1926 Rand McNally road maps called this route "US-12" and the route which became US-12 as "US-10," however many familiar to the situation say this is not correct and attribute it to overzealous mapping using the preliminary plans for the US Highway System instead of the final approved version later in 1926. In any event, the redundant, duplicate state route numbers of M-20, M-24 and M-10 along this route were replaced by the US-10 designation.
1928 - US-10 is realigned to utilize the new eastern bypass of the City of Flint, which is named "Dort Hwy" soon after; Dort was an early pioneer in the automobile industry in Flint, parterning with William Durant, the founder of General Motors, at one time. The former route of US-10 through Flint is redesignated as M-10, ironically reviving a highway designation which existed along this route two years earlier, prior to the coming of US-10! Also during 1928, US-10 is realigned to its present route from M-37 north of Baldwin westerly to the Lake/Mason Co line. The former route is turned back to local control.
1932 - A new, more-direct highway alignment opens along present-day Saginaw Rd from Clare to Loomis in northern Isabella Co, with the former route of US-10 being turned back to local control.
1933 - Two minor realignments are completed near Hersey and west of Evart in Osceola Co.
1934 - A new bypass of downtown Midland opens in mid-1934 along Saginaw Rd. The former route through downtown Midland, running generally along present-day BUS US-10, becomes US-10A.
1935 - A new alignment for two miles northwest from downtown Farwell opens in mid-1935, cutting a mile from the route. Old US-10 along Old State and Surrey Rds becomes a county road.
1936 - US-10 is realigned to its present routing between Sears and M-66 east of Sears in 1936, where it turns south on M-66 for 3 miles back to its original alignment. The former route of US-10 along present-day 50th Ave & 3 Mile Rd is turned back to local control. Also, in early 1936, US-10 is realigned onto a new, direct highway alignment from Farwell to Clare, dropping the distance between those two cities by a mile. The former route along Beaver and Maple Rds is turned back to local control.
1937-38 - While a major paving project had US-10 between Custer in Mason Co and M-37 north of Baldwin closed, a temporary US-10 was designated along county roads. From Custer, the route ran north along Custer Rd to Sugar Grove Rd, then east to Benson Rd and south to US-10 at Walhalla. From Walhalla, the route then ran south on Walhalla Rd, then east on Kinney Rd, 56th & 52nd Sts to Baldwin.
1938 - The realignment project begun in Osceola Co at Sears in 1936 is completed with the opening of US-10 along its present route from M-66 east of Sears to Lake Station in Clare Co in 1938. The former US-10/M-66 routing retains the M-66 designation, while the former segment along 3 Mile Rd/Eight Point Ave is turned back to local control.
1939 - The downtown Birmingham "bypass" is completed and opened to traffic and originally named "Hunter Blvd." Sources seem to indicate that originally, Hunter Blvd handled northbound US-10 traffic, while the original Woodward Ave route was given totally over to southbound traffic. At some future point, all US-10 traffic was transferred to the Hunter Blvd (now Woodward Ave) alignment, with Woodward Ave (now Old Woodward Ave) through downtown Birmingham becoming a local street.
1941-42 - In late-1941 or early-1942, the M-10 designation through the City of Flint is replaced by a brand-new BUS US-10 designation, resulting is the absence of the M-10 designation from Michigan for almost 50 years.
1943-44 - US-10 is realigned to its present routing between Chase in Lake Co and US-131 at Reed City in Osceola Co, with the Osceola portion being completed during the War in 1943 and the Lake stretch done in 1944. This change, however, does not show up on the official highway map until the 1948 editions! With this realignment and subsequent paving, the final 16 miles of gravel-surfaced US-10 in Michigan are finally hard-surfaced.
1953 - With the completion of a US-23 bypass of Saginaw, the co-signed portion of US-10/US-23 between Bridgeport and downtown Saginaw becomes US-10/BUS US-23.
1957 - With the completion of the Fenton-Clio Expressway from Birch Run southherly past Flint, the US-23 designation is moved to the new freeway and the former US-10/US-23 becomes just US-10. Through the center of Flint, Saginaw St becomes just BUS US-10.
1959 - A new highway alignment opens bypassing Reed City on the north. Some of the former route becomes BUS US-10, with the remainder being transferred to local control.
1960 - A portion of the new I-75/US-10/US-23 freeway opens between M-13 (the former US-23) northeast of Saginaw and the M-20 freeway west of Bay City. The US-10 designation is re-routed westerly along the M-20 freeway from Bay City to Midland. The new US-10 freeway also opens around the north side of Midland between Bay City Rd and Stark Rd. Much of the former US-10 between Saginaw and Midland becomes M-47, with the portion along State St in Saginaw designated as M-81, and the portion from Saginaw to Bridgeport designated as BL I-75. In the city of Midland, the former US-10 along Saginaw Rd is turned back to local control, while the former US-10A becomes BUS US-10.
1961 - Another portion of the new I-75/US-10/US-23 freeway opens between Birch Run and M-13 northeast of Saginaw. The former route of US-10/US-23 (Dixie Hwy) becomes a county road. Also, a long, new portion of US-10 freeway opens between Stark Rd northwest of Midland and the newly completed US-27 "expressway" at Clare. At this time, all of US-10 from Bay City to Clare is temporarily designated as "TO I-75," directing through I-75 traffic between completed segments south of Bay City and north of Grayling. In addition, US-10 is routed around Pontiac along the former route of M-58, completely replacing it. The former US-10 through downtown Pontiac becomes BUS US-10.
1962 - A new portion of the I-75 freeway is opened between Flint and Pontiac. The US-10 designation is transferred to I-75 between Birch Run and Clarkston. The former US-10 between Clio and the Oakland/Genesee Co line is re-designated as M-54 and Old BUS US-10 through Flint becomes BUS M-54. The former US-10 along Dixie Hwy from the end of M-54 to I-75 northwest of Clarkston is turned back to local control. US-10 is now freeway from east of Clare to Clarkston.
1970 - The US-10 designation is moved from its Woodward Ave routing between Detroit and Pontiac onto the John C Lodge Frwy and Telegraph Rd. The former route is re-designated M-1. The BUS US-10 routing through downtown Pontiac is retained.
1973 - With the completion of I-75 between West Branch and Roscommon, the "TO I-75" designation is removed from US-10 between Bay City and Clare.
1975 - A new US-10/M-115 freeway bypass around the Farwell/Clare area opens. Old US-10 is retained as an unsigned state trunkline, except the part east of BUS US-27 in downtown Clare, which is re-designated as part of BUS US-10.
1986-87 - The US-10 designation scaled back from downtown Detroit to end at Bay City. The route of US-10 is now about one-half its original length in Michigan. The former portions of US-10 co-signed with other routes retain those other route numbers. Former US-10 along Dixie Hwy and Telegraph Rd from I-75 northwest of Clarkston and Square Lake Rd (jct US-24) southwest of Pontiac becomes an extension of US-24 and the former BUS US-10 through Pontiac becomes BUS US-24. The John C Lodge Frwy from jct I-696 in Southfield and jct I-75 near downtown Detroit is redesignated as M-10. The final segment of the former US-10 is designated as BS I-375, but was never signed as such (it later became part of M-10).
1989 - The former route of US-10 through Farwell and into downtown Clare becomes a signed state highway once again—it had remained an unsigned state trunkline since 1975. Most commercial maps have labled this road as BUS US-10, but all signs along the route reveal this is actually a re-re-location of M-115 back onto its original alignment. In 1975, M-115 was routed along with US-10 onto the newly constructed bypass to end at US-27 north of Clare. In 1989, M-115 was removed from this route and transferred back onto Ludington Dr and ends in downtown Clare at jct BUS US-27 & BUS US-10.
1998 - The entrance to the Lake Michigan Carferry docks was changed from the south end of William St to the south end of James St in Ludington. Formerly, US-10 continued westerly on Ludington Ave for an additional three blocks to William St, then turned southerly for four blocks to the carferry docks. With the reconfiguration of the carferry docks and entrance in 1998, US-10 now turns southerly from Ludington Ave via James St for seven blocks to the ferry docks entrance. In the realignment, MDOT reconstructed James St, and placed a "US-10 ENDS" route marker assembly at the entrance to the docks. The former route of US-10 along William St is no longer a signed state highway, and may be turned back to local control in the future. The former portion of US-10 along Ludington Ave between James St and William St is now an extension of M-116.
Freeway:From M-115 northwest of Farwell to eastern terminus.
NHS:Entire route.
Circle Tour:Lake Michigan Circle Tour: From west jct of US-31 east of Ludington to east jct of US-31 west of Scottville.
Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Loop: From eastern jct of US-31 west of Scottville to jct Old US-31 in downtown Scottville. NOTE: This LMCT Loop route was removed/decommissioned some time in late 2004 or early 2005 and no longer exists.
Business Connections:BUS US-10 - Reed City. From jct US-10 & Mackinaw Tr (Old US-131) north of Reed City to jct US-10 east of Reed City.
BUS US-10 - Clare. From US-127/US-10 on the north side of Clare to jct US-10 east of Clare.
BUS US-10 - Midland. From jct US-10 on the north side of Midland (Eastman Rd interchange) to jct US-10 & M-20 east of Midland.
Continue on:US-10 into Wisconsin
Photographs:
Weblinks:• US-10 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of US-10 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
• N. Saginaw Rd./Salt River Bridge - from MDOT, "the North Saginaw Road Bridge is one of the first examples of a Parker pony truss built in Michigan and is one of only a few remaining."
• 14th St./M-54 (Saginaw St.) Bridges - from MDOT, "the Saginaw Street Underpasses are a pair of identical structures - one now open, one closed - that carry Fourteenth Street and an abandoned line of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad over Saginaw Street (M-54 BR) in central Flint."
• Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc. - for current sailings, historical information, fares, and activities to do while on board the four hour carferry crossing of Lake Michigan on the continuation of US-10 into Wisconsin.
• U.S. Route 10 (Michigan) New! - at canhighways.com.
• End of US Highway 10 New! - from Dale Sanderson's excellent US Ends.com website.
M-10 Southern Terminus: Downtown Detroit at jct M-3 & BS I-375 (cnr Jefferson Ave & Randolph St)
Northern Terminus:Orchard Lake Rd just north of 14 Mile Rd in West Bloomfield Twp
Length:22.88 miles
Map:Route Map of M-10
Notes:The freeway portion of M-10 in Detroit and Southfield is officially known as the John C. Lodge Freeway, however several of the route's former names are still used by some. The actual "John C. Lodge Expwy" originally only ran from Downtown Detroit out to the "Linwood Curve," halfway between the Davison and Wyoming Ave. A surface roadway—Northwestern Hwy—traditionally ran from Wyoming Ave northwesterly out of the city and into Oakland Co. When the freeway was extended in the early 1960s, the portion from the "Linwood Curve" west through the "Wyoming Curve," then northwesterly along the path of Northwestern Hwy to 8 Mile Rd was named "James Couzens Expwy." As the freeway was extended from 8 Mile Rd to Telegraph along Northwestern Hwy, the new freeway retained the name "Northwestern Hwy." It wasn't until the 1980s that MDOT decided to—officially or unofficially—rename the entire freeway the "John C. Lodge Frwy" from downtown Detroit to Telegraph Rd. Ironically, though, the service drives along M-10/John C. Lodge Frwy still retain their original names (as service drives, anyway). From downtown to Wyoming Ave, the service drives are named "John C. Lodge," from Wyoming to 8 Mile, the service drives as" James Couzens," and from 8 Mile to Telegraph, they're known as "Northwestern Hwy."
As much as the freeway portion of today's M-10 has changed names over the years, the non-freeway divided highway portion has always been named "Northwestern Hwy." In addition, a Northwestern Hwy extension was proposed to connect the current end of Northwestern at Orchard Lake Rd in West Bloomfield Twp with the proposed "Fenton-Clio Expressway" at Fenton. (The "F.C.E." is today's US-23 in Genesee Co.). The dashed line showing the proposed Northwestern Extension appeared on maps for many years, disappearing in the early 1970s. When I-275 was proposed as a complete bypass of Metropolitan Detroit, the Northwestern Hwy extension was resurrected as a full-freeway connection between Orchard Lake Rd and the I-275 freeway between 15 Mile (Maple) Rd and Pontiac Tr near Walled Lake. With the tabling and abandonment of the plans to complete I-275, the Northwestern Extension has been on and off for many years. In the late-1990s and early '00s, MDOT hired a consultant to study the possibilities for the "Northwestern Corridor," mostly at the behest of the Road Commission for Oakland County. (See below.) However, as the land in the path of the original "Northwestern Extension" has been sold off for development, the originally-proposed freeway connection has been relegated to the history books.
Updated The "Northwestern Connector Study" in Oakland County was conducted in the 2000s by consultants DLZ Corp. The preferred alternative included widening Orchard Lake Rd from a five-lane road into a six-lane boulevard, widening Maple (15 Mile) Rd into a four-lane boulevard, widening 14 Mile Rd into three-lanes, and placing eleven roundabouts on each of the above roads to replace signalized intersections! While the widening portions of the plan may help reduce congestion some, it remains to be seen if the citizens of Oakland Co will be able to handle eleven roundabouts—especially ones on a six-lane boulevard!
According to The Detroit News' Tom Greenwood in his column on April 27, 2000, the portion of the M-10/Lodge Frwy in Southfield named the Adler Memorial Highway was named in honor of Rabbi Morris Adler who died after being shot by a deranged gunman in front of his congregation at Temple Shaarey Zedek on March 11, 1966.
The freeway portion of today's M-10 actually had no route designation when the first portion of the John C Lodge Expwy opened to traffic in the 1950s. Since it was constructed initially by the Wayne County Road Commission, it was a locally-maintained freeway. The first route number to be assigned to the Lodge was US-12 in 1956 when it was designated along the newly-completed Edsel Ford Frwy (now a portion of I-94). US-12 turned southerly along the Lodge from the Edsel Ford to end in downtown Detroit. The next route designation to grace the John C Lodge Frwy was BS I-696 (Business Spur I-696) in c.1964 when the I-696/Walter P Reuther Frwy was completed from the west, ending at Northwestern Hwy in Southfield. The BS I-696 designation began at the end of I-696 and continued southeasterly via today's John C Lodge Frwy into downtown Detroit. This was the first time a route designation had been applied to all of the Lodge. Then in 1970, the entire freeway was incorporated as part of US-10, which had been removed from parallel Woodward Ave, and the BS I-696 designation was removed. Finally, in the late-1980s (concurrent with a major reconstruction of the Lodge in Detroit), when the US-10 designation was truncated at Bay City, the Lodge was redesignated M-10, which it is today.
  For the first time in over fifty years, exit numbers began appearing on the John C Lodge Frwy in Detroit in April 2005. In the 1970s and early-1980s, MDOT refrained from posting exit numbers on the Lodge interchanges as the freeway was part of the route of US-10, which itself was not constructed as freeway from its "zero-point" at Ludington. When US-10 was truncated back to Bay City in 1986, the M-10 designation was assigned to the Lodge which meant both M-10's and the Lodge's "zero-point" were now the same, at Jefferson Ave & Randolph St in downtown Detroit. However, as part of their "Lodgability" reconstruction of the freeway in the late-1980s, MDOT chose not to erect exit numbers at that time. Assumedly as part of a freeway guide sign replacement program, the department decided to finally include the exit numbers during 2005. This leaves the M-8/Davison Frwy as the only freeway in Detroit without numbered interchanges.
History:1920s - Prior to the creation of the US Highway system in the mid-1920s, the early version of M-10 begins at the Ohio state line south of Erie, runs northerly along Telegraph Rd to Dearborn, then easterly on Michigan Ave into downtown Detroit. From there, M-10 runs northwesterly through Flint, Saginaw and Bay City roughly along the later route of US-10. From Bay City, M-10 runs roughly along the later route of US-23 along the Lake Huron shore, ending in Mackinaw City.
1926 - The following US Highways are routed over portions of M-10 in Michigan:
  • US-24 from the Ohio state line to Dearborn at Michigan Ave.
  • US-112 along Michigan Ave from Dearborn into downtown Detroit.
  • US-10 from downtown Detroit, through Pontiac and Flint to downtown Saginaw.
  • US-23 from downtown Saginaw north to Mackinaw City.
1928 - Just two years after the decommissioning of M-10 in Michigan (due to the coming of the US Highway system), the M-10 designation is reinstated. US-10 is realigned to utilize the new eastern bypass of the city of Flint, which is named "Dort Hwy" soon after; Dort was an early pioneer in the automobile industry in Flint, parterning with William Durant, the founder of General Motors, at one time. The former route of US-10 through Flint is redesignated as M-10, ironically reviving a highway designation which existed along this route two years earlier, prior to the coming of US-10!
1941-42 - In late 1941 or early 1942, the M-10 designation through the City of Flint is replaced by a brand-new BUS US-10 designation, resulting is the absence of the M-10 designation from Michigan for almost 50 years.
1986-87 - A third incarnation of M-10 debuts when the US-10 designation is scaled back from downtown Detroit to end in Bay City. The former US-10 from I-75/Fisher Fwy to the I-696 & US-24 interchange in Southfield is redesignated as M-10. Northwestern Hwy from this point northwest to Orchard Lake Rd in West Bloomfield Twp is redesignated from M-4 to M-10. During the summers of 1986 and 1987, the John C Lodge Frwy is completely reconstructed from downtown Detroit to Wyoming Ave in northwest Detroit, and the M-10 shields are erected upon completion of the project.
1987 - The southernmost portion of the John C Lodge Frwy from I-75/Fisher Frwy into downtown Detroit is officially redesignated from BS I-375 (Business Spur I-375) to M-10. It seems that no BS I-375 markers were actually erected along this route, and the old US-10 route markers were swapped out for new M-10 markers at this time.
  2005 (Apr) - For the first time in over fifty years, exit numbers begin appearing on the John C Lodge Frwy in Detroit. (See note above for details.)
Freeway: From Cobo Center in downtown Detroit to the I-696/US-24 interchange in Southfield (specifically at Beck Rd).
NHS:Entire route.
Photographs:
Weblinks: • M-10 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-10 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
• Downtown Detroit Trunklines Map - PDF map showing the official routings and termini of all state trunklines in downtown Detroit. Many of these termini and some of the trunklines themselves are unsigned, making this map particularly helpful.
• The History of Detroit's Lodge Freeway in Photos New! - a posting on the SkyscraperPage forum with almost two dozen photos from the past sixty years of the Lodge Freeway's existence, taken from a Detroit News article on the history of the Lodge.
• Michigan Road Photos: Michigan Route 10 New! - a photo tour of M-10.
M-11 Western Terminus: I-96 at Exit 24 just east of Marne
Eastern Terminus: I-96 at Exit 44 between Kentwood and Cascade (southeast of Grand Rapids)
Length:20.96 miles
Map:Route Map of M-11
Notes:Today's M-11 occupies two of the originally-proposed four legs in a complete Grand Rapids "Beltline" highway system, designated M-114. The southern and western legs of the beltline were run along existing roads, today's 28th St and Wilson Ave, respectively. The eastern leg was built and called, obviously, East Beltline—a name which it has today. The northern leg, which was to run in part along 3 Mile Rd, was never completed. Originally designated M-114, the southern and western portions of the Beltline had several designations over the years, including: BYP US-16, BYP M-50, BYP US-131, and BYP M-21; then as the former routes though town became Business Connections, US-16, M-50, US-131 and M-21 all ran along portions of the route. M-37 also occupied a portion of the route at different times over the years. With the completion of I-96 and I-196 at Grand Rapids in the 1960s, US-16 along 28th St, Wilson Ave and Ironwood Dr was redesignated as M-11.
Today, a new "South Beltline"—this time a freeway bypass of Metro Grand Rapids—is under construction. The route, designated as M-6, will roughly parallel M-11 between I-96 on the southeast and I-196 on the southwest. While it is expected to alleviate some of the heavy traffic flows along east-west routes in the area, M-11/28th St included, the M-11 designation is expected to remain on 28th St.
History:1920 - The first iteration of M-11 in Michigan runs along the west side of the Lower Peninsula along the route which later becomes US-31, with the exception of the portion between New Buffalo and Saint Joseph, which is later signed as US-12. The entire length of this early M-11 is also designated the "West Michigan Pike."
1921 - M-11 is realigned in Emmet Co between Petoskey and Alanson. From Conway, M-11 formerly ran northerly on present-day North Conway Rd, easterly on Powers Rd, then southerly on the present Luce St into Oden, where it turned eastearly toward Alanson. A segment of new highway is completed directly linking Conway and Oden along the shore of Crooked Lake, with the former route being turned back to local control.
1922 - M-11 is rerouted onto new alignment in Ottawa Co, from West Olive northwesterly to Ferris St between Agnew and Grand Haven, with the former 'stair-step' route in the area being turned back to local control. Also in 1922, M-11 is realigned onto a more direct route between Montague in Muskegon Co and New Era in Oceana Co (present-day Oceana Dr). The former route (along present-day Dowling Rd, Post Rd, Old 99 Rd, Meinert Rd, Indian Bay Rd, 56th Ave, Arthur Rd, 64th Ave and Hayes Rd) is turned back to local control.
1926 - With the creation of the US Highway system, M-11 between the Indiana state line and St Joseph is designated as part of the new US-12, from St Joseph through Benton Harbor to Watervliet, it becomes a concurrent US-12/US-31 routing, and from Watervliet northerly to Mackinaw City, it is designated as a part of US-31. (Even in present times, a few short segments of what was originally M-11 can be found as roads named "Old M-11.") The M-11 designation is then immediately applied to a route running from M-50 at Napoleon, heading easterly through Manchester, ending at US-112/Michigan Ave in Saline southwest of Ann Arbor.
1948 - M-11 is completely hard-surfaced along its entire route from Napoleon to Saline.
1954 - With the routing of M-92 (later M-52) through the Manchester area, partially along the M-11 corridor just east of Manchester, M-11 is removed from Michigan as a state trunkline designation. It would be absent for seven years.
1961 - The third iteration M-11 is created when the US-16 routing is transferred to the newly finished I-96 and I-196 (later I-96) freeways around the north side of Grand Rapids. The former US-16 along 28th St, Wilson Ave and Ironwood Dr on the south and west sides of Grand Rapids becomes M-11.
Freeway/Expwy:No portion of M-11 is freeway or expressway.
NHS:Entire route.
Photographs:
Weblinks:• M-11 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-11 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
US-12 Western Entrance:Indiana state line at Michiana (just south of New Buffalo)
Eastern Terminus: Downtown Detroit at cnr of Michigan Ave & Cass Ave, four blocks west of Woodward Ave
Length: 208.90 miles
Map:Route Map of US-12
Notes:Both the original routing of US-12 in Michigan, as well as the current routing, have been important transportation corridors in the Great Lakes region since before the arrival of the Europeans. Two of Michigan's major Native American foot trails ran along both routings of US-12. The predecessor to today's US-12 was once the Great Sauk Trail. Over time as European settlers began to settle across southern Michigan, these foottrails were gradually widened into major highways. The northern route, which was first M-17, then US-12, ran from Detroit, through Ann Arbor, Jackson, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo to St Joseph on Lake Michigan. The southern route, which was US-112, then US-12, ran from Detroit through Coldwater, Sturgis and Niles to New Buffalo on Lake Michigan. The northern route as US-12 fostered the growth of many of the cities along its route; so much so that the route was chosen for the proposed Detroit-Chicago Expressway in the early 1950s. In a time before the Interstate Highway System, a toll-free superhighway of this length (210 miles in Michigan alone) was unheard of. By the late 1950s, with several sections of freeway already complete and open, this entire route was incorporated into the path of I-94. With that, US-12 in Michigan was moved south to occupy the routing of US-112, which ceased to exist as a highway designation.
A very thorough and in-depth website by Rich Rowland relating the history and details about US-112 in Michigan can be found at http://www.richrowland.com/us112/. Worth a visit!
Prior to the construction of the Ohio Turnpike and Indiana East-West Toll Road, the route of today's US-12 (then designated as US-112) was earmarked as a corridor to be upgraded to expressway and/or freeway status. While the historic route of US-12 was the route connecting Detroit with Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor/St Joseph, the US-112 was the more direct routing between Detroit and Chicago. Thus the Michigan State Highway Department had planned early on to upgrade the entire corridor to at least expressway status with bypasses of the larger cities and towns along the way. The Niles Bypass was constructed as part of this effort as was a partially-built (but never completed) interchange at M-52 near Clinton, however no other upgrades were ever completed.
According to Dave Outen in a post on the USENET newsgroup misc.transport.road, MDOT had at one time attempted to alleviate some of the traffic problems along US-12/Michigan Ave in the "West Dearborn" section of Dearborn. According to Dave, MDOT planned to move westbound traffic onto parallel Garrison St between Brady Rd on the east and Nowlin on the west, keeping eastbound traffic on Michigan Ave. A connection between Garrison St and Michigan Ave was completed on the west end and clearing and initial grading was underway on the east end when, according to Dave, "intense community opposition" halted progress on the project. Today, all US-12 traffic remains squeezed through the center of "Westborn" on Michigan Ave. —Many thanks to Dave Outen for this information!
Two segments of US-12 have been designated as Heritage Routes: through the City of Saline in Washtenaw Co and in the City of Clinton/Clinton Township in Lenawee Co.
History:1920s - The original state trunkline designations running along what later became US-12 are: M-11 from the Indiana state line to St Joseph, a concurrently designated M-11/M-17 from St Joseph to Watervliet, and M-17 alone from there to Ann Arbor where US-12 was routed over roads not formerly a part of the state highway system into Detroit.
1926 - Originally to be designated US-10 between Detroit and Chicago, US-12 was commissioned along the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Jackson-Battle Creek-Kalamazoo-St Joseph-Chicago route in 1926 along with the rest of the US Highway System in Michigan.
1927 - In one of the first major projects on the brand new US-12 in Berrien Co, the highway is realigned onto a more direct route from the Sawyer area to just south of Stevensville (along present-day Red Arrow Hwy) at Linco Rd, with the former route being turned back to local control.
1928 - Another segment of US-12/Red Arrow Hwy is completed bypassing downtown Stevensville in Berrien Co, from Linco to Glenlord Rds. The former route is turned back to local control.
1929 - Another segment of US-12/Red Arrow Hwy is completed from Glenlord Rd north of Stevensville in Berrien Co to Cleveland Ave south of downtown St Joseph. The former route of US-12 along Glenlord and Cleveland is turned back to local control.
1931 - Michigan Ave between Kalamazoo and Comstock is designated as US-12A, while US-12 is transferred to a new highway alignment (present-day King Hwy) running parallel to Michigan Ave to the south.
c.1934 - The westbound US-12 designation is removed from Territorial St through downtown Benton Harbor and now both directions utilize Main St. Territorial St between Pipestone and Fair Ave becomes a local street.
c.1935-36 - In late 1935 or early 1936, a new US-12A routing debuts at Battle Creek. Beginning at US-12/Upton Ave west of downtown, the new US-12A runs northerly across the Kalamazoo River to M-37/M-96/Michigan Ave, then turns easterly to follow M-37/M-96 along Michigan Ave through downtown and back to US-12 at the cnr of E Michigan Ave & James St. In 1936, when US-12 is rerouted onto Columbia Ave, the route of US-12A is correspondingly chaned: from the northern jct of US-12 & M-78 at the cnr of Capital Ave SW & Fountain St, US-12A now runs northasterly with M-78/Capital Ave to Michigan Ave, then turns east to follow M-96/Michigan Ave back to US-12 at James St.
1936 - A new alignment of US-12 opens from just east of Galesburg to M-78/Capital Ave in Battle Creek, trimming two miles from the route. The old route through Camp Custer is turned back to local control.
1937 - A new 15-mile long realignment opens from just east of Jackson to Sylvan west of Chelsea. The former route along Michigan Ave through Leoni and Grass Lake is turned back to local control.
1939 - Stadium Dr, a new bypass of the Western Michigan State College (now WMU) campus in Kalamazoo, opens for traffic with the US-12 designation. Beginning just west of downtown at Michigan Ave, Stadium Dr runs southwesterly via an old railroad grade back to Michigan Ave just east of Oshtemo. The former route along Michigan Ave is transferred to local control. Also, in Battle Creek, the route of US-12A along M-78 & M-96 through downtown is "decommissioned," with the existing M-78 and M-96 designations remaining.
1940 - A new 4.5-mile southern US-12 bypass of Chelsea is completed and opens to traffic. The former route along present-day Old US-12 is turned back to local control.
1941 - The southern bypass of Battle Creek (Columbia Ave easterly extension) is completed and is assigned the US-12 designation. Portions of the former route along Fountain, Main and Cliff Sts are turned back to local control. The remainder of the former route of US-12 through Battle Creek is incorporated into a brand-new BUS US-12 routing, beginning at the jct of US-12 & M-78 (cnr Columbia Ave & Capital Ave SW), running northerly with M-78 along Capital Ave into downtown, where the new BUS US-12 turns eastearly to follow M-96 along Michigan Ave back to US-12 at the Columbia Ave intersection east of the city.
1951 - A new Jackson bypass opens in late 1951 from six miles northeast of Jackson to M-50 (N East St) north of downtown. The US-12 designation is then routed southerly along M-50 and US-127 from the new bypass back to Michigan Ave west of downtown. The former alignment along Ann Arbor Rd & Michigan Ave is designated BUS US-12.
1952 - The remaining portion of the US-12 "Jackson bypass" opens to traffic in mid-1952 between Michigan Ave at Parma and M-50/N East Ave north of Jackson along another portion of what would become the I-94 freeway in less than a decade. The former route of US-12 between US-127 in Jackson and Parma is turned back to local control. The BUS US-12 designation at Jackson is extended northerly along US-127 & M-50 to end at the US-12 bypass north of the city.
1953 - US-12 is transferred onto new alignment from the eastern limits of Kalamazoo to just east of Galesburg along the route that would become a part of the I-94 freeway in less than ten years. Most of the former route becomes a westerly extension of M-96. The four-mile long US-12A designation east of Kalamazoo is removed. Also, the concurrent US-12/US-31 routing in the St Joseph and Benton Harbor is reduced to just 8 blocks through downtown St Joseph when a new alignment of US-31 opens north of the city.
1956 - Major changes to US-12 occur during 1956, including:
  • A new US-12 southern bypass of Ann Arbor opens to traffic, linking up with the former M-17 and BYP US-112 freeway bypassing Ypsilanti to the south. The new freeway bypass of Ann Arbor begins at present-day Exit 172 near Weber's Inn, and continues southerly and easterly to Carpenter Rd and the previously-completed M-17/BYP US-112 bypass, then farther east to the M-112/Willow Run Expwy east of Ypsilanti. The former route of US-12 from the west end of the new freeway west of Ann Arbor, through downtown, then northeast along Plymouth Rd past Plymouth and into Detroit is redesignated as M-14. For the first time, US-12 and US-112 run concurrently for four miles along the Ypsilanti bypass while the former US-112 along Michigan Ave through downtown becomes BUS US-112.
  • From M-17/BYP US-112 southeast of Ypsilanti, the entire M-112 designation along the Willow Run, Detroit Industrial & Edsel Ford Expwys into Detroit at the John C Lodge Expwy is replaced by the US-12 designation. At the John C Lodge, US-12 turns southerly to head into downtown Detroit—becoming the Lodge's first route designation! (The portion of the Willow Run Expwy from Wiard Rd to Northline Rd was only a limited-access divided "expressway" at the time, with access only at select crossroads, and was converted to full "freeway" in later years.)
  • Yet another change to US-12 is the the conversion of the Jackson bypass to a fully-controlled access freeway. The freeway begins at Michigan Ave on the west side of Parma and ends at the eastern jct of BUS US-12 east of Jackson.
1957 - The 1953 highway alignment of US-12 between the east side of Kalamazoo and a point just east of Galesburg is converted to a fully-limited access freeway in late-1957, from present-day Exit 81 to Exit 88.
1958 - Additional changes to US-12 during 1958:
  • A new portion of the US-12 freeway opens between the west end of the current freeway at Kalamazoo (present-day Exit 81) and US-131/Westnedge Ave on the south side of Kalamazoo. Evidence points to the fact, however, that this freeway segment remains un-numbered for the time being, as it does not connect back with US-12 west of Kalamazoo as of yet.
  • Another segment of freeway is completed from the east end of the Kalamazoo-Galesburg segment at present-day Exit 88 to the Kalamazoo/Calhoun Co line at present-day Exit 92 southwest of Battle Creek.
  • A westerly extension of the US-12 bypass of Jackson opens from Michigan Ave at Parma to M-99 northeast of Albion.
  • A new freeway connector opens from M-60/Spring Arbor Rd to I-94/US-12 northwest of Jackson, part of which carries an extended BUS US-12 designation south of Michigan Ave, then easterly to meet the established BUS US-12 in Jackson.
  • The first I-94 route markers appear along the US-12 freeway between Ann Arbor and Detroit.
1959 - Many more changes to US-12 come in 1959:
  • A segment of the I-94/US-12 freeway opens from Coloma to 64th St at Hartford. The former US-12 along Red Arrow Hwy is turned back to local control.
  • Another segment of the I-94/US-12 freeway opens from M-119 (present M-40 at Exit 60) south of Paw Paw to the completed freeway at US-131/Westnedge Ave south of Kalamazoo. The I-94 designation is posted easterly along the previously complete US-12 freeway toward Battle Creek. The former US-12 from Paw Paw to Oshtemo is turned back to local control, while the portion from Oshtemo through downtown Kalamazoo is re-designated as BUS US-12.
  • An extended segment of the I-94/US-12 freeway opens from the Kalamazoo/Calhoun Co line (at present-day Exit 92) easterly past Battle Cree kand across all of Calhoun Co to hook into the completed freeway at M-99. Much of the former route along Michigan Ave is turned back to local control, except three segments: from Battle Creek to the Ceresco area, through downtown Marshall, and through downtown Albion, which are each signed as BUS US-12.
1960 - Additional changes to the route of US-12 across the state:
  • A segment of the I-94/US-12 freeway opens from Red Arrow Hwy at Stevensville, around St Joseph/Benton Harbor to the completed freeway at Coloma. The former route through the downtowns of Saint Joseph and Benton Harbor is designated as BL I-94. The remaining portion of Old US-12 along Red Arrow Hwy becomes a local road.
  • The final I-94/US-12 segment in Van Buren Co opens between Hartford and M-119 at Paw Paw. The former route along Red Arrow Hwy becomes a local road.
  • BUS US-12 through Kalamazoo is re-designated as BL I-94.
  • BUS US-12 through downtown Battle Creek is redesignated as BL I-94 and partially routed along the new I-194/M-78 freeway.
  • The designations of the BUS US-12 routes between Battle Creek and Ann Arbor are redesignated as BL I-94 in Marshall, Albion and Jackson.
  • A lengthly segment of the I-94/US-12 freeway opens from the east jct of BL I-94 (formerly BUS US-12, at present-day Exit 144) northeast of Jackson to the west end of the completed freeway on the west side of Ann Arbor. The former route is turned back to local control, except for a stretch in eastern Jackson Co where the old alignment was incorporated into the new freeway. As an aside, the I-94/US-12 freeway becomes the first "cross-state" freeway in the United States, running non-stop from Stevensville to Detroit.
  • A new BL I-94 designation is added at Ann Arbor, beginning at the present Exit 172, heading easterly along M-14/Jackson Rd-Huron St into downtown Ann Arbor, then southeasterly with US-23 on Huron St, Washtenaw Ave and Carpenter Rd back to I-94/US-12.
1961 - In a 'final hurrah' for US-12, an additional 20 miles of the I-94/US-12 freeway opens from US-112/M-60 at New Buffalo to the western end of the completed freeway at Red Arrow Hwy in Stevensville. The former route of US-12 along Red Arrow Hwy between US-112 and Stevensville is turned back county control. The short section of US-112/M-60 between Red Arrow Hwy and the new freeway is redesignated as US-12. US-12 now runs concurrently with I-94 for 209 miles from New Buffalo to Detroit.
1961 (June) - Even as the above realignments to the route of US-12 are taking place, the Michigan State Highway Department petitions the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) to have the US-12 designation removed from its route between New Buffalo and Detroit—nearly the entire length of the route in Michigan!—and moved to supplant the existing US-112 designation between those cities. Approval is granted in June and preparations begin. (More information on this and the rest of US-12's history across the U.S. can be found at the Federal Highway Administration's website.)
1962 (Jan) - One of the biggest changes ever to US-12 occurs in January 1962. In that month, the concurrent US-12 designation is removed from I-94 between New Buffalo in Berrien Co and Detroit in Wayne Co, with the exception of the Ypsilanti bypass, where the two routes remain co-signed. The US-12 designation is routed along US-112 for its entire length and US-112 is decommissioned forever. The former BUS US-112 routes through Niles and Ypsilanti are re-designated as BUS US-12 in each city. According to site contributor Ron Wilbanks, instead of erecting all new "US-12" route markers along the former route of US-112, the State Highway Department instead blocks out the first "1," leaving only an off-center "12" on the highway shields between New Buffalo and Detroit. Over time, as the signs need replacement, they are replaced by "real" US-12 shields! —Thanks Ron for the information!
1966 - The concurrent M-60 designation between New Buffalo and Niles is removed.
1971 - The BUS US-12 designation between I-94 Exit 181 and downtown Ypsilanti is moved from Michigan Ave onto Huron St between I-94 Exit 183 and downtown. The former trunkline routing along Michigan Ave is turned back to local control.
1994 (Jan 3) - The portion of BUS US-12 from BUS M-60/Oak St southeasterly via Main St to the US-12 & M-60 interchange southeast of Niles is removed from this routing and transferred onto the 11th St alignment, joining BUS US-31 there and supplanting the US-33 designation in the process. US-33 is scaled back to a terminus at the US-12 interchange south of the city at the new eastern terminus of BUS US-12 as well. Main St from BUS M-60/Oak St southeasterly to the Berrien/Cass Co line is turned back to local control, while the (very) short portion of the former BUS US-12 from the county line to the US-12 & M-60 junction remains as a short unsigned state highway stub. It has been reported, however, that this change may have been made in 1987 in terms of signage in the field with the actual jurisdictional transfer taking place in 1994. —Thanks Marc!
c.1997 - The concurrent BUS US-31 designation along BUS US-12 from jct US-12 & US-33 (now M-51) to downtown Niles is removed, leaving only the BUS US-12 designation along the route.
2001 (Mar 15) - During a spate of jurisdictional transfers in the City of Detroit, which includes several former state trunklines in the Campus Martius area of downtown being transferred back to City of Detroit control, US-12 is shortened by four city blocks, or approximately 1/4-mile. The eastern terminus of US-12 is now Griswold St, which is the western boundary of Detroit's Campus Martius project. Map of Campus Martius transfers.
2005 (June 8) - An additional 0.23 mile (approximately three blocks) of US-12/Michigan Ave in downtown Detroit from Griswold St westerly to Cass Ave is transferred to city control along with a lump-sum payment of $1,321,000 in lieu of any improvements to the street itself. This transfer is very likely related to the early-2001 transfers and the Campus Martius Project.
Freeway:Two segments:
     1. At Niles from 3rd St just west of M-51/BUS US-12/11th St to jct M-60.
     2. Around Ypsilanti concurrent with I-94 between Exits 181 and 185.
Expressway:At Ypsilanti from I-94 at Exit 185 easterly to the jct of BUS US-12 east of Ypsilanti.
NHS:Three segments of US-12 are in the NHS:
      1. From US-31 southwest of Niles to M-51 (formerly US-33) south of Niles.
      2. From I-69 at Exit 13 at Coldwater to I-94 at Exit 185 southeast of downtown Ypsilanti.
      3. Belleville Rd in Canton Twp to M-10/John C Lodge Frwy in downtown Detroit.
Circle Tour:Lake Michigan Circle Tour: From Indiana at Michiana to I-94 at Exit 4 northeast of New Buffalo.
Business Connections: FORMER BUS US-12 - Niles. From US-12 southwest of Niles, through downtown to jct US-12 & M-51 south of Niles. Decommissioned, 2010. West poriton is now part of M-139, east portion retains the concurrent M-51 designation.
BUS US-12 - Ypsilanti. From I-94/US-12 south of Ypsilanti, through downtown to US-12 east of town.
Continue on: US-12 into Indiana - via the Indiana Highway Ends website
Photographs:
Weblinks:• US-12 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of US-12 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
• Downtown Detroit Trunklines Map - PDF map showing the official routings and termini of all state trunklines in downtown Detroit. Many of these termini and some of the trunklines themselves are unsigned, making this map particularly helpful.
• Michiana Roads - part of Marc Fannin's Roadfan.com website dedicated to the area of Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana known by many as "Michiana."
• U.S. 12: Michigan to Washington - by Richard Weingroff. A website on the route history of US-12 across the U.S. from 1926 to present at the Federal Highway Administration website.
• US-112: a Michigan Journey - a very thorough and in-depth website by Rich Rowland relating the history and details about US-112 in Michigan.
• US-12/St. Joseph River Bridge - from MDOT, "The five-span US-12 Bridge consists of two identical side-by-side superstructures, one carrying the eastbound lanes and one for the westbound lanes."
• Ford Exit Dr./US-12 Bridge - from MDOT, "The four bridges comprising the Willow Run Tri-level Grade Separation Historic District are eligible for the National Register as significant components of the expressway system developed during World War II to serve the Willow Run bomber plant."
• US-12/Wiard Rd. Southbound Bridge - from MDOT, "Bridges throughout the system were designed with an eye to both the speed of construction and the economy of critical materials."
• US-12 (Michigan)/I-94 Bridge - from MDOT, "The U.S. Highway 12 Bridges qualify for the National Register as representative examples of the structures designed for...innovative highways."
M-13 Southern Terminus:I-69 at Exit 123, 1.5 miles south of downtown Lennon
Northern Terminus:US-23, 2.4 miles south of downtown Standish
Length:72.22 miles
Map:Route Map of M-13
Notes:From Saginaw northerly, M-13 runs along the former pre-freeway routing of US-23 through Bay City, Linwood and Pinconning to the Standish area. In fact, according to Robert Droz' Alternate U S Highways: Bannered Routes website, the Michigan State Highway Department originally designated M-13 from Kawkawlin to Standish as ALT US-23 ("Alternate US-23") when the current I-75/US-23 freeway was completed in 1967. The story goes that the MSHD actually posted the former US-23 as "ALT US-23," but when the designation was not approved by AASHO, the department gave in and extended the M-13 designation along the route in 1968!
There is a distinct possibility M-13 may be extended from its northern terminus at Standish should the proposed M-78 inland freeway between Standish and Tawas City become reality and if MDOT continues to support the idea of keeping the former shoreline alignment of US-23 in the state trunkline system. If those two conditions are met (the US-23 freeway is built to Tawas and the former US-23 is retained as a state route), M-13 would be a very likely candidate to take over the shoreline route.
History:1920 - In the days before the debut of the US Highway system, M-13 ran along what was later designated US-131, from Indiana south of Mottville, northerly through Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Cadillac and Petoskey to end in Harbor Springs. Interestingly, the 'original' M-13 doesn't follow the later course of present-day US-131 directly from Walton to Fife Lake in southeast Grand Traverse Co, but rather running northerly along present M-113, then east along present M-186 back to Fife Lake!
1922 - M-13 is realigned from the Indiana state line to White Pigeon in St Joseph Co. Formerly, M-13 began where present-day M-103 enters Indiana, then running due easterly along the state line for four miles before stair-stepping into White Pigeon. Now, M-13 runs north from the Indiana state line to Mottville, then easterly with M-23 (later US-112 now US-12) to White Pigeon, turning northerly resuming its former route. The former route is turned back to local control.
1923 - M-13 is transferred to a new routing between Tustin and Cadillac. Formerly running easterly from Tustin for several miles, then turning due north into Cadillac, M-13 now turns west in Tustin, running about a mile before turning northerly into Wexford Co to a small hamlet called Benson. From there, M-13 now runs northeasterly with M-55 into Cadillac. The former route, however, seems to be retained for at least 3 or 4 years as an un-numbered state trunkline.
c.1924-25 - The route of M-13 is slightly realigned near Fife Lake when, instead of proceeding westerly from Houseman (southwest of South Boardman) on present-day Woodman & Cedar Creek Rds to Fife Lake Rd, then south into Fife Lake, the route of M-13 now runs southerly from Houseman via Shippy Rd, westerly along Ingersoll Rd, then through Fife Lake on State St to its former alignment. Also, prior to this time, M-13 ran due south from Three Rivers via present-day Lutz Rd via Florence, then jogged southwesterly on Centerville-Constantine Rd to Kalamazoo St, then south on Kalamazoo St into White Pigeon. M-13 is now re-routed to run westerly from Lutz Rd via present-day Featherstone Rd into downtown Constantine, then south to M-23 (now US-12) just west of White Pigeon, where M-13 then picks back up on its old route. The former route of M-13 is turned back to local control.
1926 - The new US-131 designation supplants the portion of M-13 from the Indiana state line via Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Big Rapids and Cadillac, to just west of Fife Lake in southeastern Grand Traverse Co. From Fife Lake northeasterly, M-13 continues to run to its terminus in downtown Harbor Springs. US-131 received the unlikely and illogical terminus at the jct of M-113 & M-13 west of Fife Lake (near the present jct of M-113 & M-186) presumably because US-131 was to originally run north-northwesterly from this point to a terminus at US-31 in the "East Bay" area of Traverse City.
1927 - In 1927, what was left of M-13 is now redesignated as M-131, done so to match the designation of US-131 which turns into M-131 near Fife Lake. The M-13 designation would remain in 'hiatus' for about 5 years.
c.1931-32 - A short, new state highway debuts along Sheridan Ave from M-78/Lansing Rd south of Lennon to M-21 just north of Lennon, and is given the route number "M-13," marking that designation's second iteration.
1933 - M-13 is extended northerly along Sheridan Ave for 10 miles, to where a short 2-mile long M-194 "spur" turns off to the west, ending in downtown New Lothrup.
1934 - In late-1934, M-13 is extended northerly along Sheridan Ave and East St for 22 more miles to end in Saginaw at M-46/Holland Ave.
1939 - The final 6 miles of gravel-surfaced M-13 is paved.
1940 - M-13 is extended northerly along Washington Ave in Saginaw to end at jct US-10 & US-23 (cnr of Washington & Genesee Aves).
1960 - First, with the completion of the M-78 freeway between Durand and Swartz Creek, the southern terminus of M-13 was moved north one mile from Old M-78/Lansing Rd to end at the new M-78 interchange south of Lennon. Second, accompanying the completion of the I-75/US-23 freeway from Saginaw to Bay City, as well as the US-23 freeway extention to Kawkawlin, the M-13 designation is extended from its former northern terminus at Genesee & Washington Aves in Saginaw norther;y along the former route of US-23 through Bay City, ending at US-23 near Kawkawlin.
1967 - With the completion of US-23 from Bay City to Standish, a brand-new ALT US-23 designation is commissioned along the former US-23 routing from south of Kawkawlin to Standish. This is seen as somewhat odd, as the State Highway Department was, by this time, removing the last of the remaining ALTERNATE US Highways in Michigan!
1969 - With the "ALT US-23" route sign assemblies reported already in place, the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the group charged with directing the layout and numbering of the US Highway system, reportedly refused to allow the ALT US-23 designation, forcing the State Highway Department to remove that designation and replace it with another. This resulted in the extension of M-13 along its present-day routing from Kawkawlin to Standish. The short segment of ALT US-23 freeway from US-23 to M-13 at Kawkawlin is designated CONNECTOR M-13. —Many thanks to Robert Droz for the ALT US-23 heads-up!
Freeway/Expwy:No portion of M-13 is freeway or expressway.
NHS:From jct M-84 (cnr Lafayette Ave & Broadway) south of downtown Bay City to Wilder Rd on the north side of Bay City.
Circle Tour:Lake Huron Circle Tour: From M-25/Jenny-Thomas Sts in Bay City to M-13's northern terminus at Standish.
Business Connection:CONN M-13 - From I-75/US-23 Exit 164 northwest of Bay City to M-13 at Kawkawlin.
Photographs:
Weblinks:• M-13 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-13 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
• M-13 & M-84 / E. Channel Saginaw River Bridge - from MDOT, "The Lafayette Avenue Bridge, located in Bay City, carries M-84/M-13 over the Saginaw River."
M-14 Western Terminus:I-94 at Exit 171 west of Ann Arbor in Washtenaw Co
Eastern Terminus:Jct I-96 & I-275 on the City of Livonia/Plymouth Twp boundary in northwest Wayne Co
Length:22.54 miles
Map:Route Map of M-14
Notes: M-14 is one of Michigan's many non-Interstate designated freeways. Unlike other states, which only build long-distance freeways once an Interstate routing is approved, Michigan has built freeways wherever the need arises. Because of this, "roadfans" often throw out various would-be Interstate designations for these non-Interstate freeways. It has been suggested by non-official sources that MDOT may at some time seek an Interstate designation for M-14, possibly in the form of I-394. While recent improvments have been made to the route, M-14 is still a substandard (in Interstate terms) freeway on the north side of Ann Arbor at the Main St and Barton Dr interchanges. Even if this substandard stretch is upgraded, MDOT's general lack of interest in new Interstate designations will likely mean M-14 will remain along its present route for some time.
The route of present-day Old M-14 (Plymouth Rd) was, before the 1960s, the routing of US-12 between Detroit and Ann Arbor.
In Wayne Co, the former route of M-14 is still a state-maintained trunkline, un-numbered of course. From the Washtenaw/Wayne Co line at Napier Rd southwest of Plymouth to the Redford Twp/City of Detroit limit between US-24/Telegraph Rd and Lamphere, Ann Arbor and Plymouth Rds are still within the state highway system. —Thanks to Dyche Anderson for pointing this one out!
Ron Wilbanks wrote in to say the State Highway Department had, at one time, planned to designate Plymouth Rd in Ann Arbor from US-23 into downtown as a BUS M-14 routing, but shelved the plan because of local homeowner opposition. MDOT no longer maintains Plymouth Rd in Ann Arbor as a state trunkline, meaning no BUS M-14 routings will be popping up in the near future! —Thanks much to Ron Wilbanks!
History:c.1920 - The original M-14 in Michigan runs much of the length of the Lower Peninsula. Beginning at the Ohio state line south of Hudson, M-14 continues northerly along the present-day route of US-127 through Jackson and into Lansing. From there, M-14 heads northerly along what later became US-27 through Saint Johns, Alma, Mount Pleasant and Clare to the Houghton Lake area, where M-14 turns westerly along present M-55 past Merritt, thrn northerly through Star City, westerly again through Moorestown to Pioneer, and northerly once again along the present route of M-66 to end at M-13 (later M-131 and US-131, now a county road) at Lodi, 6 miles south of Kalkaska.
1922 - M-14 is rerouted to bypass downtown DeWitt using the present-day route of Old US-27. Formerly, M-14 departed this road to run through downtown DeWitt on Webb Rd, Bridge St and Round Lake Rd.
1923 - M-14 undergoes a major realignment from Houghton Lake northerly—one which makes M-14 now resemble the future route of US-27, to which much of M-14 will be redesignated later in the decade. From the community of Houghton Lake, M-14 now runs along the south and east sides of Houghton Lake into Roscommon (along present-day M-55 and M-18), then northwesterly into Grayling and northerly along the later route of US-27 through Grayling and Indian River, ending at M-10 (later US-23, now M-33), 3 miles south of downtown Cheboygan. The former route of M-14 from Houghton Lake to Merritt is redesignated as M-55, from there to Pioneer it becomes part of M-74, and from Pioneer to Lodi, the former M-14 is redesignated as part of M-66.
c.1925 - On the eve of the designation of the US Highway system, M-14 is routed out of downtown St Louis, turning west from State Rd onto Lincoln Rd, running directly into downtown Alma. The former route of M-14 along State Rd is turned back to local control.
1926 - With the coming of the US Highways, the route of M-14 is drastically scaled back; once reaching to the tip of the Lower Peninsula, M-14 now doesn't make it out of the second tier of counties! What had been formerly designated M-14 from Jackson to Lansing is incorporated into US-127, while all of M-14 from Lansing northerly to Cheboygan becomes part of US-27. Only the segment from the Ohio state line northerly to US-127 near Somerset , where it then runs concurrently with US-127 for 18 miles into Jackson. As to why M-14 continues to run concurrently with US-127 from Somerset into Jackson, it can only be inferred that other plans were originally in store for M-14... or US-127!
1930-31 - In late-1930 or early-1931, the first iteration of M-14 comes to an end when the segment from Somerset southerly to the Ohio state line becomes part of a realigned US-127, with the concurrent US-127/M-14 routing from Somerset into Jackson becoming just US-127. The second iteration starts immediately when a portion of M-79 from Battle Creek to Nashville is redesignated as M-14, with that designation continuing northerly along what had been M-43 from Nashville, through Ionia, to Edmore, with the entire length of the "new" M-14 following roughly along the route of today's M-66 from Battle Creek to M-46.
1936 - M-14 is realigned north of Stanton from Epley, Briggs and Wyman Rds onto only Wyman Rd, ending at M-46 three miles west of Edmore, shaving a mile from the route. Also a minor realignment south of Nashville is completed, moving M-14 from Assyria & Bivens Rds onto Lawrence & Clark Rd.
1941-42 - All of M-14 is redesignated as a part of a relocated M-66 between M-46 west of Edmore and M-78 north of Battle Creek in either late-1941 or early-1942. M-14 is removed from the state trunkline system and would be absent for a dozen years.
1956 - The third incarnation of M-14 is created in mid-1956 when US-12 between Ann Arbor and Detroit is rerouted to the south. The new M-14 begins just west of Ann Arbor at the new US-12 & Jackson Ave interchange (today's I-94 Exit 172), runs through downtown Ann Arbor, then northeasterly past Dixboro, Plymouth and Livonia before ending at US-16 (cnr Plymouth Rd & Grand River Ave) in northwest Detroit.
1964 - A new freeway connecting M-14 with US-23 northeast of Ann Arbor and the jct of M-14 & M-153 opens. M-14 is routed westerly along this new freeway, then westerly along US-23 across the north side of Ann Arbor, then southerly along BUS US-23 to pick up its old route in downtown Ann Arbor. The former route of M-14 along Plymouth Rd and Beakes St is turned back to local control.
1965 - A new segment of the M-14 freeway opens at Ann Arbor between I-94 at present-day Exit 171 and BUS US-23/Main St (present-day Exit 3). The former route along BL I-94/Huron St and BUS US-23/Main St retains those designations.
1977 - With the completion of the final segment of the I-96/Jeffries Frwy in Detroit and Livonia between M-39/Southfield Frwy and I-275, M-14 is scaled back to end at I-275, shortening the route by more than 14 miles. The former routing of M-14 within the City of Detroit—from the western city limit to Grand River Ave—is turned back to city control. The remainder of the former M-14 between the Detroit city limit and I-275 is retained in the state highway system as an unsigned trunkline.
1979 - The final segment of the M-14 freeway opens between the current end of the freeway at M-153 northeast of Ann Arbor and the I-96/I-275 interchange near Plymouth. The former route of M-14 along Plymouth Rd in Washtenaw Co is turned back to local control, while the portion between the Washtenaw/Wayne Co line and I-275 in Wayne Co is retained as an unsigned state trunkline.
Freeway/Expwy:The entire length of M-14 is freeway.
NHS:Entire length.
Photographs:
Weblinks:• M-14 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-14 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
M-15 Southern Terminus:US-24/Dixie Hwy just south of Clarkston
Northern Terminus:M-25 in eastern Bay City (cnr Center Ave & Tuscola Rd)
Length:69.67 miles
Map:Route Map of M-15
Notes:From the Ortonville area north to Bay City, M-15 has been designated as a Recreational Heritage Route by MDOT. Communities along the route of M-15 promote the route as a scenic alternative to I-75 from Metro Detroit northerly to the Tri-Cities area, in order to capture some of the abundant tourist traffic heading north along that major corridor. Unfortunately, M-15 is in need of upgrading from Clarkston to Davison, and traffic can sometimes be very heavy along the route.
A 1933 highway map shows a proposed M-15 highway running southerly from Clarkston through southern Oakland Co, passing Farmington to the west and skirting Northville and Plymouth to the east, through Belleville to the Wayne/Monroe Co line. This proposed highway would have served as a western bypass of the Detroit area. While the entire highway was not built and M-15 never ran south from Clarkston, much of this proposed road was actually built from Pontiac Tr near Walled Lake souterly through southern Oakland Co and most of Wayne Co—today's Haggerty Hwy. The general route of Haggerty Hwy became, 45 years after it was first proposed, part of the I-275 corridor.
History:1920 - Prior to the creation of the US Highway system, M-15 runs along the general alignment of present-day US-41 from Wisconsin at Menominee, through Escanaba, Gladstone, Marquette, Ishpeming, L'Anse, Houghton and Hancock, ending at Copper Harbor.
1925 - As originally proposed in 1925, M-15 was scheduled to be replaced by three different US Highways in four segments. From the Wisconsin line to Powers, M-15 was to be designated US-41, while from Powers to Rapid River, it was to become part of US-2. From Rapid River to Covington, M-15 was proposed to be designated US-102, while the remainder from Covington to Copper Harbor was to be, again, part of US-41.
1926 - Unlike what was proposed in 1925, the final US Highay replacement for M-15 in Michigan was decided to be solely US-41 throughout. The M-15 designation is removed from that route and almost immediately transferred to a new state trunkline routing in the Lower Peninsula. This new highway begins at US-10 (present-day US-24) in Clarkston and proceeds northerly through Davison and Otisville, ending at M-38 & M-24 in Vassar.
1934 - In late-1934, the M-15 designation is extended northwesterly along M-24 to M-25/Center Ave in Bay City, then westerly co-signed in a rather cumbersome triple-concurrency as M-15/M-24/M-25 through downtown Bay City and further west as a bizarre four-way concurrent US-23/M-15/M-24/M-25/Midland St to end at Euclid Ave on the west side of the city.
c.1937 - By 1937, the northern termini of both M-15 and M-24 were scaled back to end at M-25/Center Ave in eastern Bay City. The 1937-to-1959 routing of M-15 was, ironically, identical to its 1970-to-present routing.
1941 - The concurrent M-24 designation is removed from M-15 when M-24 is realigned to end in Caro instead of Vassar.
1959 - The M-15 designation extended from its northern terminus at M-25/Center Ave in Bay City westerly concurrent with M-25 and BUS US-23 to US-23/Euclid Ave (present day M-13), much as it had from 1934 to 1937.
1960 - The M-15/M-25 designation is extended westerly from M-13/Euclid Ave to the newly completed I-75/US-23/US-10 freeway west of Bay City.
1970 - After only a decade running concurrently with M-25 through downtown Bay City, M-15 is once again scaled back to its pre-1959 terminus in Bay City at M-25/Center Ave.
1996 - Much of M-15 is designated as a Recreational Heritage Route.
Freeway/Expwy:No portion of M-15 is freeway or expressway.
NHS:A short stretch from the southern terminus at US-24/Dixie Hwy to I-75 at Exit 91 just north of Clarkston.
Photographs:
Weblinks:• M-15 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-15 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
US-16Historic
U.S. Highway		 Existing from 1926 until 1962, US-16 ran across the Lower Peninsula's midsection, connecting cities such as Grand Haven (later Muskegon), Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit. Today, I-96 runs along the general route followed by US-16 during its existence and the reason for its "decommissioning" in the 1960s. Please see the Historic US-16 pages for more information on this historic U.S. Highway.
M-17 Western Terminus: US-23 at Exit 37 (jct US-23, BUS US-23 & BL I-94) on the east side of Ann Arbor
Eastern Terminus:US-12 southeast of Ypsilanti, west of Willow Run Airport
Length:6.39 miles
Map:Route Map of M-17
Notes:Prior to the debut of the US Highway system in the mid-1920s, M-17 ran across the entire Lower Peninsula, beginning in Watervliet in northeastern Berrien Co and running easterly through Paw Paw, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Marshall, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, ending in downtown Detroit. In 1926, US-12 was designated along the entire portion of M-17 from St Joseph east to Ann Arbor. M-17 remains untouched between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, but from Ypsilanti easterly into Detroit, the M-17 routing was replaced by US-112.
History:1920 - M-17 begins at M-11 (later US-31, now M-140) in downtown Watervliet and progresses easterly across the entire Lower Peninsula, via Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Marshall, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, ending in downtown Detroit, roughly following the route of what would become US-12 in the present-day I-94 corridor.
1925 - The initial plans for the number of the brand-new US Highway system in 1925 had M-17 being replaced by the US-10 designation in its entirety. This was likely due to the fact M-17 is the major route connecting Detroit with Chicago via some of Michigan's larger cities in the Lower Peninsula.
1926 - After readjusting some of the routes as originally proposed in 1925, the US Highway System is adopted and significant parts of M-17 are replaced by two different US Highway designations, instead of just the single US-10 designation as originally proposed. From Watervliet to Ann Arbor, M-17 is replaced by the US-12 designation, while US-112 is routed over M-17 from Ypsilanti into downtown Detroit. Simultaneously, M-17 is removed from the Michigan Ave routing between Ypsilanti and downtown Detroit. Immediately, the M-17 designation east of Ypsilanti is extended along what had been designated M-23 along Ecorse Rd from Ypsilanti to Lincoln Park, where it is then routed northeasterly, concurrently with US-25, into downtown Detroit. (By doing this, the State Highway Department eliminated any potential confusion which may have been caused by having an "M-23" number route in such close proximity to the new US-23 routing.
1927 - A new southern Ann Arbor bypass is opened as M-17 along Boulevard Dr (present-day Stadium Blvd) from US-23/Washtenaw Ave southeast of downtown to US-12/Jackson Rd west of downtown.
1937-38 - M-17 is realigned at Allen Park to turn easterly on Southfield Rd to US-25/Dix Hwy, then turning northeasterly concurrently with US-25 back to M-17's former alignment and into downtown Detroit.
1944 - With the completion of the northern portion of the Willow Run Expressway System at the Willow Run Bomber Plant east of Ypsilanti, M-17 is routed along 1.5 miles of new expressway built roughly along the route of Ecorse Rd from roughly the Wayne/Washtenaw Co line westerly. Just west of the county line, a new BYP US-112 routing joins the expressway, and together BYP US-112 and M-17 continue along the newly constructed southern expressway bypass of Ypsilanti (now part of present-day I-94). At US-112/Michigan Ave, BYP US-112 ends and M-17 continues due westerly along a new two-lane highway for 1.6 miles to US-23/Carpenter Rd. The M-17 designation then turns northerly with US-23 for 2 miles, returning to M-17's former alignment along Washtenaw Ave halfway between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. The former route of M-17 through downtown Ypsilanti is re-designated as BUS M-17.
1956 - With the completion of the new US-12 freeway bypass of Ann Arbor in mid-1956, US-12 and US-112 are re-routed onto the Ypsilanti bypass, taking the place of M-17 and BYP US-112. M-17 is routed back onto Ecorse Rd, Michigan Ave and Washtenaw Ave through downtown Ypsilanti along the former route of BUS M-17. (Concurrently-signed US-112 through town becomes concurrently-signed BUS US-112.) The western terminus of M-17 is also scaled back so that the highway now ends at US-23 (cnr Washtenaw Ave & Capenter Rd) between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. The former route of M-17 along Stadium Dr and Maple Rd around Ann Arbor is turned back to local control.
1962 - With the completion of the new US-23 freeway, the western terminus of M-17 is moved west several hundred feet to end at the new freeway (present-day US-23 Exit 39).
1968 - By 1968, the concurrent designation with US-25 between Allen Park and downtown Detroit is removed and the eastern terminus of M-17 is scaled back to M-39/Southfield Rd in Allen Park.
1969 - M-17 is scaled back from its eastern terminus at M-39 (cnr Ecorse Rd & Southfield Hwy) in Allen Park to end at US-12 southeast of downtown Ypsilanti.
Freeway/Expwy:No portion of M-17 is freeway or expressway.
NHS:US-23 on the east side of Ann Arbor to jct BUS US-12 (cnr Hamilton-Huron Sts & Michigan Ave) in downtown Ypsilanti.
Photographs:
Weblinks:• M-17 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-17 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
M-18 Southern Terminus:US-10 just north of North Bradley
Northern Terminus:M-72 in eastern Crawford Co, 7 miles west of Luzerne
Length:77.43 miles
Map:Route Map of M-18
Notes:In contrast to the present-day routing of M-18 north of Roscommon, this highway formerly ran northwesterly, concurrently with the former M-76 to end at US-27 (present-day US-127 south of Grayling. The present M-18 northeasterly from Roscommon to M-72 was formerly designated as M-144.
  In the 1940s, the State Highway Department began planning for a major relocation of the route of M-18 from the western M-18 & M-61 junction on the west limits of Gladwin northwesterly, skirting the east side of Pratt Lake and running directly through the community of Podunk before turning northerly to connect back with the existing route of M-18 at the cnr of Clairwin Ave & Renas Rd-Forest Rd south of Meredith, west of Skeels. Only on official planning maps for a short time, it was dropped from consideration by 1948.
History:1920 - The "original" route of M-18 begins at M-46 two miles west of Merrill and proceeds northerly via Sanford, Edenville, Beaverton, Gladwin, Prudenville, Roscommon, Grayling, Gaylord, and Indian River, ending in downtown Cheboygan.
1923 - Due to a major realignment of M-14 (later US-27) which shifts that highway designation onto the route of M-18 from the Houghton Lake area northerly, M-18 is truncated at a rerouted M-14 in Prudenville, proceeding southerly from there. Also, M-18 is relocated slightly between Edenville and Beaverton, with the former road being turned back to local control.
1926 - M-18 is realigned to run due southerly from Beaverton on a new alignment to end at a newly-christened US-10 in North Bradley. The former route of M-18 between Beaverton and M-30 is re-designated as M-80, while the former M-18 from that point southerly through Sanford to M-46 becomes an extension of M-30.
c.1927-28 - M-18 is re-extended northerly from Prudenville along its pre-1923 routing concurrently with US-27 for 15 miles, ending at M-76 in downtown Roscommon. This extension is likely in preparation for the eventual rerouting of US-27 on the west side of Houghton and Higgins Lakes, although such a realignment for US-27 would not occur for another two decades.
1937 (Aug 30) - A new sweeping curve is constructed on the west side of the City of Gladwin and officially becomes a state trunkline on this day, bearing the M-18 designation. Formerly "teeing" directly into M-61/Cedar Ave on the west edge of the city, M-18 now follows a broad curve to the east to merge directly into M-61. The former route of M-18 from the beginning of the new curve northerly to M-61/Cedar Ave is turned back to local control.
1941-42 - For reasons not apparent, the concurrent designation with US-27 created in 1927 is removed and the northern terminus of M-18 is, once again, scaled back to Prudenville at jct US-27/M-55. One could speculate with the outbreak of World War II and its effect on new road building, the rationing of construction materials, and the lack of available labor, the State Highway Department may have abandoned plans for the western Houghton Lake & Higgins Lake bypass.
1947 - The final 7 miles of gravel-surfaced M-18 are paved, with the stretch in question being in Midland Co.
1949 - The new alignment of US-27 opens in mid-1949 to the west of Houghton and Higgins Lakes in Roscommon Co. The former route of US-27 from Prudenville to Roscommon is re-designated as an extension of M-18. From Roscommon, M-18 is extended northwesterly concurrently with M-76 to end at US-27 six miles south of Grayling.
1961 - With the completion of the US-10 freeway in Central Michigan, the southern terminus of M-18 is moved approximately one mile north to end at the new freeway. Also, with the completion of the new US-27 expressway south of Grayling, the M-18/M-76 terminus is moved northerly less than one mile to end at the new freeway.
1970 - The M-18/M-76 routing is transferred to newly completed freeway (present-day I-75) from west of Roscommon (at present-day Exit 244) to jct US-27 & I-75 south of Grayling. Evidence shows this five-mile long freeway spur was signed M-18/M-76 and not as I-75, which would have confused motorists since US-27 at that time was the the I-75 connecting route.
1973 - With the completion and opening of I-75 between Roscommon and West Branch, the M-18 designation is rerouted beginning in downtown Roscommon to run northeastearly along the entire route of M-144 to M-72 west of Luzerne in eastern Crawford County. The former route of M-18 from Roscommon to I-75 becomes a portion of BL I-75. The former M-18/M-76 routing along the five-mile stretch of freeway up to US-27 is redesignated as a part of I-75.
1977 (Aug 30) - The former route of M-18 from M-61 southerly for one block to the "sweeping curve" constructed in 1937 on the western edge of Gladwin is re-assumed into the state trunkline system as a short "connector" route, of sorts, although it doesn't receive its own designation. This was, ironically, the short stretch turned back to local control on August 30, 1937.
2001 - M-18/M-61/Cedar Ave is widened from two to five lanes on the west side of Gladwin and the junction of M-18 & M-61 is moved westerly to the original meeting of those two routes, to form a right-angle "tee" intersection. The north end of the former M-18 curve is cut off and cul-de-saced, but remains as an unsigned state trunkline designated "OLD M-18".
2005 (July 6) - A minor state trunkline jurisdictional transfer gives 0.15 mile (~790 feet) of OLD M-18/Cedar
Ct to the City of Gladwin. "Cedar Ct" was the old sweeping curve that M-18 used to make coming northbound into Gladwin at M-61 that was originally built in 1937 and reconfigured in 2001.
Freeway/Expwy: No portion of M-18 is freeway or expressway.
Photographs:
Weblinks: • M-18 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-18 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
M-19 Southern Terminus: I-94 at Exit 247, 1.7 miles south of New Haven
Northern Terminus: M-142 three miles east of downtown Bad Axe
Length: 83.80 miles
Map: Route Map of M-19
Notes: Prior to the debut of the US Highway system, M-19 began in downtown Detroit and ran northeasterly out of the city on Gratiot Ave all the way to Port Huron. From there, M-19 backtracked westerly with M-21 to Goodells, then northwesterly and northerly through Yale, Sandusky and Ubly to M-31 (present-day M-142) three miles east of Bad Axe. From there M-19 ran westerly into Bad Axe, then due northerly to end in Port Austin at M-27 (present-day M-25). Portions of that route later became US-25, M-136, M-142 and M-53. Today, M-19 uses much of its pre-1925 routing, specifically from Yale to M-142.
History: 1920s - For details on M-19's pre-1926 routing, see the note above.
1926 - With the coming of the US Highway system in 1926, the first 56 miles of what had been M-19 from Detroit to Port Huron were redesignated as part of US-25. M-19 was then realigned to run on a more direct course southerly from Yale through Emmett and Memphis, ending at the new US-25 near Richmond. The former concurrent segment along M-21 from Port Huron to Goodells retains the M-21 designation, while the portion from Goodells northerly to Avoca, then northwestely toward Yale was turned back to local control. On its northern end, M-19 is scaled back from Port Austin to end at M-83 (present-day M-142) three miles east of Bad Axe. The former route of M-19 into Bad Axe now becomes M-83, with the segment from Bad Axe to Port Austin redesignated as part of M-29.
1955 - The concurrent M-19/M-90 segment south of Peck is shortened by two miles with a realignment of M-90 between Brown City and M-19.
1958 - The final 10-mile gravel-surfaced segment of M-19, from Elmer to Argyle, is paved.
1963 - The M-19 designation is extended southerly from Muttonville along Gratiot Ave (formerly US-25) to New Haven, then southeasterly along New Haven Rd to the newly completed I-94/US-25 freeway.
Freeway/Expwy: No portion of M-19 is freeway or expressway.
Photographs:
Weblinks: • M-19 @ Michigan Highway Ends - photos of the termini of M-19 at Dan Garnell's excellent Michigan Highway Ends website.
 

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