| Back to Previous Route: M-27 |
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On to Next Route: M-29 |
| Western Terminus: | US-2 in downtown Wakefield (at cnr Sunday Lake & Putnam Sts) |
| Eastern Terminus: | M-129 three miles south of Sault Ste Marie (at cnr 9 Mile Rd & Dixie Hwy) |
| Length: | 290.498 miles |
| Maps: | Route Map of M-28 Map of Potential M-28 Reroute near Marquette (2004-05) Map of 1930s Proposal to Realign M-28 between Newberry and Munising |
| Notes: | One of two primary east-west routes across the Upper Peninsula—the other being US-2. In fact, following M-28 versus US-2 across the U.P. from Wakefield to I-75 is approximately 20 miles shorter, depending on your final destination. |
 Today, M-28 runs concurrently with US-41 between Harvey (southeast of Marquette) and US-141 near Covington, or for about 20% of its entire length. However, historically, the original route of M-28 only ran from Wakefield to Covington, with the concurrent US-41 segment a part of the route of M-15, while a route designated as M-25 ran from Skandia to Sault Ste Marie. With the coming of the U.S. Highway system in 1927, M-28 and M-25 were connected through a concurrent designation with the new US-41 between Covington and Skandia, with the M-28 designation taking over the entire route across the U.P, from Wakefield to the Sault. (The M-25 designation would be absent from Michigan for six years until it is tacked onto the end of an extension of US-25 from Port Huron to Port Austin, with M-25 then running from there to Bay City.) |
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| Along with erecting cumulative milemarkers along US-2—the state highway running across the Upper Peninsula parallel to M-28 to the south—MDOT also erected cumulative milemarkers along M-28 throughout its entire length. After beginning to milemark US-2 in the Western UP in the 1990s and finally finishing the process in 2017, the M-28 milemarkers represent the second non-freeway milemarking project in Michigan. As both routes are very long and travel some rather desolate and sparsely-populated areas with few towns and even few crossroads, the milemarkers provide motorists and tourists with a valuable tool for reporting emergencies and general routefinding. | |
 In October 1982, the Reflective Systems Unit of MDOT began reviewing the state trunkline sytem and "discovered a substantial number of dual and some triple routing on both the free access and limited access system." The result of which was forwarded to "the Trunkline Numbering Committee in an attempt to reduce as much of this unnecessary routing as possible in an attempt to avoid driver confusion and save funds." (Although, at this point, M-28 and US-41 had been concurrent for approximately 55 years with no known reports of "driver confusion.") That December, the MDOT Transportation Planning unit proposed: "Stop M-28 at US-41 south of Marquette and select new markers for the route from US-141 to the Wisconsin state line." However, the Supervising Engineer of the Reflective Safety Unit replied in March 1983, stating: "M-28 is a continuous route along the northern portion of the U.P. and would be impractical to change this route number. An alternative would be to have US-41 which intersects with US-2, go west to existing US-141, then replace existing US-141 up to M-28. This would require a new route number between Rapid River and Marquette for the existing US-41." In the decades since, though, no route changes for M-28 (or US-41 or US-141) on this scale have occured. Since M-28 and US-41 have now shared a route for about a century, any major route redesignations along the lines proposed in the 1980s are unlikely to occur. |
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In "State Trunkline Needs, 1960–1980," a set of maps prepared by the State Highway Dept's Office of Planning, Programming Division in 1960 showing possible additions, upgrades and improvements to the state trunkline system over the ensuing twenty years, State Highway Dept staff recommended several realignments and upgrades to the route of M-28 during that timeframe. They included, from west to east:
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| In 2004, a potential re-routing of M-28 in the Marquette and Ishpeming/Negaunee area was discussed prompted by the Marquette Co Road Commission offering to transfer control of Co Rd 480 to the state. The discussion started primarily due to the high cost to the County to maintain Co Rd 480 because of the volume and type of traffic using it. It is a major artery built to state trunkline-like standards and would be a good fit into the state trunkline system. MCRC staff believes "that County Road 480 has at least regional (Upper Peninsula) importance if not State and National importance" and that it "provides a valuable east/west corridor as an alternate route to bypass the congestion of the US-41/M-28 corridor." The Road Commission noted that traffic volumes on Co Rd 480 exceeds that on many other state trunklines, even within Marquette Co itself. Two issues, however, complicate it's possible inclusion in the highway system. First, to connect the western end to another trunkline at Negaunee would require routing it via city streets in the downtown area (e.g. Healy Ave and Main St). County jurisdiction terminates at the cnr of Healy Ave-Ann St & Rail St, as the western continuation of Co Rd 480 along Rail St does not intersect with BUS M-28 along Silver St, instead crossing it via a former railroad overpass. The second issue is connecting Co Rd 480 on its eastern end. While the county road does end at US-41, it does so 2.3 miles southeast of the eastern jct of US-41 & M-28. If the M-28 designation were to be relocated onto the Co Rd 480 route, the "Z" zig-zag routing of Co Rd 480 east to US-41 north(west)erly to M-28 east (and vice-versa) would not make much sense. While M-28 could use Co Rd 551/Cherry Creek Rd from Co Rd 480 northerly to meet US-41 at the M-28 junction in Harvey, that option introduces a 90° turn into routing and Co Rd 551/Cherry Creek Rd is a lower-speed road with a more residential character. (See Map.) On the proposed route's western end, a new alignment "US-41/M-28 spur" was proposed to split from the existing US-41/M-28 route somewhere between 3rd St in Ishpeming and Teal Lake in Negaunee, then proceeding east/southeast across the "caving grounds"—lands subject to subsidence due to the nearby Mather A and Mather B iron mines—into downtown Negaunee, then running via Rail St and feeding into Co Rd 480. (See Map.) After the Marquette Co Board of Commissioners gave the proposition its support, a lukewarm reception by MDOT followed. No further action has been taken on the proposal since 2005. |
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| In the mid-1930s, the Michigan State Highway Dept (MSHD) contemplated a major relocation of M-28 across parts of three counties, running on almost completely new alignment. The route as it existed in the 1930s was considered substandard because of the several sharp turns and hills along the route, especially in southwestern Luce Co, and for the long, straight-as-an-arrow section through the swamps and lowlands of northern Schoolcraft Co, now known as the much-beloved "Seney Stretch." The Seney Stretch would often flood in the spring and was targeted both for the expense involved in keeping it cleared of snow in the winter and because of its straightness, that "driver's hypnotism is apt to get you [t]here," according to one news article of the day. To replace the existing route, M-28 (which still ran into and through Newberry at the time) was proposed to continue northerly from town via present-day M-123 to Four Mile Corner at the jct of present-day H-37, then turn westerly and run generally along that section line for 46 miles until it met up with M-94 at the present-day jct of H-58 & H-15 near Van Meer, north of Shingleton in Alger Co. From there, M-28 would continue westerly along M-94 (present-day H-58) into Munising, where it would then continue toward Marquette along the shoreline route being constructed at that point as M-94. (The M-94 and M-28 designations west of Munising would be "flip-flopped" in 1941.) Interestingly, unless this new alignment for M-28 was built with subtle curves, it would feature a much longer and straighter route than the existing alignment, greatly increasing the danger of "driver hypnosis." Additionally, the route across northern Schoolcraft Co—parallel to and five miles north of the "Seney Stretch"— would also traverse a relatively swampy area, most notably the Creighton and Driggs Marshes. Reports indicate the existing route of M-28 through McMillan, Seney, Shingleton and Wetmore would be transferred to county control, but was expected to maintained as a secondary route. (See Map.) The only "real" progress on this new alignment for M-28 that was ever made was to map out a general alignment for the highway across northern Schoolcraft Co and designate it on internal State Highway Dept maps. This proposed routing never made it onto the internal Department maps for Alger and Luce Cos and the Schoolcraft Co segment remained mapped through the 1940s before being quietly removed and relegated as a historical footnote. Other than the "Newberry bypass" of the mid-1930s and realignments southeast of McMillan and east of Seney in the late 1940s, M-28 today runs along the same general path as it did in the 1930s. |
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| While M-28 as essentially been a border-to-border route since 1927, for much of that time, its termini have been just inside the U.P, mostly at US-2 in Wakefield and at US-2 (later I-75) near Dafter south of Sault Ste Marie and now at M-129 south of the Soo. However, during the first sixty years the state highway system had its route designations posted on signs along the highways, the State Highway Dept went through some periods where they extended route designations to run concurrently with other routes beyond what could be considered the "logical termination point" for that route. This was likely done to assist motorists in routefinding. For example with M-28, potentially as far back as the early 1930s and definitely starting in 1942, the M-28 designation was extended along US-2 from Wakefield through Bessemer to end either at Ironwood near (or at) the Wisconsin state line. Thus, a motorist entering Michigan from Wisconsin would immediately find themselves on both of the trans-U.P. routes, needing only to pick one or the other in downtown Wakefield. Similarly, M-28 was seemingly extended from its eastern terminus along US-2 to end at the ferry dock in downtown Sault Ste Marie from about 1948 for at least a few years. However, maps showing these concurrent route extensions and other documentation has been somewhat sparse and, at times, unreliable, so at present it is unclear exactly how long M-28 extended along US-2 to begin at the Wisconsin and/or Ontario borders. |
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| From at least 1957 and into the early 1960s—and possibly later—the straight-as-an-arrow portion of M-28 featured what was referred to as "a unique highway feature" in Michigan: a speedometer test area, although such devices have periodically existed in other states or provinces in North America over the years. As noted in the Port Huron Times-Herald in August 1957, "The highway is perfectly straight and level the entire five miles with only a few sand trails for intersections. The stretch includes five accurately measured miles, marked by mileposts. It's possible to test your speedometer as to miles per hour and also distance recorded on the instrument." In addition, according to author Jim Carter in "A Historical Guide to the Seney Stretch" from 2005, a local service station owner in Shingleton was known to phone the Michigan State Police Post in Munising to receive the troppers' tacit approval to test the engines of cars he'd rebuilt during times of "very light traffic." (This was in the 1960s when speed limits on Michigan's non-freeway highways was 65 mph—although the nighttime speed limit at that time was 55 mph when these "testing" activites were likely to be taking place.) Carter states in his book it was the troopers at the Munising Post referring to this engine "testing" as "to stretch'er out," meaning to open up the throttle along the speedometer testing zone. Over time, this evolved into referring to the zone as "the Seney Stretch" which now generally applies to the entire 24-mile section of M-28. |
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| History: | 1915 (Aug 31 Sept 8) – Two segments of T.L. 28 are established in southwest Ontonagon Co. First on August 31, a 17.4-mile segment beginning at the Bergland/Matchwood Twp line (one mile east of Bergland) to the McMillan/Stannard Twp line (two miles east of Ewen) is established running along the present day route of M-28 from the Bergland/Matchwood Twp line for ¾ mile, then southerly on a road presently known as "Old RV Rd" on some maps, southeast 0.38 mile along an abandoned alignment of East Shore Rd, continuing southeast for 1.95 miles on Old 28 (now mostly abandoned), south on Monfil Rd 0.3 mile, east for a mile along Old M-28–Topaz, jogging across to the north side of the the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway at the hamlet of Topaz, continuing southeasterly along the railroad 3½ miles to Matchwood. There, the trunkline jumps back south across the DSS&A line, then heads southeasterly paralleling the tracks for 1¾ miles via a now-mostly-abandoned roadway, turning south on Malnar Rd for 0.95 mile, east on Old M-28–Ewen for three miles, jogging back north along Polvi Rd across the DSS&A tracks, then east on present-day M-28 into Ewen, turning south through downtown along Cedar St for three blocks, east via South Railroad St and a now-abandoned roadway for ¾ mile, then merging back into the present-day route of M-28 for the last 1¼ mile to Hall Rd on the McMillan/Stannard Twp line. |
| 1916 (Aug 18) – The entirety of the 16.0-mile stretch of T.L. 28 through southern Houghton Co, running through Kenton and Sidnaw, is established as a state trunkline highway route. (There are four separate crossings of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad over those 16 miles.) |
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| 1916 (Sept 17) – A 13-mile stretch of T.L. 28 is established in Gogebic Co beginning at T.L. 12 (later M-12, then US-2) in Wakefield at the cnr of Sunday Lake St & Charles St and continues northerly through downtown Wakefield, then northeasterly along present-day M-28 to Old M-28/Tula Rd, then stair-steps east, then north, then east, and north again via Old M-28/Tula Rd to the hamlet of Tula, where it turns to run easterly along the north side of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad line to the Ontonagon Co line. |
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1919 (June 9) – Two segments of T.L. 28 are established in the western Upper Peninsula, one each in Ontonagon and Baraga Cos:
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| 1920 (May 1–15) – T.L. 28 is signed in the field as M-28 as all state trunkline highways in the Upper Peninsula are scheduled to be signed with route markers during the first half of May. |
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| 1924 (Sept 24) – The entirety of the 19.0-mile stretch of M-28 in Baraga Co, from the Houghton Co line east of Sidnaw, easterly through Watton, Covington and Vermilac, to its eastern terminus at M-15 (later US-41) at Tioga is cancelled as a state trunkline. Simultaneously, a new 16.4-mile trunkline route is established between the Houghton Co line and M-15 (later US-41) about three miles northwest of Tioga. Some portions of the new route, especially west of Covington, run directly atop the old route, while other sections like Pirkola Rd between Leopla and Korpi Rds, a portion of School Rd at Covington and, most notably, Murphy Rd east from M-69 (present-day US-141) near Covington and King Lake Rd west from Tioga toward King Lake are turned back to county control. Other portions of the former route not turned back to the county or subsumed under the newly-constructed highway are either obliterated or abandoned as public roadways. |
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| 1927 (May 2) – The debut of the US Highway System in Michigan causes major changes in trunkline route numbering across the state, with several state highways becoming US Highway routes and duplicative numbering largely eliminated, the route of M-28 also undergoes a major change. Formerly connecting M-12 (now becoming US-2) at Wakefield with M-15 (now US-41) at Covington, M-28 is extended easterly, now concurrently-designated with the new US-41 routing between Covington in Baraga Co and the Skandia area in Marquette Co (with the exception of a segment between Negaunee and Marquette), then takes over the route of M-25 from there easterly through Munising, Seney, Newberry, and Brimley into Sault Ste Marie to a new terminus at US-2 (formerly M-12). From being a 90-mile route in the western U.P., M-28 is now nearly 335 miles long running almost the entire length of the peninsula from Wakefield to the Sault. (Between Negaunee and Marquette, US-41 is instead routed along M-35 between downtown Negaunee and the Midway location, then along the "third leg" of M-35 from there easterly toward Marquette where it reunites with M-28 about three miles west of downtown Marquette.) |
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| 1927 (June 29) – A new 4.3-mile alignment for M-28 in southern Houghton Co is established from Kenton easterly via its present route and present-day Old M-28 (M28C) to a point one mile east of the community of Kitchie where it merges back into its existing route. The former 4.4-mile route north from Kenton along the now-abandoned predecessor of present-day FFH-16 (Forest Highway 16) and a portion of FFH-16 itself, then easterly via Kitchie Rd is cancelled as a trunkline route and turned back to county control. The new alignment removes two at-grade crossings of the DSS&A tracks. |
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1927 (June 30) – Four realignments to M-28 in southern Ontonagon Co are made official:
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| 1927 (July 15) – Two weeks after the establishment of a new segment of M-28 north and northwest of Paynesville in southeastern Ontonagon Co, a 1.5-mile realignment for M-28 beginning at Paynesville is established from N Paynesville Rd running south-southeasterly, paralleling the DSS&A tracks to the exisitng route at Haight Rd. The 2.3-mile long former route via S Paynesville Rd, Marty Rd, and Haight Rd is cancelled and turned back to county control. |
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| 1927 (Sept 29) – A new 4.3-mile segment of M-28 is established in southern Houghton Co beginning at Kenton and heading easterly to a point approximately a mile east of the hamlet of Kitchie where it merges back into the existing route heading toward Sidnaw. The former 4.4-mile route via Kitchie Rd and a portion of present-day FFH-16 is cancelled and turned back to local control. The new alignment eliminates some sharp corners as well as two grade crossings of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Ry. |
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| 1930 – A relocation project, albeit one oddly lacking any available State Highway Dept establishment or cancellation information, is completed for US-41/M-28 on the northeastern shores of Lake Michigamme in western Marquette Co just northwest of Champion. The relocation involves the construction of a new Peshekee River bridge to replace the first ever state trunkline bridge ever constructed in 1914 just to the south along with approximately 1.7 miles of realigned highway (one mile west of the river and 0.7 mile east of it). The 1¾ miles of former route of US-41/M-28 is largely abandoned with the exception of present-day Purple Rd, although portions of it would later become an informal hiking trail leading from the Van Riper State Park area to Trunkline Bridge No.1. |
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1931 (May 19) – Act 131 of 1931—the Dykstra Act—is passed allowing the State Highway Dept to take over control of state highways running into and through incorporated cities, thereby officially incorporating them as state trunkline highways. The following segments of formerly city-controlled streets are assumed into the system as part of M-28:
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1931 (Aug 31) – A pair of changes to the route of M-28 are officially made:
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1932 (Oct 29) – A new 3.6-mile long alignment for M-28 in southwestern Ontonagon Co from 0.32 mile east of M-64 (south), eaterly past the communities of Merriweather and Lake Gogebic to M-64 (north) in Bergland is established as a trunkline route, replacing the 3.8-mile long cancelled segment between those points. The first two miles of the former route (through Merriweather and Lake Gogebic) is turned back to county control as today's Old M-28. The remainder is abandoned as a public roadway and partially subsumed under the new highway alignment and partially obliterated. (See map below.) |
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| 1932 (Oct 29) – A minor improvement to M-28/M-48 southeast of Newberry results in the establishment of a 0.3-mile long curvilinear cut-off on the northeast corner of the Newberry State Hospital campus where the route transitions from Miller Rd to Campbell Rd. The former 0.4-mile long former route along Miller Rd south of Co Rd 428 and Campbell Rd west of Co Rd 403 is cancelled as a trunkline route and turned back to county control. (This new cut-off curve would remain in service for more than six decades until it was abandoned in the mid-1980s.) |
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| 1933 (Mar 14)–1934 (late June) – A dangerous situation on the south side of Marquette where the mainline tracks for the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Ry run down the route of US-41/M-28 on Lake St is mitigated when a new 0.5-mile long trunkline route is established on March 14, 1933 along Front St from Hampton St northerly to Fisher St so that the existing highway route via Lake St can be abandoned and transferred to the DSS&A for use as a railroad yard. This solution is pursued both by the railroad and the local business community. Construction takes fifteen months and when the new concrete roadway is completed and opened to traffic in late June 1934, the route of US-41/M-28 now enters Marquette from the south along S Lake St, curves west along Hampton St for a block, then turns northerly to follow S Front St into downtown meeting the old route at Fisher St, continuing north via Front St toward Washington St as it had previously. |
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| 1934 (Nov 22) – Although officially established as a state trunkline route in August 1931, the new, more direct routing of M-28 from present-day Old M-28 northeast of Wakefield to Tula is finally completed and opened to traffic. The former route, along present-day Old M-28, which has been a temporarily "marked-and-maintained" route since 1931, is now completely turned back to county control. The new segment, while only gravel-surfaced at present, is three miles shorter than the former route and eliminates "many hazardous curves" and a "roller-coaster blacktop stretch of narrow highway that has been shunned by many autoists and tourists," according to reports in the Ironwood Times. |
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| 1934 (Late) – By the end of 1934, a new alignment for M-28 is completed and opened to traffic between Wetmore and the southern edge of Munising. Beginning at Knox St in Wetmore, the new M-28 route curves northerly then back northwesterly to Alger Heights Rd (former M-28), then continues downhill on a broad, sweeping curve toward Alger Falls where it intersects the existing route of M-28 heading toward Chatham. The roadway improvements continue northerly for an additional 0.64 mile, however, supplanting the existing M-28 route into Munising to a ⊤-intersection at Prospect St. That 0.64 mile plus a nearly-¾ mile stretch of trunkline along Prospect and Cedar Sts in Munising to M-94/Munising Ave is now assigned the M-178 route designation. (Cedar and Prospect Sts apparently previously had no route designation and acted as a connector between M-94 and M-28.) |
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| 1935 (Jan 7) – M-28 is officially transferred from its own independent routing between Negaunee and Marquette to run concurrently with US-41 between those cities. The former 11.1-mile route, from downtown Negaunee easterly along Main St to Healey St, northerly to Mitchell Ave, northerly along a now-abandoned road to Cherry St, then northeasterly via Cherry to Prince St, northeasterly along Prince to Old Cemetery Rd, easterly along Old Cemetery and a now-abandoned road to Co Rd 492, then easterly along Co Rd 492 to US-41 at the present-day western city limit of Marquette, is transferred to municipal and county control. This is one of two cancellations in the U.P. removing redundant or duplicative routes with State Highway Commissioner Murray D. Van Wagoner stating he believes it unnecessary to maintain parallel routes between Marquette and Negaunee. |
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| 1935 (May–Aug 7) – The newly-opened stretch of M-28 northeast of Wakefield in Gogebic Co to Tula, commonly known by locals as the "Tula Cut-Off" and opened to traffic just 5½ months earlier, is closed in early May due to damage by "frost boils" during the Spring break-up. Traffic is detoured via the former route between Wakefield and Tula until August 7 when repairs to the new highway are finally completed. |
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| 1935 (Oct 22, Nov 8) – While the new alignment for M-28 between Wetmore and Alger Falls south of Munising opened to traffic in late 1934, the changes associated with the project are made official on October 22 when the former 2.8-mile route between Wetmore and Munising via Knox St, Balko St, Alger Heights Rd, Cemetery Rd, and Prospect St is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to local control. The new 2.182-mile route of M-28 (Wetmore to Alger Falls) and M-178 (Alger Falls north to Prospect St) is officially established as a trunkline route on November 8. |
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| 1935 (Oct 22)–1936 (Feb 6) – A more direct route for M-28 between Bergland and Topaz in southwest Ontonagon Co is established along a 3.614-mile segment on February 6, 1936, following the present-day highway alignment. The former 4.0-mile route via "Old RV Rd," an abandoned alignment of East Shore Rd, Old 28 (now mostly abandoned), Monfil Rd, and Old M-28–Topaz to Topaz is cancelled as a trunkline route 3½ months prior on October 22, 1935. |
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| 1935 (Oct 22)–1936 (Sept) – A new 5.2-mile segment of M-28 is established on October 22, 1935 in western Chippewa Co, from the Luce Co line northeasterly to Hulbert Corners, replacing the former 5.8-mile alignment, although two portions of the "new" route runs directly atop the "old" route. While it is established in the fall of 1935 and the new alignment is opened to traffic with a 21-foot gravel surface about the same time, paving the new stretch with a 20-foot wide asphalt surface begins the following August and is complete by September 1936. A portion of the old route is obliterated and abandoned as a public roadway, while the other stretches which are not subsumed by the new route (e.g. Peshim and Basnau Rds) are turned back to county control. |
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| 1935 (Nov)–1936 (Dec 9) – A new 3½-mile long "cut-off" for M-28 traffic south of Newberry is completed and opened to traffic in November 1935 between Roberts Corner southeast of Newberry and Watsons Corner southwest of town. The new, more direct route past Twin Lakes shaves approximately six miles from the route of M-28, which no longer passes through downtown Newberry. The former route of M-28 through town, however, is retained as a state trunkline and designated as M-28A. Then, over a year later on December 9, 1936 the 3.447-mile long "Newberry Cut-Off" is officially established as a state trunkline route. |
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| 1936 (Dec 9)–1937 (Sept 27) – A new 1.226-mile route for US-41/M-28 in the southern portion of Marquette is established from Lake St northerly along the present-day route to Hampton St on December 9, 1936. Nearly ten months later on September 27, 1937, the 1.3-mile route along Lake St from the Carp River northwesterly along the Lake Superior shoreline, then westerly on Hampton St to Front St is cancelled and turned back to city control. |
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| 1937 (Aug 30) – A new 5.646-mile long northern US-41/M-28 bypass of the twin cities of Ishpeming and Negaunee in central Marquette Co is established beginning at Teal Lake Ave north of downtown Negaunee then westerly via Water St, curving southwesterly into Ishpeming via part of present-day Juniper St, then westerly along a now-obliterated Elm St to Hickory St, then continuing southwesterly to Co Rd 585/Wildwood Rd west of Ishpeming where it merges back into the previous route. The former route from M-35 south of downtown Negaunee westerly through downtown Ishpeming to the new relocation west of town temporarily remains an unsigned state trunkline route. |
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| 1937 (Aug 30, Dec 29)–1938 (Dec 6) – M-28 is realigned in southwest Ontonagon Co between Matchwood and Ewen. The 7.4 miles of the former route from Matchwood south via Hokens Rd across the DSS&A Railroad, then southeasterly paralleling the tracks via a now-mostly-abandoned roadway, south on Malnar Rd, east on Old M-28–Ewen into Ewen to Cedar St, east via South Railroad St and a now-abandoned roadway for ¾ mile, then merging back into the present-day route of M-28 east of Ewen is cancelled and turned back to county control on August 30, 1937. On December 29, 1937, the 5.678-mile stretch of realigned M-28 from Matchwood southeasterly along the north side of the DSS&A tracks to the western edge of Ewen (near the present-day Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency office) is established as a state trunkline route. The last 0.861-mile segment of realigned M-28 along Pine St through Ewen from the west edge of town easterly to the former route west of Choate–North Cemetery Rds is established as a trunkline route on December 6, 1938. |
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| 1937–48 – The State Highway Dept begins planning on a major realignment of three of the four state highways in Baraga Co by purchasing right-of-way for a new route for US-41 between Nestoria and the L'Anse village limit southeast of downtown. Proposed routes are also established for US-141 and M-28 through the county which would basically form a triangle with US-141 proposed to run due northerly from Covington to Baraga, M-28 to run easterly from Covington to Nestoria, and US-41 to form the "hypotenuse" from Nestoria to L'Anse. Right-of-way is purchased on portions of the proposed US-41 route between L'Anse and Herman during 1937 (while none is purchased for the other two proposed relocations), although work on the proposed relocation does not progress beyond that stage and all purchased parcels are relinquished by 1948. (See Proposed US-41: Nestoria-L'Anse 1937–48 map.) |
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| 1937 (Aug 30) – A new 5.646-mile long northern US-41/M-28 bypass of the twin cities of Ishpeming and Negaunee in central Marquette Co is established beginning at Teal Lake Ave north of downtown Negaunee then westerly via Water St, curving southwesterly into Ishpeming via part of present-day Juniper St, then westerly along a now-obliterated Elm St to Hickory St, then continuing southwesterly to Wildwood Rd west of Ishpeming where it merges back into the previous route. The former route from M-35 south of downtown Negaunee westerly through downtown Ishpeming to the new relocation west of town temporarily remains an unsigned state trunkline route. |
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| 1937 (Sept 27) – The 5.6-mile former route of US-41/M-28 from M-35 south of downtown Negaunee westerly through downtown Ishpeming to the new Ishpeming-Negaunee bypass, which was established 28 days prior, is cancelled and turned back to city and county control. (Much of this route would later be re-established as BUS M-28.) |
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| 1940 (Nov 12) – The four-mile long US-41 bypass of Carlshend in southeast Marquette Co is officially established as a state trunkline route and likely opens to traffic at the same time. The northernmost 0.22 mile segment of the new alignment also carries the concurrent M-28 designation before it turns easterly toward Chatham and Munising, shortening the route of M-28 by 0.1 mile total. The 0.22-mile segment of the former route of US-41/M-28 north of Holme Rd is cancelled along with the rest of the former US-41 route through Carlshend via Carlshend Rd. The 0.1 mile portion of former M-28 between Carlshend Rd and the new realigned highway, however, is not yet turned back to county control for some reason. |
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| 1940 (Nov 12) – A 1.685-mile realignment of M-28 in Chippewa Co is established along its present-day route beginning at USFS-3367 about 2½ miles east of Strongs Corner, northeasterly to about ½ mile east of Flat Foot Rd (USFS-3161). The 1.9-mile former route is cancelled as a trunkline route and much of it becomes USGS-3367, while the remainder is abandoned as a public roadway and returns to nature. |
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| 1941 (May 14) – The remaining 0.1-mile portion of former M-28 between the former route of US-41 (Carlshend Rd) and relocated US-41 (part of the Carlshend relocation) in southeast Marquette Co which was bypassed the previous November is cancelled as a trunkline route and turned back to county control. (This is present-day Carlshend Rd between Holme Rd and US-41 at the southern M-94 jct.) |
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| 1941 (July 1) – The routes of M-94 and M-28 west of Munising are swapped, a change ordered by State Highway Commissioner G. Donald Kennedy "for the benefit of through traffic on M-28, a route which extends the length of the Upper Peninsula." The length of M-28 is now six miles shorter verus the route via Skandia, Sundell, Eben, Chatham and Forest Lake, while the overall length of M-94 is also shortened by six miles. The western terminus of M-94, formerly at Harvey south of Marquette, is relocated to US-41 southeast of Skandia. At Munising, M-94 turns southerly via Cedar St, supplanting the M-178 designation to a jct with M-28 at Alger Falls south of Munising where it now turns westerly following the former route of M-28 through Chatham to US-41 near Skandia. Similarly, M-28 now continues northerly, concurrently with M-94, from Alger Falls into Munsing, where it turns westerly at Munising Ave to replace M-94 through Christmas and past Au Train and Deerton to Harvey where it continues with US-41 through Marquette, Ishpeming, Negaunee and westerly. | |
| 1942 (Jan 28, Apr 1) – The first step in a major realignment of M-28 in Chippewa Co comes on January 28 when a 7.976-mile segment of the 9 Mile Rd corridor from present-day M-221 south of Brimley easterly to US-2/Mackinac Tr near Dafter is officially established as a state trunkline highway route, although the new segment of highway isn't yet open to traffic. The 12.4-mile long former route of M-28, including the portion along present-day M-221, is cancelled as a trunkline but remains "marked-and-maintained" as M-28 until the new alignment is opened to traffic. (Interestingly, the M-221 section of the cancelled part of M-28 will be re-established as a state highway only three years later!) Then on April 1, the 224-foot, $50,887 Waiska River bridge is completed and opened to traffic, marking the completion of the new segment of M-28. The former route of M-28, cancelled as a trunkline route in January, is now maintained solely as a county road. | |
| 1942 – By mid-1942, M-28 is extended westerly concurrently with US-2 from Wakefield into Ironwood, bringing M-28 to the Wisconsin state line. | |
| 1947–49 – In the first major phase of modernizing and improving the infamous M-28 "Seney Stretch" between Shingleton and Seney, the first five miles from Birch St on the east side of Shingleton easterly to the Alger/Schoolcraft Co line is relocated immediately north of the existing alignment. Formerly running 80 feet north of and parallel to the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Ry (later Soo Line, then Candadian National, now Grand Elk Railroad), the new alignment is built 150 feet away from the tracks including three new 38-foot wide spans over Hickey, Prairie, and Star Creeks built in 1947. The original roadway was 16 feet in width, later expanded to 20 feet, while the new alignment is constructed in 1948 as a 23-foot wide gravel roadway, then completed with a 22-foot wide asphalt surface in 1949. The work is completed on the Alger Co segment on November 15, 1949. A similar project to the east in Schoolcraft Co will complete the modernization process in the first half of the 1950s. |
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| 1947 (late Oct) – A new 6.593-mile long realignment and improvement project along US-41/M-28 in Marquette Co from Westwood Dr west of Ishpeming westerly bypassing Greenwood and most of Clarksburg to just east of the Ely/Humboldt Twp line is completed and opened to traffic, putting the highway onto its modern-day alignment in the area. The new alignment straightens the route and removes several sharper turns and curves and is approximately ¾ mile shorter in length. The former route along Co Rd 496 (in Clarksville), Co Rds CKL and CKC, Co Rd 496/Diorite Rd and Co Rd 496 SE temporarily becomes an unsigned trunkline route for the time being, while the remaining short stretches of former route of US-41/M-28 are either subsumed under the new alignment or obliterated and abandoned as public roadways. The newly-completed roadway will not be officially established as a state trunkline for over two years for some reason. |
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| 1948 – On the eastern end of M-28, that route's designation is extended northerly along US-2 from its former eastern terminus to end in downtown Sault Ste Marie with US-2. | |
| 1948 (early July) – The first 5.6 mile segment of the proposed major relocation of US-41/M-28 in Baraga Co is completed and opened to traffic from Nestoria westerly to the existing route of US-141/M-28. Ony the first four miles of the new highway is signed as US-41/M-28, however, pending the completion of the remainder of the project. US-41 turns northwesterly upon reaching its former route west of Nestoria to head toward Alberta and L'Anse, while the remaining 1.6 miles of the newly-opened roadway is signed as just M-28 until it reaches existing US-141/M-28. The former routes are all retained as unsigned trunkline routes for the time being, however. |
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| 1949 (Oct 1, Nov 7) – The new US-2/M-28 alignment between downtown Wakefield and a point two miles east of downtown Bessemer (½ mile east of the Bessemer east city limit) is completed and opened to traffic on October 1. Grading work on the new route began prior to World War II but, like many other non-critical highway projects, further progress was delayed by the war effort. The pavement on the former route through Ramsay is reportedly "the oldest piece of concrete pavement in the county." The new alignment also eliminates the several curves, turns, and hills of the old route as well as removes it from several residential and active iron mining areas. The 3.728-mile new highway, which includes four bridges and gentle curves, is established as a trunkline route a little more than a month later on November 7 and the western 1.6 miles of the former route—the portion from the Wakefield west city limit northwesterly through Ramsay to the relocated route—is cancelled and turned back to county control, while the segment of former US-2/M-28 in the City of Wakefield is retained as an unsigned trunkline for the time being. |
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| 1949 (Nov 4, 11) – The route of M-28/M-94 in the southeastern portion of Munising in Alger Co is realigned onto a brand-new 0.408-mile long alignment, which is officially established as a state trunkline route on November 4. Simultaneously, the former 0.6-mile long route via Cedar St from Onota St to Prospect St and Prospect St from Cedar St to the new M-28/M-94 alignment is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to municipal control. Work on the realigned M-28/M-94 is completed and opens to traffic one week later on November 11. |
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1949 (Nov 10) – A series of five changes are officially made to the route of M-28 in Houghton, Baraga, Marqyette, Schoolcraft and Luce Cos:
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| 1949 (Nov 10) – Several state trunkline route cancellations and establishments occur in western Mackinac Co and southern Luce Co, which will result in a major changes for M-117 and M-48 with some impact for M-28 and Newberry's M-28A. The segment of M-48 leading southerly away from M-28 at McLeods Corner (southeast of Newberry) and into Mackinac Co is cancelled as a state trunkline route, but will remain signed as M-48 ("marked-and-maintained") through the winter and into the next spring. Correspondingly, the remainder of M-48 west and north of McLeods Corner through Newberry will be removed at that point, including the concurrent stretch along M-28 between McLeods Corner and Roberts Corner south of Newberry. A new state trunkline route is also established beginning at US-2 south of Engadine, heading northerly into Luce Co and intersecting with M-28 at Co Rd 405 at Watson's Corner (at the existing western jct of M-28 & M-28A) and designated M-117. From Watson's Corner, the new M-117 routing will officially turn easterly to follow M-28 for 2.2 miles to Newberry Corners where it will turn northerly to follow Co Rd 406 for two miles to existing M-48/M-28A and then will replace those two designations into downtown Newberry. However, until construction to upgrade Co Rd 406 between M-28 and M-48/M-28A is complete, M-117 will be signed concurrently with M-28A (BUS M-28) from Watson's Corner along Dollarville Rd through Dollarville into downtown Newberry. There, M-117 will turn northerly to replace the M-48 designation for four miles to a terminus at Four Mile Corner (present-day jct M-123 & H-37). Thus, while several trunkline changes are made official, no actual route signage in the field will change until the next year. Additionally, M-28A at Newberry is redesignated as BUS M-28. The east half of M-28A between Roberts Corner and downtown Newberry, co-signed with M-48, is now designated BUS M-28/M-48 (for the time being) and M-28A from downtown Newberry via Dollarville to Watson's Corner becomes BUS M-28, but will be co-signed with M-117 the following spring. |
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| 1949 (Late) – The Gogebic Co Road Commission completes work on the final five mile stretch of a southerly extension of Chaney Lake Rd from approximately Camp F Grade/Zeckovich Grade south past Chaney Lake to the Wisconsin state line. At the same time, the Town of Winchester in Vilas Co, Wisconsin completes the final 1½ segment of the roadway south of the state line and the road is proposed to be turned over to Vilas Co and designated as a County Trunk Highway. The Gogebic Co Road Commission enters into an agreement withe the Vilas Co Highway Dept whereby the latter will construct the 1¼ mile stretch of roadway that runs along the state line, with the former providing the gravel surface for the new roadway. Once Vilas Co takes over the highway south of the state line, local leaders are campaigning for the State of Wisconsin to take over the roadway and incorporate it into their state trunk highway system, while Michigan State Highway Commissioner Charles M. Ziegler insists the State Highway Dept will then take over Chaney Lake Rd from Wakefield to the state line and designate it as a southerly extension of M-28. |
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| 1950 (Nov 3, 15) – A 3½ mile long project at Ishpeming and Negaunee involving both an upgrading of the US-41/M-28 bypass as well as a realignment of the portion of the route is completed and opened to traffic by November 15. From Hickory St in the northern part of Ishpeming northeasterly into Negaunee to Teal Lake, then southeasterly along the shoreline of the lake to M-35/Teal Lake Ave, the highway is slightly relocated and straightened onto a new alignment which stays within 325 feet of the former route, while also running along portions of the old roadway. From M-35/Teal Lake Ave in Negaunee, US-41/M-28 now heads almost due northeasterly (partially on a new alignment and partially subsuming existing Maple St from Baldwin Ave to Oak St), merging back into its existing route just northeast of Croix St. The project costs $315,000 and improves the horizontal and vertical alignments of the route and modernizes the highway, although, according official State Highway Dept figures, only shaves approximately 200 feet off the length of the segment. The related trunkline establishments and cancellations, or at least part of them, are completed twelve days earlier on November 3 when the 1.629 mile stretch of the new highway alignment from Water St (the former route) on the south shore of Teal Lake easterly for about ¾ mile to M-35/Teal Lake Ave, then northeasterly to just past Croix St is established as a trunkline route. Similarly, the 0.8 mile portion of Water St from the new alignment east-southeaterly to M-35/Teal Lake Ave and the 1.1 mile of Croix St from the relocated US-41/M-28 along Teal Lake then easterly back to the relocated highway are both cancelled as trunklines and turned back to municipal control. Oddly, though, internal State Highway Dept trunkline determination maps show the remainder of the relocated route from Water St in Negaunee westerly into Ishpeming is not officially established as a trunkline route, nor is the former route cancelled, for almost exactly a decade on June 21, 1960. While the new highway is definitely completed and opened to traffic in November 1950, it is unclear whether the western portion was overlooked in terms of official recordkeeping, only remedied ten years later, or if the "June 21, 1960" dates on the internal MSHD maps were actually supposed to read "June 21, 1950" instead. At present, this listing will use the 1960 dates at face-value until and unless additional State Highway Dept documentation is located which shows the dates were actually meant to be recorded as 1950. |
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| 1950 – The 1948 extension of M-28 along US-2 into downtown Sault Ste Marie is scaled back and the pre-1948 eastern terminus of M-28 is restored. | |
| 1951–55 – The second major phase in the modernization and improvement of the "Seney Stretch" between Shingleton and Seney, this time the 20½-mile portion from the Alger Co line easterly across the northernmost reaches of the Great Manistique Marsh (or "Seney Swamp") and through the community of Seney is undertaken. As with the first phase on the Alger Co side, the project is completed over a number of years and involves relocating the roadway 70 feet farther away from the DSS&A tracks and building new bridges at each river and creek crossing in an attempt to put the highway on a more solid footing instead of the black muck that underlies most of the existing alignment. The realignment of M-28 continues easterly through the community of Seney itself, moving the route off Railroad St to the parallel Lewis St one block to the north, farther from the railroad tracks. The new 38-foot wide bridges at Commencement Creek, Creighton River and Walsh Creek are completed in 1952, the Driggs River, Holland Creel, Clark's Ditch, and Fox River spans are completed a year later in 1953, with the Pine Creek crossing finished in 1954. Gravel surfacing and opening to traffic of the western ten-mile portion from the Alger Co line east to one mile east of Walsh occurs at the end of the 1954 construction season. A year later in 1955, paving of the first ten-mile stretch is completed along with 23-foot-wide gravel surfacing and the opening to traffic of the 10.85-mile portion from a mile east of Walsh easterly through Seney to the DSS&A crossing east of the community. Finally, in 1956 the remaining eastern half of the segment is paved. On November 18, 1955, the 1.4 miles of the former route of M-28 from ⅓ mile west of M-77 SOUTH easterly through Seney to the new route of M-28 on the east edge of Seney is officially cancelled as a state trunkline route, with the western ⅓ mile west of M-77 SOUTH to M-77 SOUTH abandoned as a public roadway and obliterated, while the remainder of Railroad St is turned back to county control. The 1.573-mile segment of relocated M-28 through Seney along Lewis St is officially established as a state trunkline route as well. The remainder of the former (original) route situated just 80 feet from the railroad line is obliterated as a public roadway and all structures spanning rivers and streams are removed. |
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| 1952 (July 1) – Maintenance on the recently-completed segment of Chaney Lake Rd south of Wakefield in Gogebic Co along with the entire 12.7-mile length of Chaney Lake Rd from Old US-2/Luoma Rd in Wakefield southerly to the Wisconsin state line is assumed by the State Highway Dept and signed as a southerly extension of M-28. As the official establishment of the route will not come for nearly a year, it becomes a "marked-and-maintained" trunkline route for the time being. Interestingly, the State Highway Dept actually adds this stretch of M-28 south of Wakefield to the April 1, 1952 edition of the Official Highway Map prior to any signs being erected along the route, which go up during the summertime. Any M-28 route markers along US-2 from Wakefield west through Besessmer and into Ironwood (it had been extended along US-2 to Ironwood a decade earlier) are removed at this point. |
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| 1953 – The M-35 designation is routed concurrently with US-41/M-28 from Negaunee westerly into Baraga Co, resulting in a three-way concurrency, then continues northerly with US-41 to Baraga, to connect the two previously discontinuous portions of M-35. See the article "M-35: The Highway Henry Ford Stopped" for more information. |
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| 1953 (Summer) – Construction on the new direct route for M-117 south of Newberry from M-28 at Newberry Corners northerly two miles to the former M-48/BUS M-28 (present-day Co Rd 428) is completed and opened to traffic. From its junction with M-28 at Watson's Corner southwest of Newberry, M-117 now turns easterly to run concurrently with M-28 to Newberry Corners, then northerly along the newly-completed highway and then follows the former route of M-48/BUS M-28 into downtown Newberry before continuing northerly to Four Mile Corner. The former route of M-117/BUS M-28 via present-day Co Rd 405 through Dollarville is discontinued and local maintenance resumes, since it had been cancelled as a state trunkline route in November 1949 (but has remained a "marked-and-maintained" route since). BUS M-28 along Co Rd 403 and Co Rd 428 is similarly discontinued and returns to county maintenance. This marks the end of the BUS M-28 route at Newberry which had begun as M-21A in late 1935 and was redesignated as BUS M-28 in 1948. |
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| 1953 (June 16) – The 12.7-mile extension of M-28 along Chaney Lake Rd from Wakefield southerly to the Wisconsin state line is officially established as a state trunkline route, although it has been signed as part of M-28 and maintained by the State for almost exactly a year at this point. Simultaneously, the former route of US-2/M-28 in the City of Wakefield along present-day Old US-2 from M-28/Chaney Lake Rd west to the west city limit, which has been a "marked-and-maintained" route since US-2/M-28 was transferred to its new route in October 1949 (and, in some places referred to as "US-2A," although that designation does not seem to have been official or even signed in the field), is cancelled and turned back to municipal control. The portion of former US-2/M-28 along Mill St and Ramsay Rd from the Wakefield west city limit through Ramsay to the relocated route had been cancelled in November 1949 and turned back to county control. |
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| 1953 (Sept 22) – A 3.2-mile long bypass of the Humboldt Mine area in western Marquette Co is officially established as the new route for US-41/M-28/M-35 beginning approximately 0.6 mile east of Wolf Lake Rd (Co Rd FX) at Humboldt and continuing westerly through a new junction with M-95 before merging back into the existing highway near Wabic. The 3.5-mile former route is cancelled with portions being turned back to county control from Wabic southeasterly along Co Rd FNO for about ¾ mile to a dead end and from M-95 easterly for about 0.6 mile via Co Rd 601 and a short spur section at Humboldt along Co Rd FNP. The remaining segments are either obliterated or abandoned as public roadways: From the end of Co Rd FNO to M-95, due to the construction of a spur railroad line into the Humboldt Mill (although the former concrete highway surface remains to this day), and between the Co Rd 601 and Co Rd FNP sections, which are overtaken by the Humboldt Mine, an open pit mine which would operate from the following year untll 1972, and no longer exist. |
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| 1955 (Nov 18) – The final project in the major relocation of the two major state trunkline highways in Baraga Co is completed when 4.949-mile stretch of M-28 and US-141/M-28 is established as a state trunkline route from approximately ¾ mile west of Covington northeasterly to US-41/M-35 four miles south of Alberta. (US-41 was completely realigned and improved between Nestoria and L'Anse from 1947–50, although initial plans for the various upgrades dates back to the mid-1930s.) With the establishment, the actual highway is likely completed and opened to traffic at this same time. The 7.2-mile long former route of M-28 and US-141/M-28 along present-day Old M-28, VFW Rd, Howes Rd and School Rd is cancelled as a trunkline route and turned back to county control. |
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| 1957 (Nov 25) – A new 6.685-mile alignment of US-41/M-28 is officially established as a state trunkline along its present-day routing from just southwest of Heritage Dr/JAD in Neguanee to east of Northwoods Rd/HIA (at the present-day Menards east entrance) west of Marquette. The former 7.2-mile route along Heritage Dr/JAD, Forest Cir/JB, CR-502/Midway Rd, Co Rd JPC-HPB and Northwoods Rds/HIA is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to local control, although the new alignment is not yet completed and opened to traffic. The former route is retained as a "marked-and-maintained" route for the time being. |
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| 1958 (July 3) – The seven miles of divided US-41/M-28 highway from Marquette westerly to Negaunee that were officially established the previous November are completed and opened to traffic, with the former alignment, already officially transferred to local control, no longer being "marked-and-maintained" as a state trunkline route. | |
| 1958 (July 7, Nov 18) – A new 5.155-mile bypass of the Trout Creek area in southeast Ontonagon and southern Houghton is established as a state trunkline route on July 7 from Mile West Rd, one mile west of Trout Creek, easterly to Golden Glow Rd, 1¾ mile west of Kenton. The new route removes two additional grade crossings of the Duluth, South Shores & Atlantic Railway and four sharp turns in the route in addition to bypassing the community of Trout Creek. The former 5.3-mile long route along present-day Old M-28 is cancelled as a trunkline and turned back to county control, also on July 7. The total cost for the new stretch of highway, which is completed and opened to traffic on November 18, is approximately $532,300. |
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| 1958 (Sept 16) – Most of the former route of US-41/M-28 through the downtowns of Ishpeming and Negaunee that was cancelled in 1937 when the bypass of those two cities was completed is re-established as a state trunkline route. (The only portion of the pre-1937 US-41/M-28 route not included in this re-establishment is Randall Dr from US-41/M-28 easterly through West Ishpeming to North Lake Dr.) The newly-re-established route is ostensibly designated BUS M-28, however a number of sources (many of which are not State Highway Dept-related and include local news media) repeatedly use "US-41A" and "M-28A" when referring to this route: See the BUS M-28 route listing for complete details. Regardless of the actual designation, the new route joins with M-35 to run concurrently through downtown Negaunee via Silver St from County Rd northerly to Jackson St, easterly on Jackson St, northeasterly via Main St, then northwesterly along Teal Lake Ave back to US-41/M-28 north of downtown Negaunee. |
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| 1959 (Mar 20) – While hopes had been high among Wakefield area and other Gogebic Co civic leaders that a "proper" connection with the Wisconsin highway system to the southern end of M-28 at the Wisconsin state line near Chaney Lake south of Wakefield would be forthcoming, especially after Michigan extended M-28 south from Wakefield to the state line in 1952, a letter from the secretary of the Wisconsin Highway Commission reiterates that it would continue to "decline adding the route to the trunk highway system because of the cost or providing state trunk highway service over the presently inadequate facility and because of the lack of potential traffic to justify its establishment... while other more urgently needed improvements on sections of existing state trunks must be deferred until financing can be arranged." Apparently Michigan officials have made repeated overtures to Wisconsin authorities on making this connection over the course of many years, only to be repeatedly turned down, leading the Michigan State Highway Dept to begin the process of abandoning the portion of M-28 south of Wakefield and turning it back to local control. |
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| 1959 (Dec 1) – Following an upgrading and resurfacing project along the whole segment, the 13.6-mile long M-94 "loop" north of M-28 between Munising and Shingleton is, once again, cancelled as a state trunkline highway. The former route of M-94 from Munising easterly to Van Meer (present-day H-58) and from there southerly to Shingleton (present-day H-15) is transferred to county control. From Shingleton, M-94 now runs concurrently with M-28 to the western jct of M-28 & M-94 south of Munising. The formerly concurrent M-28/M-94 segment from that point northerly into Munsing becomes just M-28. Also, with the exception of the 13-mile leg of M-28 between Wakefield and the Wisconsin state line, the last 10 miles of gravel-surfaced highway on the rest of M-28 is paved. | |
| 1959 (Nov, Dec 2) – A 10-mile segment of realigned and reconstructed M-28 in southern Houghton Co from the western edge of Sidnaw westerly through Kenton to Jumbo Creek approximately 1½ miles west of Kenton is completed and opened to traffic. With some "incidental work" on the project remaining to be done, the new route is not yet officially established as a trunkline route, while the former route remains an unsigned state highway for the time being. For much of the distance, M-28 is relocated onto a new alignment, with the segment from ¾ mile east of Kenton westerly through Kenton to Jumbo Creek largely incorporated into the new highway route. |
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| 1960 (June 21) – As noted in the November 3–15, 1950 listing above, a 1.752-mile stretch of US-41/M-28/M-35 from Hickory St in Ishpeming to Water St in Neguanee, which had been realigned and reconstructed in 1950, is noted on internal State Highway Dept trunkline determination maps as finally being established as the official trunkline route. Similarly, the former 1.5-mile long segment between those same points, which was partially subsumed under the new highway, partially closed and obliterated as a public roadway, and partially turned back to municipal control in places, is officially cancelled as a trunkline route. As noted above, it is unclear why this establishment and cancellation is listed almost exactly a decade after the completion of the project—whether it was a rectification of a previously-overlooked determination or a cartographic error ("1960" used on the maps instead of "1950") is not known. One plausible reason for the 1960 date is the completion of a widening project along US-41/M-28 in Ishpeming and Negaunee in 1959 which may have brought to light an omission in the recordkeeping from ten years prior. |
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| 1960 (Oct 14) – The 9.58-mile stretch of M-28 realigned and reconstructed from the Baraga/Houghton Co line westerly through Sidnaw to a point approximately ¾ mile east of Kenton is officially established as a trunkline route, although it has been open to traffic since the previous December. The 10.2-mile former route is cancelled and the portions not subsumed into the new route or abandoned as a public roadway are turned back to county control, including E Old M-28 and Kitchie Rd east of Kenton and Forest Road 200 between Anthony and Sidnaw. Other portions are abandoned and/or obliterated. |
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| 1960 (Sept 21, Oct 14) – An 8.4-mile stretch of M-28 reconstructed and partially realigned in southeastern Houghton and southwestern Baraga Cos between Sidnaw and Covington is completed and opened to traffic on September 21. The realignment consists of a new 0.799-mile segment from just east of Perch Rd to Keranen Rd, which is officially established about three weeks later on October 14. At the same time, the former 0.9-mile portion of the highway between those points cancelled as a state trunkline and largely obliterated. |
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| 1960 (Nov 4) – The route of M-28/M-94 is reconstructed and partially realigned from the Wetmore area in central Alger Co easterly to jct M-28 & M-94 in Shingleton. The entire 8.314-mile segment is officially established on this date, while the 8.427-mile old alignment is cancelled and is turned back to local control, obliterated, or subsumed under the reconstructed highway. Beginning at Alger Heights Rd on the western edge of Wetmore, a new, more direct 1.1-mile long M-28/M-94 bypass of the community removes through traffic from the business district of Wetmore and merges back with the existing alignment 0.4 mile east of H-13/FFH-13/Connors Rd. The former route along Prospect St through Wetmore from M-28/M-94 west of the community easterly to H-13/FFH-13/Connors Rd is turned back to county control, while the portion east of H-13/FFH-13 is obliterated as a public roadway. Between Wetmore and Shingleton, M-28/M-94 is upgraded and slightly shifted to the north. From approximately 1½ miles west of Shingleton, M-28/M-94 is shifted onto a new, more notherly alignment to Pine St, one block west of the M-28 & M-94 jct in downtown Shingleton and the former alignment is obliterated as a public roadway. While the newly-completed highway is opened to traffic at this point, a project to pave the entire segment will be completed during the 1961 construction season. |
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| 1961 (May 8, June 28) – On May 8, the State Highway Dept submits a request to the U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) for the relocation of US-41 (along with M-28) through Marquette onto a new bypass route, the removal of the former route through the central business district, and the designation of a business route, although actual construction of the bypass won't be complete for more than 2½ years. The AASHO subcommittee approves all requests at its regular meeting on June 28. |
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| 1961 (Oct 1) – A 12.9-mile long, $320,000 modernization project along M-28/Chaney Lake Rd from Wakefield southerly to the Wisconsin state line is completed and opened to traffic, done in preparation for the planned cancellation of that portion of the route as a trunkline and transfer back to local control. This segment of M-28 is one of the last gravel-surfaced state highways in Michigan. |
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| 1962 (June 30) – The ten-year old, 13.5-mile extension of M-28 south of Wakefield to the Wisconsin line is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to municipal and county control. M-28's new western terminus is now at US-2 in downtown Wakefield at the cnr of Sunday Lake Rd & Putnam St. The extension is cancelled as the corresponding improvements to highways on the Wisconsin side of the state line never occurred, thus severely limiting the utility of that portion of M-28 as a state highway. |
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| 1963 (Nov 22, 12:00 Noon; Dec 5) – A 1.834-mile long, limited-access expressway bypass of downtown Marquette for US-41/M-28 traffic is completed and opened to traffic at Noon on November 22. The route is a partially-limited access expressway, with access only at select crossroads. (Other intersecting roads are either closed off or are grade-separated via overpasses.) The new bypass helps alleviate significant congestion problems through the central business district by allowing through traffic a higher-speed route around the downtown area. The former route of US-41/M-28 through downtown Marquette along Front St & Washington St is redesignated as BUS US-41. Thirteen days later on December 5, the bypass is officially established as a state trunkline route by the State Highway Dept. |
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| 1963 (Nov 1, Dec 5) – A segment of the I-75/US-2 freeway south of Sault Ste Marie is completed and opened to traffic on November 1 and M-28 is scaled back by approximately ⅓ mile to end at the new freeway. The new freeway section is established as a state trunkline route a month later on December 5 at the same time as the cancellation of the 0.350-mile segment of what had been part of M-28 between the freeway interchange and the former US-2 (present-day H-63/Mackinac Trail), which is turned back to county control. |
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| 1966 (June 30) – While most work is completed the previous year and the new highway opened to traffic at that time, a new 3.193-mile alignment of M-28 is officially established as a state trunkline route starting just west of Old Golf Course Rd near the Munising Tourist Park Campground and continuing easterly then curving southerly around Powell Point and into the City of Munising to just north of the Munising High School. Portions of the project result in a brand new alignment for M-28, notably the ½ mile portion past the Munising Tourist Park, a 1¼ mile segment from just east of Grand Island Landing Rd to Commercial St in Munising, and a ⅓ mile stretch from Bayview Dr southerly to the Hiawatha Telephone Co building north of the high school. Between these segments, the existing roadway is modernized and widened to accommodate passing lanes. The former route along Westshore Dr is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to municipal and county control, while the portion through the tourist park is incorporated into the campground roadway system, and the segments from Westshore Dr southwest to Commercial St and from Bayview Dr southerly are abandoned as public roadways and obliterated. |
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| 1967 (July 21) – A project between Ewen and Bruce Crossing in southern Ontonagon Co to construct a new Baltimore River bridge as well as "flattening" the two curves on either side of the span results in cancellation of the existing 0.675-mile stretch of M-28 including the bridge and on either side of it and the establishment of a new 0.659-mile alignment for the highway. The entirety of the old roadway is obliterated and the former bridge is removed in the process. |
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| 1969 (Jan) – As part of a program by the Dept of State Highways to "eliminate all extraneous markings on state highways," the M-35 route west of Baraga is redesignated as M-38. The formerly concurrent US-41/M-28/M-35 from Negaunee to US-141 near Covington becomes just US-41/M-28, while what had been US-41/M-35 from there to Baraga retains just the US-41 designation. M-35 now terminates at US-41/M-28 between Negaunee and Marquette. | |
| 1969 (Oct 26) – At its regular meeting at the Sheraton Hotel in Philadelphia, the U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) defers action on a request from the Michigan Dept of State Highways to also designate the BUS M-28 routing at Ishpeming-Neguanee as BUS US-41. This would indicate that this route had never been officially designated as BUS US-41 before this time. |
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| 1970 (Nov 6) – Following up on its previous meeting in October 1969, at the regular meeting the U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) at the Shamrock-Hilton Hotel in Houston, the group officially denies the Dept of State Highways' request for a BUS US-41 designation along BUS M-28 at Ishpeming-Neguanee. The existence of several at-grade railroad crossings along the route of the proposed BUS US-41 is the subcommittee's reason for the denial. |
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| 1973 (Dec 14) – As part of a $3.1 million project to upgrade the highway between Bruce Crossing and Trout Creek in southeastern Ontonagon Co, a 4.475-mile segment of M-28 is established as a trunkline route from just east of Gem Hill Rd (east of Bruce Crossing) southeasterly through Paynesdale to a point ⅓ mile west of the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River at Agate Falls. This segment includes two relocations and a general modernization of the highway. The first mile on the western end involves "flattening" the curve at Blacksmith Rd, making it less sharp. From there through Paynesville to a point near Sparrow Ln, the existing M-28 is simply reconstructed on its existing alignment. Between Sparrow Ln and the eastern end of the newly-established segment, a second realignment replaces two curves in the route. The overall project also involves a slight flattening of a curve between Kananen Rd and Section Line Rd, while the remaining 2½ miles of the project involves reconstructing the highway 60 feet south of the existing roadway merging back into its existing alignment approximately ⅓ mile east of Mile West Rd southwest of Trout Creek. The existing alignment from Blacksmith Rd southeasterly is abandoned as a public roadway and becomes a private driveway while the remainder of this bypassed stretch is obliterated. The second bypassed portion from Sparrow Lane southeasterly paralleling the Soo Line Railroad (former DSS&A) tracks to Shortcut Rd, signed as Section 6 Rd but shown on pretty much all maps as "Old M-28," is assumedly prepared for jurisdictional transfer back to the county, although specific records denoting this have not yet been located. (It likely occurred at some point in the past few decades.) |
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| 1974 (Late)–1975 (June 18) – While most work is completed during 1974 and the new relocation opened to traffic at that time, a 1.865-mile segment of M-28 in western Alger Co is officially established as a state trunkline route starting at the Deer Lake State Roadside Park at Shelter Bay and continuing northwesterly on a long, continuously curvilinear routing alignment, merging back into the existing route at the end of the segment. The project is part of a larger effort to modernize M-28 between Marquette and Munising and improves both the horizontal and vertical profiles of the highway. The former 1.825-mile long route is cancelled as a trunkline highway and abandoned as a public roadway (the portions where the former route tied in to the new alignment are obliterated, the remainder becomes a private roadway). |
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| 1975 – The final project in the effort to modernize the route of M-28 between Marquette and Munising, consisting of an eight mile segment of the route from the Deer Lake/Shelter Bay area to Au Train in western Alger Co, is completed and opened to traffic, although official establishment and cancellation of the new and bypassed highway segments will not take place for another six years for reasons unknown at present. In this phase, five sections of the route are relocated onto new alignment to "flatten" some curves and generally improve the horizontal profile of the route. The relocations consist of a 1¼ mile stretch from just south of the Deer Lake State Roadside Park southeasterly in the Shelter Bay area, a ¾ mile segment from H-01/Rock River Rd easterly and southeasterly, a two-mile segment on the west end of Au Train Bay from the Brownstone Inn southeasterly to Maple St on the west edge of Au Train, and a 0.7-mile section from just east of the Au Train River bridge to just west of the Scott Falls State Roadside Park. The first bypassed segment is renamed Old M-28 and temporarily becomes an unsigned state trunkline route, while the second bypassed section isabandoned as a public roadway and obliterated, while the third, fourth, and fifth stretches are all turned into scenic turnout parking areas, as they run along the Lake Superior shoreline and afford excellent recreational opportunities. |
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| 1978–81 – Oddly, the route of BUS US-41 through downtown Marquette (also marked as BUS M-28, although no other proof exists it was ever designated as such) is removed from the 1978 Official Michigan Transportation Map issued to the public by the Michigan Dept of State Highways & Transportation, both on the main statewide map and on the Marquette inset on the reverse. However, the "BUS US-41/BUS M-28" routing is restored on the 1980 edition (but only labeled on the Marquette inset, not on the statewide map), with the BUS M-28 symbol removed from the Marquette inset on the 1981 edition. While no evidence of there ever being a BUS M-28 routing at Marquette has yet been located, with internally-produced MDSH&T/MDOT Control Section Atlases consistently show BUS US-41 through downtown Marquette throughout the 1970s and 1980s, implying the modifications to the Official Transportation Map are in error. MDOT Trunkline Determination Maps also indicate no trunkline cancellations occur in this timeframe, leaving the removal of the downtown Marquette business route as a cartographic error. |
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1981 (Feb 18–23, Apr 3) – Some of the modifications made to the route of M-28 in western Alger Co during 1975 during the third phase of the modernization project between Marquette and Munising are made official:
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| 1982 (Oct)—1983 (Mar) – Some MDOT staffers internally propose terminating M-28 at its eastern jct with US-41 at Harvey south of Marquette, removing the concurrent designation between Harvey and Covington, and then giving the remainder of M-28 from US-41 at Covington to US-2 at Wakefield a new route designation. By March 1983, however, the proposal is deemed "impractical" and no changes are made. (See Notes section above for details.) |
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| 1989 (March 3) – The 2.51 mile segment of 9 Mile Rd in northeast Chippewa Co from the eastern terminus of M-28 at I-75 (at Exit 386) easterly to M-129/Meridian Rd south of Sault Ste Marie is officially established as a state trunkline route and transferred from county to state control. M-28 is extended over the new trunkline route to a new eastern terminus at M-129 approximately 8½ miles south of downtown Sault Ste Marie. | |
| 1996 – A 1.1-mile long relocation project in western Marquette Co just northwest of Van Riper State Park involves replacing the 1930 Peshekee River bridge (which, itself, had replaced the first ever state trunkline bridge ever constructed in 1914, which remains in an abandoned state just to the south) and the corresponding approach roadway. The realigned segment of US-41/M-28 runs from the Champion/Michigamme Twp line westerly to approximatley 0.15 mile west of the CR-607/Peshekee Grade Rd and lies either immediately adjacent to the existing highway to the north or the south. The 1.05-mile segment of the existing route is obliterated as a public roadway and left to return to a natural state. |
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| 2005 (Oct 10) – Negotiations between MDOT and the City of Marquette result in several jurisdictional transfers, including the cancellation and transfer of the entirety of BUS US-41 through downtown to municipal control. Also transferred on this date are all of unsigned M-554 to the City of Marquette and McClellan Ave from (former) M-554 northerly to US-41/M-28 west of downtown to MDOT as part of M-553. |
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| 2009 (Fall) – An approximately 0.85-mile long realignment for US-41/M-28 immediately east of Michigamme in western Marquette Co replacing a sharper reverse curve with a pair of gentler curves is completed and opened to traffic. The majority of the 1.0-mile long former route is obliterated and abandoned as a public roadway, while a short segment becomes an expanded parking area and access roadway for the Michigamme Roadside Park. |
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| 2010 (Aug 9) – After a three-month construction project, a brand new roundabout replaces the somewhat confusing intersection at the eastern end of the Marquette Bypass, where US-41/M-28 intersects Front St (formerly BUS US-41) south of the downtown district. The previous intersection was original to the bypass when it was constructed in 1962–63. (Several other roundabouts are later constructed on the Marquette Bypass and farther west along US-41/M-28 in the Marquette Twp business district in the 2017–2019 timeframe.) |
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| Controlled Access: | Freeway: No portion of M-28 exists as freeway. |
| Expressway: In Marquette from the intersection of US-41/M-28 & Washington St (formerly BUS US-41) easterly to the intersection of US-41/M-28 & Front St (formerly BUS US-41). | |
| NHS: | M-28 from the its western terminus at US-2 in Wakefield to jct I-75 south of Sault Ste Marie is on the National Highway System (NHS)—all but the easternmost 2.7 miles of the route. (287 miles) |
| Business Connection: | BUS M-28 – Ishpeming/Negaunee. From US-41/M-28 on the west side of Ishpeming through the downtowns of both cities to US-41/M-28 on the north side of Negaunee. |
| Circle Tour: |  |
| Memorial Highways: | The following Memorial Highway designations have been officially assigned to parts of M-28 by the Michigan Legislature:
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