| Southern Terminus: |
M-46/Monroe Rd-Gratiot Rd, two miles west of Merrill, on the Saginaw/Gratiot Co line |
| Northern Terminus: |
M-55/BL I-75 on the western edge of West Branch (cnr Court St & Houghton Ave) |
| Length: |
65.465 miles (including mileage transferred to state control, late 2022, signed 8/2023) |
| Maps: |
Route Map of M-30 |
| Notes: |
In 1962, all of M-30 south of US-10 at Sanford to M-46 was removed and turned back to county control. Then in 2009, three miles of that same segment was returned to state control as a re-extension of M-30 back to M-20! And, in an irony of ironies, in 2022 the remaining mileage of M-30 in Midland and Saginaw Cos which had been cancelled in 1962 was re-transferred back to MDOT to become a state trunkline route once again, with its southern terminus back at M-46 for the first time in 61 years! Signage for the (re-)extension of M-30 from M-20 southerly to M-46 was posted during August 2023. |
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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, MSHD staff made one very major recommendation for the route of M-30: Get rid of it. The planners at the MSHD apparently felt that M-30—which ran from M-46 on the Gratiot/Saginaw Co line between Breckenridge and Merrill at that time northerly to M-55/M-76 at West Branch—was unworthy of being a state trunkline highway and marked it on the 1960 planning maps as a "turnback route." Approximately two years later, the portion of M-30 south of US-10 at Sanford was turned back to county control, while the rest of the route remaine a state trunkline highway. Then nearly 50 years later, M-30 was re-extended back to M-20 west of Midland, and then 63 years later, the remainder of the portion of the route that had been transferred back to county control in the early 1960s was re-assumed into the state trunkline system, restoring M-30 to the configuration it had when the State Highway Dept planners recommended its complete decommissioning in 1960! |
| History: |
1914 (Jan 17) – The 11.6 mile portion of Trunk Line 30 is officially established in Ogemaw Co from the southwest corner of the City of West Branch southerly to the Gladwin Co line running generally along these modern-day roadways: Present-day M-30 southerly to Lake George Rd southerly to Rau Rd westerly to Rau Dr southerly to M-30 southerly to Greenwood Rd westerly to Stillwagon Rd to the county line. |
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1914 (June 23) – Tbe remainder of the route of Trunk Line 30 (T.L. 30) is officially established as a state trunkline route when the 22.2 miles of the route in Gladwin Co are officially assumed into the trunkline highway system from the Ogemaw Co line southerly generally along the present-day route of M-30 to T.L.18 at Van Dyke Rd in the south-central part of the county. |
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1916 (Apr 27) – The 0.5 mile of T.L.30 along the western boundary of the City of West Branch to T.L. 76/W Houghton Ave is established as a state trunkline route, this completing the official establishment of the complete route from T.L.18 on the south to T.L. 76 on the north. |
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1917 (July 6) – A new 4.5-mile long alignment of T.L. 30 is officially assumed into the state trunkline highway system in Gladwin and Ogemaw Cos along the route of present-day M-30 east of the Elk Lake area replacing a 4.5-mile long route along Greenwood and Stillwagon Rds which is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to county control. |
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1919 (July 1) – T.L. 30 is signed in the field as M-30 as all state trunkline highways in Michigan are signed with route markers. |
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1927 (Feb 8) – M-18 is extended due south from Beaverton and the M-30 designation is then applied to all of the former M-18 routing from M-30 southerly through Edenville and Sanford to end at M-46 two miles west of Merrill. The former M-18 along Van Dyke Rd between Beaverton and M-30 is re-designated as M-80. |
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1952 (Nov 10–15) – Two realignments to the route of M-30 are officially established as part of the state trunkline highway system, removing a total of three 90° turns from the route south of West Branch in southwest Ogemaw and northeast Gladwin Cos. The realignments include 3.0 miles of new highway from Lake George Rd southwesterly to Lehman Rd southwest of West Beanch with the 3.9 miles of former route along Lake George Rd, Rau Rd and Rau Dr being cancelled as a trunkline route and turned back to county control. Just over the county line in Gladwin Co, A 0.6-mile long sweeping curve alignment from Sergent Rd at the county line southwesterly to Alger Rd replaces the former 0.8-mile route along Wildwood Rd and Alger Rd which is cancelled as a trunkline route and turned back to county control. These official changes take place as of November 10, while the construction itself is marked as complete on November 15. |
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1956 (Mar 6) – A new 0.5-mile long alignment of M-30 is officially established as a state trunkline route at the West Branch of the Tittabawassee River crossing approximately 7½ miles north of M-61 in north-central Gladwin Co, replacing a 0.6-mile segment which is cancelled as a state trunkline and the portion from Finkbeiner Rd southerly to the river is turned back to county control while the old river bridge is closed and the remainder of the former highway southwesterly back to the new alignment is abandoned as a public roadway. The new highway, between Ritchie Rd and Finkbeiner Rd, utilizes a straighter alignment and much wider bridge spanning the river. A new state roadside park is also created along the new alignment as well. |
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1958 (July 7) – A new 1.5-mile long segment of M-30 is officially established as a state trunkline route beginning at M-61 at the community of White Star in central Gladwin Co, continuing to the north and also bending to the west to cross Tobacco River via a new span before bending gently back to the right to merge back into its former route approximately 1,500 feet south of Youngs Rd. The former, 1.6-mile long route is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to county control as Old M-30 while the old Tobacco River bridge is removed. |
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1961 (Jan 3) – As part of an effort to remove seven curves in the highway near Elk Lake in Northern Gladwin Co—some of them rather sharp curves—a new, 2.2-mile long sweeping alignment for M-30 with just three gentle curves is officially assumed into the state trunkline highway system replacing the former 2.9-mile long alignment along Indian Lake Dr which is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to county control. |
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1961 (Nov 15) – The route of M-30 is realigned sightly to the east through the new US-10 freeway interchange at Sanford in central Midland Co onto a 0.9-mile long route that is assumed into the state trunkline system and likely opened to traffic at this time. The former, 0.9-mile long route is cancelled as a trunkline route and, with the exception of the portion obliterated by the construction of the US-10 freeway, is turned back to county control as a service roadway for access to homes along Sanford Lake. |
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1961 (Nov 15) – Another segment of M-30 is officially established as a state trunkline highway route, this one beginning at existing M-30 approximately 0.35 mile north of Adams Rd near Edenville in north-central Midland Co and "cutting the corner" at the Curtis Rd & Meridian Rd intersection, then continuing westerly along existing M-30/Curtis Rd then, just east of Sandy Ridge Dr, a new alignment of M-30/Meridian Rd turns northwesterly to bypass a former 90° turn, before merging back into its former route between Moore St and Cedar Dr in Edenville. The former route forming a 90° turn at the eastern intersection of Meridian Rd & Curtis Rd is cancelled and obliterated as a public road, while the western portion of the former route, consisting of State St (Curtis Rd) from new M-30/Meridian Rd westerly to Water Rd, then northerly via Water Rd back to new M-30/Meridian Rd near Moore St is also cancelled and turned back to county control. |
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1961 (Dec 1) – The final 10 miles of gravel-surfaced M-30 are paved, from Sanford to the Midland/Saginaw Co line. |
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1962 (June 30) – All of M-30 south of the new US-10 freeway at Sanford to M-46 west of Merrill is cancelled as a state trunkline highway route and turned back to county control. The new southern terminus for M-30 is now at the US-10 freeway (present-day Exit 116) near Sanford. Total mileage removed from the length of M-30 is 21.7 miles. |
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2007 (Nov) – Until this time, Meridian Rd (the former route of M-30 prior to 1962) did not connect directly through to Saginaw Rd (the former route of US-10 prior to 1961) at Sanford in central Midland County. When M-30 still ran along this corridor, the M-30 routing approached from the south via Meridian Rd before curving west for one mile on Wackerly Rd, then curving back north via 7 Mile Rd and intersecting Saginaw Rd on the west side of Sanford. M-30 then ran concurrently with US-10 along Saginaw Rd back to Meridian Rd and continued northerly into Gladwin Co. Starting in November 2007, the Midland Co Road Commission begins constructing a new 1,170-foot long, $7.7-million bridge spanning the Tittabawassee River and the Pere Marquette State Trail to directly connect the two discontinuous segments of Meridian Rd. |
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2008 (Oct 31) – The new Meridian Rd bridge over the Tittabawassee River and the Pere Marquette State Trail, constructed by the Midland Co Road Commission, is completed and opens to traffic. |
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2009 (May 13) – Meridian Rd—both the former portions of pre-1962 M-30 from Saginaw Rd (Old US-10) north and from Wackerly Rd south and the new, mile-long Tittawabassee River bridge—is transferred from county to state control and becomes a (re-)extension of M-30 from the US-10 freeway southerly to M-20/Isabella Rd. This increases the length of M-30 from 46.43 miles to 51.353 miles. |
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2020 (May–Dec) – Edenville Dam Failue:
- May 19 – The complete failure of the Edenville Dam on the Midland/Gladwin Co at Edenville, quickly washes away the M-30 "causeway bridge" over Wixom Lake, damages the M-30 span over the Tittabawassee River just downstream from the Edenville Dam, and washes away other local spans nearby. M-30 traffic is detoured many miles out of the way due to other bridge failures. Downstream, the US-10 freeway bridge at Sanford is also damanged in this event.
- Sept 17 – The M-30 Tittawabasee River bridge at Edenvile in northern Midland Co just south of the failed Edenville Dam is reopened to local and emergency traffic following completion of $2 million in emergency repairs. The span, built in 1947, will need to be replaced in the future due to the damage caused in the floods, but repairs will allow the structure to be used until a replacement can be designed, funded and constructed in the future.
- Dec 1 – MDOT crews begin work on a $4.3 million temporary span to replace the bridge washed away in May in the Edenville Dam failure. A two-lane temporary span is chosen in order to open the highway as quickly as possible, as a permanent structure will take years to complete, requiring design and permitting. The temporary bridge will use prefabricated moduar components to speed construction.
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2021 (Mar 11) – The 230-foot temporary span on M-30 at the site of the Edenville Dam spanning what had been part of Wixom Lake near Edenville on the Midland/Gladwin Co line is reopened to traffic just ten months after it was partially washed away in the dam's failure. A bridge walk and a short ceremony were held by Edenville and Tobacco Twps prior to the opening. M-30 is now completely reopened at Edenville for the first time in over 10 months. A permanent span is planned to be built at some point in the future. |
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2022 (Sept 27, Oct 12) – MDOT completes jurisdictional transfers with the Midland Co Road Commission and Saginaw Co Road Commission to transfer 14.14 miles of Meridian Rd from M-46/Gratiot Rd–Monroe Rd northerly to M-20/Isabella Rd from county to state control as part of an effort to reacquire the remaining portion of Meridian Rd south of M-20 which was not re-transferred back to state control in 2009 (and was transferred from state jurisdiction to the county in 1962). The Saginaw Co transfer of 4.02 miles officially takes place on September 27 while the Midland Co transfer of the remaining 10.12 miles occurs 15 days later on October 12.This occurs just a few months more than exactly 60 years after these segments were cancelled as a state trunkline route and transferred to county control in 1962. Signage along the newly-transferred segment of roadway signifying its inclusion in the route of M-30 is likely to be erected in 2023. (Thanks Patrick!) |
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2023 (Aug)  – The M-30 southerly extension is signed with reassurance route markers along Meridian Rd between M-46 and M-20 as well as new junction route marker assemblies are posted along M-46 and M-20 approachign M-30 during August. |
| Controlled Access: |
No portion of M-30 is freeway or expressway. |
| NHS: |
No portion of M-30 is on the National Highway System (NHS). |
| Memorial Highway: |
At present, no portion of M-30 has been designated as part of a Memorial Highway. |
| Photographs: |
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| Weblinks: |
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