| Western Terminus: |
I-75 at Exit 378 near Kinross |
| Eastern Terminus: |
M-129 four miles south of Donaldson (7 miles north of Pickford) |
| Length: |
7.918 miles |
| Maps: |
Route Map of M-80 |
| Notes: |
The current iteration of M-80 was established in June 1995. Formerly a Chippewa county road bearing the names Gaines Hwy and Tone Rd, this route was transferred to MDOT who then completely rebuilt it and gave it a state highway designation. While Chippewa County's state highway mileage has gone up by well over 20 miles in recent years, M-80's purpose is clear: it serves the Chippewa Co International Airport and the Kinross & Chippewa Correctional Facilitis, all of which are on the site of the former Kincheloe Air Force Base. M-80 now provides "all-weather" access to those facilities from both I-75 and M-129. |
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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, there was no recommendation from MSHD staff for the route of M-80—as in 1960, there was no M-80! The previous iteration of the route in Gladwin Co had been turned back to county control in 1939 and the current iteration would not exist for approximately 35 years! |
| History: |
1919 (Dec 4) – A 19.0-mile long state trunkline route is officially established in Lenawee Co beginning on the western city limit of Adrian and continuing northwesterly through Rome (present-day Rome Center) and Devils Lake, ending at M-23 (later US-112, present-day US-12) approximately one mile east of Somerset. |
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1919 (Dec 24) – An additional 0.6-mile of M-80 is officially established as a state trunkline route in Adrian from the west city limit (just west of Charles St) southeasterly along Maumee St to Scott St. The remainder of Maumee St from Scott St easterly to M-34 at the cnr of Wlliams St & Maumee St in downtown Adrian is signed as M-80, but is still under the jurisdiction of the city. |
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1926 (Nov 11) – With the debut of the US Highway system in 1926, the first iteration of M-80 is replaced in its entirety by US-127. (This route would later be designated as part of US-223 when US-127 is realigned to run southerly toward Cincinnati instead of Toledo.) While the US Highway System was officially created and designated in 1926, it is likely that all route signs were not erected until sometime in early 1927. |
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1927 (Feb 8) – The M-80 designation is only absent from the state for a short time when M-18 in Gladwin Co is realigned to run due southerly from Beaverton to end at US-10 in North Bradley. The former route of M-18 from Beaverton to M-30 southeast of Beaverton is redesignated as M-80. The new M-80 runs easterly from Beaverton via Glidden Rd for three miles, then southerly via Shock Rd for 1½ miles, easterly via Dale Rd for 1⅔ mile to a terminus at M-30 at the corner of Dale & Dundas Rds. |
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1927 (Oct 20) – The one mile segment of M-30 along Dale Rd between the terminus of M-80 at the cnr of Dale & Dundas Rds southeast of Beaverton and present-day M-30 is turned back to county control when a new 2.7-mile segment of trunkline is established as part of M-30 from that location south and southwesterly to the present-day intersection of M-30 & Dundas Rd. The former 2.9-mile portion of M-30 along Dundas Rd from Dale Rd southerly to the new segment of M-30 becomes an extension of M-80. This change does not show up on official state highway maps until 1931, signalling the physical routing changes in the field may take an additional four years to implement. |
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1937 (Aug 30) – The State Highway Department reassumes control of the one-mile segment of Dale Rd from Dundas Rd easterly to M-30 that it had transferred to county control on Oct 20, 1927, nearly ten years earlier. The route of M-80 is then extended easterly over Dale Rd from Dundas to M-30, with the former route of M-80 along Dunas Rd from Dale Rd southerly turned back to county control. This change shows up on official state highway maps as early as May, so actual signage in the field may have changed earlier in the year, with the official jurisdictional transfer taking place later in the summer. |
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1939 (July 13) – The second iteration of M-80 is cancelled as a state trunkline route in its entirety; the route is turned back to local control. It would be 55 years before another M-80 designation would exist in Michigan. |
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1995 (June 30)  – The entirety of Tone Rd running through the Kincheloe area of central Chippewa Co, from M-129/Meridian Rd on the east westerly to H-63/Mackinac Trail, then northeasterly along H-63/Mackinac Trail to the southbound I-75 off-ramp for Exit 378 is officially established as a state trunkline route and transferred from county to state control. The roadway is then rebuilt to all-weather standards and assigned the M-80 route designation—the third iteration of this route number in the state. The new highway serves as an access route to the Chippewa Co International Airport and Kinross & Chippewa Correctional Facilities, all of which had been previously part of Kincheloe Air Force Base (1941–1944 and 1952–1977). |
| Controlled Access: |
No portion of M-80 is freeway or expressway. |
| NHS: |
No portion of M-80 is on the National Highway System (NHS). |
| Memorial Highway: |
At present, no portion of M-80 has been designated as part of a Memorial Highway. |
| Photographs: |
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| Weblinks: |
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