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| M-87 is a former state trunkline route existing from December 4, 1916 until November 1, 1960. | |
| Western Terminus: | US-23 at the northern jct with BUS US-23 at Fenton (Silver Lake Rd interchange) |
| Eastern Terminus1: | US-10/Dixie Hwy at cnr E Holly Rd & Dixie Hwy east-southeast of Holly and northwest of Clarkston |
| Eastern Terminus2: | Along Grange Hall Rd at the Holly/Groveland Twp line northeast of Holly, approximately 1 mile west of US-10/Dixie Hwy |
| Final Length: | 13.2 miles1 and 8.7 miles2 |
| Maps: | Route Map of Former M-87 |
| Notes: | The M-87 highway designation has only been applied to one route over the history of the Michigan state trunkline system, essentially running within the same corridor for its entire existence with minimal changes until the very end of its existence. M-87 largely served as a connection between the Village of Holly in northwestern Oakland Co and nearby trunkline routes US-10 along Dixie Hwy to the east and US-23 running between Ann Arbor and Flint to the west. While the Michigan State Highway Dept seemed to initially make changes to the route to accommodate the coming of freeways at either end of the route, M-87 was, instead, cancelled as a state trunkline route in late 1960 and turned back to local control. Since then, M-87 has not been re-used as a state trunkline route designation. |
| 1, 2 The two different eastern termini for M-87 as well as the two "final lengths" for the highway are due to an odd occurrence where an eastern rerouting for M-87 was in progress when the entire route was cancelled as a state trunkline highway route. As noted in the "History" section below, approximately 14 months prior to the decommissioning of M-87, a 3.3-mile long section of Grange Hall Rd from the north side of Holly easterly to the future interchange with I-75/US-10 was transferred to state control and earmarked to become the new routing for M-87 once the freeway was opened to traffic in late 1962. It is not yet clear what prompted the Michigan State Highway Dept to seemingly suddenly reverse itself and, instead, cancel all of M-87, however the two eastern termini and two lengths for this route reflect both the existing, signed route at the time it was decommissioned (terminus1 and length1) and that of the eastern rerouting already in progress (terminus2 and length2). | |
| 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 recommended one major change to the route of M-87 during that timeframe: get rid of it. The planners' sole suggestion was to completely transfer the entire route of M-87 to local control. Within months M-87 was decommissioned and this recommendation by the state highway planning staff came to fruition. | |
| History: | 1913 (July 30) – A new state trunkline highway route in Oakland Co, totalling 22.6 miles in length, is officially established beginning at the north city limit of Pontiac and continuing northwesterly via Dixie Hwy to the hamlet of Springfield where it continues westerly along Davisburg Rd for ¾ mile, then northwesterly on Bigelow Rd for 2.2 miles (the portion of Bigelow Rd from Rattalee Lake Rd to East Holly Rd through Heather Highlands Golf Club no longer exists), then west-northwesterly via East Holly Rd for 4½ miles to East St on the east village limit of Holly. A second segment begins on the north limits of Holly proceeding northerly along North Holly Rd for ¼ mile, then westerly via Grange Hall Rd for 3.1 miles to the Oakland/Genesee Co line and the east city limit of Fenton. Noting that route numbers would not be posted in the field for another five years and internal route designations evolved a bit in the first years of the state trunkline system, this segment would become T.L. 10 (Trunk Line 10). |
| 1916 (Dec 4) – A new state trunkline route is established along Saginaw Rd in Genesee Co from the Oakland Co line northwesterly through Grand Blanc toward Flint, designated as part of T.L. 10. While it would not officially be established for almost nine more years, the segment of Dixie Hwy in Oakland Co from the hamlet of Springfield east of Davisburg northwesterly to the Genesee Co line is earmarked to become part of T.L. 10 in the future. With this change, the segment of T.L. 10 from Springfield northwesterly through Holly to Fenton is given the designation of T.L. 87, if not at this time, then within the next three years prior to being posted in the field. | |
| 1919 (July 1) – T.L. 87 is signed in the field as M-87 as all state trunkline highways in Michigan are signed with route markers. At this point, M-87 is likely also signed along E Maple St and N Saginaw St in Holly and along Main St in Fenton, although those segments are still municipally-controlled streets. | |
| 1919 (Oct 6) – The portion of M-87 within the village of Holly along E Maple St (from Saignaw St easterly) and N Saginaw St (from Maple St northerly) is officially established as state trunkline highway and transferred from village to state control. | |
| 1921 (Jan 5) – The 0.9-mile portion of Main St in Fenton from the east city limit (the Genesee/Oakland Co line) westerly to M-65 (later US-23) at N Leroy St is transferred to state control, although it has likely been signed as part of M-87 for a few years. | |
| 1936 (Feb 20) – The 1.5 mile portion of East Holly Rd from Bigelow Rd US-10/Dixie Hwy in Oakland Co southeast of Holly is officially established as a state trunkline highway and designated as part of M-87. The former route of M-87 along Bigelow Rd from East Holly Rd to Davisburg Rd and along Davisburg from Bigelow easterly to US-10/Dixie Hwy is cancelled as a trunkline route turned back to county control. This effectively shortens the route of M-87 by 1.4 miles. | |
| 1959 (Sept 16) – With the coming of the freeway system, the route of M-87 is extended on one end and is being prepared to be rerouted and shortened on the other. On the same day the US-23 freeway through Genesee Co is officially established as a state trunkline highway route, Silver Lake Rd from the new freeway (at present-day Exit 79) easterly into downtown Fenton to the existing route of US-23 along Leroy St is established as a state trunkline route. This is done primarily for the new BUS US-23 routing through downtown Fenton, but MSHD sources also show M-87 as being designated along this new 1.3 mile long segment as well—although it is unclear if M-87 signs were erected along Silver Lake Rd in the field. On the eastern end, the 3.3 miles of Grange Hall Rd in Oakland Co from North Holly Rd at Holly easterly to the Holly/Groveland Twp line is transferred to state control and established as a state trunkline highway route, although it remains unsigned at this point. The eastern end of this trunkline segment is chosen as it is the location of the proposed Grange Hall Rd interchange on the I-75/US-10 freeway on which construction is commencing. It is assumed this segment would be fully signed as M-87 and the former route through downtown Holly and southeasterly via East Holly Rd would be turned back to local control when the new freeway is completed three years from this point. |
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| 1960 (Nov 1) – With the exception of the portion of the route along BUS US-23/Silver Lake Rd from US-23 to Leroy St in Fenton (if it is, indeed, concurrently signed on that stretch), the entire route of M-87 is cancelled as a state trunkline and turned back to county and municipal control. This action comes just 14 months after M-87 was extended westerly to meet the new US-23 freeway at Fenton and a 3.3-mile section of Grange Hall Rd northeast of Holly is transferred to state control to facilitate a new connection between M-87 and the I-75/US-10 freeway, now under construction. Additionally, that 3.3-mile portion of Grange Hall Rd—not yet even signed as part of M-87—is also handed back to county control with the rest of the signed M-87. The first and only iteration of M-87 in Michigan now comes to an end. | |
| Controlled Access: | At the end of its existence, no portion of M-87 is freeway or expressway. |
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