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| M-92 is a former state trunkline route existing from August 9, 1920 until November 28, 1962. | |
| Southern Terminus*: | US-12/Chicago Rd two miles west of downtown Clinton |
| Northern Terminus*: | M-36 at cnr Stockbridge Rd & Topping Rd south of the hamlet of White Oak, north of Stockbridge |
| Final Length*: | 36.64 miles |
| Maps: | Route Map of Former M-92 |
| Notes: | *The termini and final length for M-92 reflect the beginning and ending of the route and its length as of the time of its decommissioning in late 1962. |
| M-92 is a state trunkline highway route dating back to the earliest moments of the signed and publicly-recognized trunkline system in 1919. For many years, M-92 existed as a somewhat short route linking Chelsea and Stockbridge, but saw its first extension to the north about a decade later. Following extensions to the south of Chelsea in the 1950s through Manchester to the Clinton area in northern Lenawee Co, the entire route of M-92 was supplanted by a northerly extension if M-52 in 1962. Since being replaced by M-52, no other Michigan state trunkline route has borne the designated M-92. | |
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 the following pair of major changes to the route of M-92 during that timeframe:
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| History: | 1919 (July 1) – When laid out in mid-1919, a state trunkline route designated M-92 running from M-17 south of Chelsea in western Washtenaw Co northwesterly to the western end of the eastern segment of M-49 in Stockbridge is earmarked on maps, but none of the route has been officially established at this point. |
| 1920 (Aug 9) – M-92 is officially established along a 14.35-mile, two-segment route beginning at M-17 (later US-12) approximately ½ mile south of downtown and continuing northerly via Main St for ½ mile to a segment terminus at Van Buren St, then the trunkline route begins again at the New York Central Railroad crossing on Main St (immediately north of Jackson St) in downtown Chelsea and continues 13.85 miles northerly along Main St, westerly along Sibley Rd, northerly via Werkner Rd, then northwesterly along present-day M-52 for through the northeasternmost corner of Jackson Co, to a northern terminus along Clinton St halfway between Elm St and Vernal St. The signed route of M-92, however, also includes the ½ mile of Main St through downtown Chelsea and in Stockbridge along the 2½ blocks from halfway between Elm St and Vernal St to M-49/Main St downtown. | |
| 1930 (Dec 2) – A 1.8-mile southerly extension of M-92 is officially assumed into the state trunkline highway system running along Chelsea–Manchester Rd from the existing southern terminus of M-92 at US-12 to an intersection with a proposed realignment of US-12 running due westerly from Ann Arbor (at the cnr of present-day Jerusalem Rd). This 1.8-mile extension is not signed at this point and would not be until the proposed US-12 realignment is completed. | |
| 1930 (Dec 8) – Along with many other locations around the state, M-92 is caught up in an effort to "simplify the routes" of various state trunkline highways, becoming just one of many highways to have new alignments established on this date. However, in most of the cases the new "simplified" routes never pan out and are involved in a mass-cancellation a half decade later.
In this case, M-92 from the Sylvan/Lyndon Twp line northwest of Chelsea northwesterly to its terminus at M-49 in Stockbridge is cancelled and turned back to local control, although it remains "marked and maintained" as a state trunkline route with its M-92 markers remaining. Replacing the newly-cancelled route, a new trunkline route is established beginning where M-92 meets the Sylvan/Lyndon Twp line and continues due northerly via the section line between Sec. 35 & 36 along a mixture of unconstructed segments and existing roadway (including Mester Rd north of Waterloo Rd) until it meets Hadley Rd where it turns northwesterly via Hadley Rd into Livingston Co, continuing along Unadilla Rd through Unadilla to Doyle Rd. From there, Future M-92 route runs northerly over an unbuilt alignment to M-49 (present-day M-36) east of Gregory, then continuing generally along Arnold Rd to ¼ mie south of Spears Rd where it meets Future M-49, another yet-to-be-built trunkline route coming from the southeast. Sources aren't clear if M-92, as officially established, terminates here at Future M-49 or continues northwesterly back to the existing signed route of M-92 in Ingham Co. If the latter is the case, Future M-92 then turns northwesterly with Future M-49 to continue via an unbuilt route to Plainfield Rd (present-day M-36) approximately 1/3 mile northwest of Gregory Rd, then continues along Plainfield Rd through Plainfield and thence via Topping Rd into Ingham Co to Brogan Rd. There, Future M-49/M-92 continues northwesterly along an unbuilt route to the hamlet of White Oak at the cnr of Stockbridge Rd (present-day M-36/M-52) & Carter Rd. At the time of the designation of this future routing, thephysically-signed route of M-92 between Chelsea and Stockbridge remains unchanged. At Stockbridge, however, M-92 is extended along what had been part of the established route of M-49 westerly from downtown along Main St, then northerly on Stockbridge Rd to a pair of termini: the signed route ends at the signed route of M-49 at the cnr of Stockbridge Rd & Topping Rd while M-49 turns northerly via Stockbridge Rd; the established route of M-92, however, continued (unsigned) along Stockbridge Rd for an additional mile to an official terminus at Future M-49 in White Oak at Carter Rd. |
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| 1931 (Feb 4–8) – State Highway Dept work crews spend the first week of February changing out M-49 route markers along the Whitmore Lake–Pinckney–Gregory–Plainfield–Dansville–Mason route for M-36 route markers. With a new trunkline in western Hillsdale Co receiving the M-49 designation, a new one was needed for the previous route and M-36 was chosen. No changes to the route of M-92 occur, other than the northern signed terminus is now at M-36 instead of M-49 at the same location, while the officially-established northern terminus is at Future M-36 instead of Future M-49 in White Oak. The proposed alignment of Future M-49/Future M-92 becomes Future M-36/Future M-92 as well. | |
| 1931 (June 14) – 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 five-block (0.3 mile) portion of M-92 traveling via Main St in Chelsea from Van Buren St to the New York Central Railroad crossing along a formerly city-controlled street is assumed into the state trunkline system. | |
| 1935 (Oct 22) – Along with many miles of other established-but-never-constructed (or improved) alignments brought into the state trunkline system in 1930, the portion of Future M-92 from existing M-92 at the Lyndon/Sylvan Twp line north of Chelsea northerly through Unadilla to Future M-36 northeast of Gregory is cancelled as a state trunkline highway route. The unconstructed portions remain unbuilt, while the portions running over existing public roads—which were never improved to trunkline standards or maintained as such—are transferred back to local control. The existing temporary "marked and maintained" route of M-92 from north of Chelsea northwesterly into Stockbridge is re-assumed into the trunkline system instead, effectively reversing the cancellation from December 1930. The remainder of M-92 from downtown Stockbridge northerly to M-36 at White Oak continues to follow the Stockbridge Rd alignment from 1930. To the motoring public, no changes take place in the signed route in the field. | |
| 1940 (Nov 12) – The new alignment for US-12 proposed in late 1930 to run due westerly from Ann Arbor, passing south of Chelsea was cancelled in early 1935 without ever having been constructed, however the 1.8-mile extension of M-92 southerly from existing US-12 at Chelea to the proposed-but-never-built US-12 remains as an officially established trunkline route, albeit unsigned. On July 13, 1939, the State Highway Dept determines another US-12 realignment south of Chelsea, this time running along the section line one mile north of the 1930 establishment, however for approximately a year and a half, the official M-92 establishment continues southerly along Chelsea–Manchester Rd an additional mile to Jersualem Rd. Then on this date (Nov 12, 1940), the 1.0 mile of officially-established (yet unsigned) M-92 from the new US-12 bypass of Chelsea to Jersualem Rd is finally cancelled and turned back to county control. | |
| 1954 (June 1) – A southerly extension of M-92 from US-12 at Chelsea through Manchester to US-112 (present-day US-12) west of Clinton is officially established following a 16.6-mile route that, interestingly, differs from the signed route from Manchester southerly. From US-12 at Chelsea, M-92 now continues southerly along Chelsea–Manchester Rd, the first mile of which had actually been established as part of an M-92 extension between 1930 and 1940 that never came to be. M-92 enters the village of Manchester via Ann Arbor St, but in downtown Manchester the officially-established and signed routes of M-92 diverge. The route officially assumed into the state trunkline system, albeit not signed as M-92, turns westerly along Main St—which for the previous 25 years had been part of M-11, which is cancelled as a trunkline route on the same day as M-92 is extended through Manchester—for one block across the River Raisin, then southeasterly via Adrian St for 0.3 mile to Territorial Rd, then continuing southeasterly along Adrian St and Logan Rd for 2.0 miles to Sheridan Rd, then southerly via Sheridan Rd for 3.7 miles, terminating at US-112 west of Clinton. The signed route, however, continues along the present-day route of M-52 for three blocks along Riverside Dr, then easterly along City Rd and Austin Rd for 2.5 miles to Clinton Rd, then southerly following Clinton Rd for 5.4 miles to a terminus at jct US-112 & M-52 (cnr Jackson St, Tecumseh St & Michigan Ave) in downtown Clinton. (The Riverside Dr and City Rd portion of the "marked and maintained" M-92 route is, ironically, cancelled as a state trunkline route the same day as M-92 is routed through Manchester. Riverside and City had formerly been part of the M-11 route which is cancelled on this date.) It can be assumed the State Highway Dept chose to have the M-92 extension follow a "marked and maintained" route between Manchester and Clinton to utilize an all-paved route to Clinton, since most of the Logan/Sheridan alignment officially established as the route of M-92 is still gravel surfaced. |
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| 1958 (Sept 16) – The 6.1 miles of M-92 from Sibley Rd on the north side of Chelsea in northwestern Washtenaw Co northwesterly to Roepke Rd is cancelled as a state trunkline highway route, immediately replaced by a newly-established route which roughly runs along the pre-existing alignment of M-92, with a few exceptions where the highway is straightened out and upgraded to current state trunkline standards. In most places where the former alignment is not subsumed under the new alignment, the old roadway is obliterated with the exception of the segment along Sibley Rd from Main St in Chelsea westerly to Werkner Rd, then northerly along Werkner Rd back to existing M-92 is turned back to county control. | |
| 1958 (Oct 8) – After only a little more than four years as the official route of M-92 between Manchester and US-112 west of Clinton, the officially-established (but unsigned) portion of the route from between downtown Manchester and US-112 is cancelled as a state trunkline route and turned back to municipal and county control. A newly-constructed, limited access (two-lane expressway with access only at certain crossroads) alignment is completed and officially assumed as a state trunkline alignment for M-92 departing City Rd on the eastern limits of Manchester and continuing southerly to US-112 west of Clinton, paralleling Sheridan Rd approximately 1/3 mile to the west. The remainder of the "marked and maintained" (signed) portion of M-92 from the east limits of Manchester easterly and southerly into Clinton has the M-92 route markers removed and maintenance reverts to the county. Whether due to being overlooked or for other reasons, the 1.0-mile segment of M-92 along Riverside Dr and City Rd is not a part of the official establishment and only remains a "marked and maintained" route, technically under village jurisdiction but maintained by the State Highway Dept and signed as M-92. | |
| 1961 (July 11) – The 1.0-mile portion of M-92 along Riverside Dr and City Rd in Manchester which has been signed as part of M-92 since 1954 but never established as an official trunkline routing is officially added to the highway system. All of what is now signed as M-92 between White Oak in eastern Ingham Co and US-112 near Clinton in Lenawee Co is now officially established as state trunkline as well, for the first time since the 1954 southerly extension. | |
| 1962 (Nov 28) – A southerly extension of the new limited access (two-lane expressway with access only at certain crossroads) alignment of M-92 from US-12 (newly redesignated from US-112) west of Clinton to jct M-50 & M-52 west of Tecumseh is completed and assumed into the trunkline system, but as an extension of M-52 instead of M-92. As M-52 and M-92 meet each other at a common terminus at US-12 west of Clinton, the State Highway Dept decides to retire the M-92 designation from there to M-36 at White Oak in eastern Ingham Co and instead runs M-52 northerly through Manchester, Chelsea and Stockbridge, supplanting the route of M-92. Thus the first—and, to date, only—iteration of M-92 comes to a close. | |
| Controlled Access: | No portion of M-92 upon decommissioning existed as freeway. |
| The portion of M-92 from City Rd on the eastern limits of Manchester in southwestern Washtenaw Co southerly to US-12 west of Clinton (completed 1958) existed as expressway upon the decommissioning of M-92. | |
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