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M-115 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-115 is a state trunkline highway
in the northwestern part
of the Lower Peninsula
of the US state of Michigan
. The highway takes a generally southeast-to-northwest direction between Clare
and Frankfort
on Lake Michigan
. The southeastern end in downtown Clare is at an intersection with Business US Highway 127 (BUS US 127) and BUS US 10; the northwestern end is at M-22
next to Betsie Lake. In between, the trunkline runs 96.432 miles (155.2 km) through woodlands, including areas that are a part of either the Manistee National Forest or the Pere Marquette State Forest
. The highway also passes agricultural areas, several lakes in the region and a state park near Cadillac
.
M-115 was first designated in the 1920s on the northern end near Frankfort. Additional, disconnected sections were designed as part of the trunkline in the 1930s near Cadillac, Farwell
and Mesick
. All but one of these gaps (Cadillac–Mesick) was eliminated by the end of that decade. The remaining segment was built in the 1950s to unite M-115 into a single highway. The last change came in 1989 when the highway was extending into Clare to its current southern terminus.
near its crossing of the Muskegon River
. There are intersections with both M-66
and M-61
south of Marion
near rural farms. The roadway subsequently crosses into southern Wexford County
. Near Stone Lake south of Cadillac, M-115 meets US 131
and M-55
. M-55 leaves the US 131 freeway and joins M-115, and the two run concurrently
along the western end of Lake Cadillac
. They separate near Lake Mitchell, and M-115 turns northwesterly between the two lakes passing Mitchell State Park
and the eastern shore of the latter lake.
Past the Cadillac area, M-115 runs through the northeastern corner of the Manistee National Forest. The highway continues through woodlands, passing several small lakes in the area as it approaches the community of Mesick. There it turns due west and joins M-37
through town. The two highways form a wrong way concurrency; M-115 is signed northbound while M-37 is signed southbound and vice versa while physically running east–west. After M-55 separates to the south, M-115 crosses the Manistee River
and continues its northwestern course. The highway crosses the northeastern corner of Manistee County
and runs through the community of Copemish
on the way to Benzonia
. The landscape here turns more agricultural as the highway skirts southwest of Thompsonville
crossing the Betsie River
.
After the river crossing, the highway enters Benzie County
and runs through the Pere Marquette State Forest. South of Benzonia
, M-115 runs concurrently with US 31
into town. The highways separate in the center of town where M-115 turns westward to run along the south shore of Crystal Lake
past Frankfort Dow Memorial Field
, the local airport near Frankfort. M-115 follows Forest Avenue, and the highway designation ends at the intersection in town with M-22 near Betsie Lake.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) maintains M-115 like all other trunkline highways in the state under its jurisdiction. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks traffic volumes along its roadways until a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This number is a calculation of the traffic level along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. In 2009, MDOT determined that the highest traffic levels along M-115 were the 12,079 vehicles daily along the section of highway near lakes Mitchell and Cadillac. The lowest AADT was the 2,236 vehicles near Copemich. The trunkline between the US&nbps;10 and M-37 junctions has been listed on the National Highway System
. a network of roads important to the country's defense, economy and mobility.
In 1953, a county road is built along the path of the future M-115 between Mesick and Cadillac. This road was designated as a state highway by 1957, with a connection along Boon Road north of Cadillac and a concurrency along US 131 to close the gap in 1957. The Boon Road segment was removed the next year when the routing near Lake Mitchell opened. The southern end of M-115 was truncated slightly when the US 10 freeway bypass of Clare was opened in 1975. M-115 has since been rerouted in 1989 along the two-lane Old US 10 from Clare through Farwell to its original southeastern starting point near the US 10 overpass and continuing northwesterly.
Michigan Highway System
The Michigan State Trunkline Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstates, U.S. Highways and State Highways in the US state of Michigan. The system is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation and comprises of trunklines in all 83 counties of Michigan on...
in the northwestern part
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
of the Lower Peninsula
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
of the US state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The highway takes a generally southeast-to-northwest direction between Clare
Clare, Michigan
Clare is a city in Clare and Isabella counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located primarily in Clare County, the city had a population of 3,173 at the 2000 census....
and Frankfort
Frankfort, Michigan
Frankfort is a city in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,513 at the 2000 census. The elevation of Frankfort is above sea level. The city is situated with Lake Michigan to the west, Lake Betsie, formed by the Betsie River before flowing into Lake Michigan, on the...
on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. The southeastern end in downtown Clare is at an intersection with Business US Highway 127 (BUS US 127) and BUS US 10; the northwestern end is at M-22
M-22 (Michigan highway)
M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is long and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore...
next to Betsie Lake. In between, the trunkline runs 96.432 miles (155.2 km) through woodlands, including areas that are a part of either the Manistee National Forest or the Pere Marquette State Forest
Pere Marquette State Forest
The Pere Marquette State Forest encompasses lands in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, on the western side of the state. Counties within the Pere Marquette are: Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Oceana, Newaygo and Mecosta.There are...
. The highway also passes agricultural areas, several lakes in the region and a state park near Cadillac
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...
.
M-115 was first designated in the 1920s on the northern end near Frankfort. Additional, disconnected sections were designed as part of the trunkline in the 1930s near Cadillac, Farwell
Farwell, Michigan
Farwell is a village in Clare County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 855 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
and Mesick
Mesick, Michigan
Mesick is a village in Springville Township, Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 447 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
. All but one of these gaps (Cadillac–Mesick) was eliminated by the end of that decade. The remaining segment was built in the 1950s to unite M-115 into a single highway. The last change came in 1989 when the highway was extending into Clare to its current southern terminus.
Route description
M-115 starts in downtown Clare at a four-way intersection with the two business loops, BUS US 127 and BUS US 10, in town. From this junction, M-115 runs west following the former routing of US 10 along Ludington Drive to Farwell. In the middle of town, M-115 turns northwesterly to meet the end of the US 10 freeway near Surrey Lake. The highway continues northwest through forest lands and lake country. The trunkline passes into northern Osceola CountyOsceola County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,197 people, 8,861 households, and 6,415 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile . There were 12,853 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
near its crossing of the Muskegon River
Muskegon River
The Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river has its headwaters in Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. From there it flows mostly southwest to Muskegon, Michigan,...
. There are intersections with both M-66
M-66 (Michigan highway)
M-66 is a north–south state trunkline highway on the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Indiana state line in the south to Charlevoix in the north. M-66 is the only state highway to traverse almost the entire north–south distance of the LP. It starts as a...
and M-61
M-61 (Michigan highway)
M-61 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs between Marion and Standish. The highway runs along the boundary area between Northern Michigan and Central Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. M-61 runs through rural forestland connecting several smaller communities together as...
south of Marion
Marion, Michigan
Marion is a village in Osceola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 836 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Marion Township.-Geography:...
near rural farms. The roadway subsequently crosses into southern Wexford County
Wexford County, Michigan
-Tourism:There are many attractions and hot spots in Wexford county to check out. The Manistee National Forest is a great recreation site. The Manistee River is great for fisherman, kayakers and canoers, and other outdoor lovers.-Demographics:...
. Near Stone Lake south of Cadillac, M-115 meets US 131
U.S. Route 131
US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...
and M-55
M-55 (Michigan highway)
M-55 is a state trunkline highway in the northern part of the US state of Michigan. M-55 is one of only three state highways that extend across the Lower Peninsula from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan; the others are M-46 and M-72. The highway crosses through rural forest and farmlands to connect...
. M-55 leaves the US 131 freeway and joins M-115, and the two run concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
along the western end of Lake Cadillac
Lake Cadillac
Lake Cadillac is a lake located within the city of Cadillac, Michigan. It is part of the Muskegon River watershed.-Natural features:Lake Cadillac is fed by two inlets: a small river flowing from Lake Mitchell and a short canal of the same origin. There is one outlet, the Clam River.In 2005,...
. They separate near Lake Mitchell, and M-115 turns northwesterly between the two lakes passing Mitchell State Park
Mitchell State Park
William Mitchell State Park is a state park in Cadillac, Michigan. The park is one of the more popular camping destinations in northern lower Michigan. It is located between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac. A historic canal, approximately one third of a mile in length, connects the two lakes and...
and the eastern shore of the latter lake.
Past the Cadillac area, M-115 runs through the northeastern corner of the Manistee National Forest. The highway continues through woodlands, passing several small lakes in the area as it approaches the community of Mesick. There it turns due west and joins M-37
M-37 (Michigan highway)
M-37 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is near the border between Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties at exit 92 of Interstate 94 southwest of Battle Creek. The northern terminus is at the Mission Point Light on Old Mission Point in Grand...
through town. The two highways form a wrong way concurrency; M-115 is signed northbound while M-37 is signed southbound and vice versa while physically running east–west. After M-55 separates to the south, M-115 crosses the Manistee River
Manistee River
The Manistee River in the U.S. state of Michigan, runs approximately 232 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the villages of Sharon, Smithville, Mesick, and enters Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east...
and continues its northwestern course. The highway crosses the northeastern corner of Manistee County
Manistee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 24,527 people, 9,860 households, and 6,714 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 14,272 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
and runs through the community of Copemish
Copemish, Michigan
Copemish is a village in Manistee County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 232. The village is within Cleon Township.-Geography:...
on the way to Benzonia
Benzonia, Michigan
Benzonia is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 519 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Benzonia Township at the southeast end of Crystal Lake on U.S...
. The landscape here turns more agricultural as the highway skirts southwest of Thompsonville
Thompsonville, Michigan
Thompsonville is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 457 at the 2000 census. The village is located in the south of the county on the boundary between Weldon Township and Colfax Township.-Geography:...
crossing the Betsie River
Betsie River
The Betsie River is a stream in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Michigan. The name is derived from the French Riviere Aux Bec Scies, meaning river of sawbill ducks . Other alternate names include Aug-sig-o-sebe, Aux Buscies, Betsey's River, Black Robe, Gay-she-say-ing, Riviere du Pere...
.
After the river crossing, the highway enters Benzie County
Benzie County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 15,998 people, 6,500 households, and 4,595 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 10,312 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
and runs through the Pere Marquette State Forest. South of Benzonia
Benzonia, Michigan
Benzonia is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 519 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Benzonia Township at the southeast end of Crystal Lake on U.S...
, M-115 runs concurrently with US 31
U.S. Route 31 in Michigan
US Highway 31 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Alabama, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs from the Indiana–Michigan state line at Bertrand Township to its terminus at Interstate 75 south...
into town. The highways separate in the center of town where M-115 turns westward to run along the south shore of Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake (Michigan)
Crystal Lake, the largest lake of this name in Michigan, is located near Lake Michigan in Benzie County about 25 miles southwest of Traverse City and about 2 miles northeast of Frankfort at . It measures approximately 2.5 by 8 miles , and has a maximum depth of 165 feet . At , it is Michigan's...
past Frankfort Dow Memorial Field
Frankfort Dow Memorial Field
Frankfort Dow Memorial Field is a public use airport located two nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Frankfort, a city in Benzie County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by the Frankfort City-County Airport Authority...
, the local airport near Frankfort. M-115 follows Forest Avenue, and the highway designation ends at the intersection in town with M-22 near Betsie Lake.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan Department of Transportation
The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...
(MDOT) maintains M-115 like all other trunkline highways in the state under its jurisdiction. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks traffic volumes along its roadways until a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This number is a calculation of the traffic level along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. In 2009, MDOT determined that the highest traffic levels along M-115 were the 12,079 vehicles daily along the section of highway near lakes Mitchell and Cadillac. The lowest AADT was the 2,236 vehicles near Copemich. The trunkline between the US&nbps;10 and M-37 junctions has been listed on the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...
. a network of roads important to the country's defense, economy and mobility.
History
In 1929, the first stretch of M-115 was designated from Benzonia to Frankfort. Beginning in the mid 1930s, construction of M-115 began from central to northwestern Lower Michigan. In 1936, an earthen highway was opened between the south side of Cadillac to M-66, with additional sections west of Mesick and northwest of US 10. By the end of the year, the state was paving the earthen section, completed a gravel highway near Mesick and opened an earthen section in Clare County. The section northwest of Mesick to Copemish was opened as an earthen highway the next year. Construction started in early 1938 to connect Benzonia to Copemish, and before the year was out, the Michigan State Highway Department started work to fill in the gap between M-66 and the highway north of US 10 in Clare County. These two sections were completed as earth-graded highway in 1939. Both discontinuous sections were fully paved by 1945.In 1953, a county road is built along the path of the future M-115 between Mesick and Cadillac. This road was designated as a state highway by 1957, with a connection along Boon Road north of Cadillac and a concurrency along US 131 to close the gap in 1957. The Boon Road segment was removed the next year when the routing near Lake Mitchell opened. The southern end of M-115 was truncated slightly when the US 10 freeway bypass of Clare was opened in 1975. M-115 has since been rerouted in 1989 along the two-lane Old US 10 from Clare through Farwell to its original southeastern starting point near the US 10 overpass and continuing northwesterly.