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M-142 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-142 is a state trunkline highway
in the Thumb region
of the US state of Michigan
. It is a "trans-peninsular" route in that it travels from Bay Port on Saginaw Bay
to Harbor Beach
on Lake Huron
, thereby crossing the thumb peninsula.
. From there, the road travels east to Pigeon
where the route turns briefly south before resuming its eastward trek. The road then continue eastward through Elkton and Colfax before reaching M-53
. M-142 is then routed with M-53 to the town of Bad Axe. M-53 and M-142 part ways when M-53 travels off west and south while M-142 continues on eastward. Shortly after, M-142 meets up with M-19 at its northern terminus just east of Bad Axe. From here, the route continues on east, finally coming to its eastern terminus in Harbor Beach at a junction with M-25, once again.
became designated as M-142. The routing has been signed as such ever since.
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 Thumb region
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
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"....
. It is a "trans-peninsular" route in that it travels from Bay Port on Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay is a bay within Lake Huron located on the eastern side of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms the space between Michigan's Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Saginaw Bay is in area...
to Harbor Beach
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Harbor Beach is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,837 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,587 in 2009.-Geography:...
on Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, thereby crossing the thumb peninsula.
Route description
M-142 begins in Fairhaven, just a few miles south of Bay Port at an intersection with M-25M-25 (Michigan highway)
M-25 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The route follows an arc-like shape closely along the Lake Huron shore of the Thumb in the eastern Lower Peninsula between Port Huron and Bay City. It serves the lakeshore resorts along Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay and generally lies...
. From there, the road travels east to Pigeon
Pigeon, Michigan
Pigeon is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,207 at the 2000 census. The village is within Winsor Township.-Geography:*According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land....
where the route turns briefly south before resuming its eastward trek. The road then continue eastward through Elkton and Colfax before reaching M-53
M-53 (Michigan highway)
M-53 is a gateway route to The Thumb region of the US state of Michigan, carrying vacationers to the many cottages and resorts located on Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron in the vicinity of Caseville and Port Austin. This highway is also used to transport agricultural and manufactured products from the...
. M-142 is then routed with M-53 to the town of Bad Axe. M-53 and M-142 part ways when M-53 travels off west and south while M-142 continues on eastward. Shortly after, M-142 meets up with M-19 at its northern terminus just east of Bad Axe. From here, the route continues on east, finally coming to its eastern terminus in Harbor Beach at a junction with M-25, once again.
History
In 1939, portions of M-83 were returned to local control, which would have resulted in a discontinuous routing. Portions of the route were absorbed into other existing routes. The former routing of M-83 from Bay Port, eastward across the thumb, to Harbor Beach where it met up with US 25U.S. Route 25
U.S. Route 25 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Brunswick, Georgia to the Ohio state line in Covington, Kentucky.-Georgia:...
became designated as M-142. The routing has been signed as such ever since.