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M-247 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-247 is a north–south state trunkline highway
in the US state of Michigan
, connecting M-13
to the Bay City Recreation Area
, entirely within Bangor Township
. As a state trunkline, M-247 runs north from M-13 before turning to access the park, a distance of 3.036 miles (4.9 km). The highway carries just over 6,000 vehicles a day on average. The roadway has been part of the state trunkline highway system since the 1920s, and from 1961 until 1998, it was the highest non-Interstate
highway in the state. Before it was given the M-247 designation, the roadway has been a part of M-111 and M-47
.
. When it meets Beaver Road, M-247 turns east leading directly into the state park and ends at its entrance. The entire roadway passes through suburban Bay City near the Saginaw Bay
. None of the highway is listed on the National Highway System
, a system of regionally important highways.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) measures the traffic volumes on its highways using a calculation called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This value is an expression of the number of vehicles that use a section of roadway on any average day of the year. When the department surveyed M-247 in 2009, the southernmost section near M-13 carried 6,135 vehicles; the remainder carried 6,224 vehicles. As a subset of these figures, 190 commercial vehicles used the trunkline on average. This was an overall increase from 2008 when the sections carried 5,031 and 5,573 vehicles respectively, but a decrease from the 214 commercial vehicles.
. In early 1961, the roadway changed numbers once more. This time M-47 was realigned to a former section of US Highway 10
(US 10), and the connection to the state park was assigned the M-247 designation. This was the highest highway number in the state, excluding Interstates, until the 1998 designation of M-553
in the Upper Peninsula
.
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 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"....
, connecting M-13
M-13 (Michigan highway)
M-13 is a north–south state trunkline highway that runs through the Saginaw Bay region of the US state of Michigan. It runs from Interstate 69 south of Lennon to US Highway 23 near Standish. The southern section of the trunkline runs long a pair of county lines in a rural area dominated by farm...
to the Bay City Recreation Area
Bay City Recreation Area
Bay City Recreation Area or Bay City State Recreation Area is a state park located near Bay City, Michigan in Bay County, Michigan, on the shore of Saginaw Bay. The Tobico Marsh, one of the largest remaining freshwater, coastal wetlands on the Great Lakes is located in the park...
, entirely within Bangor Township
Bangor Township, Bay County, Michigan
Bangor Charter Township is a charter township of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township's population was 15,547 as of the 2000 census and is included in the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. As a state trunkline, M-247 runs north from M-13 before turning to access the park, a distance of 3.036 miles (4.9 km). The highway carries just over 6,000 vehicles a day on average. The roadway has been part of the state trunkline highway system since the 1920s, and from 1961 until 1998, it was the highest non-Interstate
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
highway in the state. Before it was given the M-247 designation, the roadway has been a part of M-111 and M-47
M-47 (Michigan highway)
M-47 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs near Saginaw and Midland in the Tri-Cities area of the Lower Peninsula. The highway runs through suburban and agricultural areas to connect the two cities with the airport in the area. The northernmost section of...
.
Route description
Starting at its southern terminus at M-13, M-247 follows Euclid Avenue north about 2.7 miles (4.3 km), crossing the Kawkawlin RiverKawkawlin River
The Kawkawlin River is a stream in the U.S. state of Michigan that flows into Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron at , approximately west of the mouth of the Saginaw River....
. When it meets Beaver Road, M-247 turns east leading directly into the state park and ends at its entrance. The entire roadway passes through suburban Bay City near the 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...
. None of the highway is 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 system of regionally important highways.
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) measures the traffic volumes on its highways using a calculation called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This value is an expression of the number of vehicles that use a section of roadway on any average day of the year. When the department surveyed M-247 in 2009, the southernmost section near M-13 carried 6,135 vehicles; the remainder carried 6,224 vehicles. As a subset of these figures, 190 commercial vehicles used the trunkline on average. This was an overall increase from 2008 when the sections carried 5,031 and 5,573 vehicles respectively, but a decrease from the 214 commercial vehicles.
History
By 1929, the first highway designation along the current M-247 was assigned. That first number was M-111, which lasted until 1937 when all of M-111 became part of M-47M-47 (Michigan highway)
M-47 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs near Saginaw and Midland in the Tri-Cities area of the Lower Peninsula. The highway runs through suburban and agricultural areas to connect the two cities with the airport in the area. The northernmost section of...
. In early 1961, the roadway changed numbers once more. This time M-47 was realigned to a former section of US Highway 10
U.S. Route 10 in Michigan
US Highway 10 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from West Fargo, North Dakota, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway enters the state on the SS Badger crossing Lake Michigan at Ludington and ends at Bay City.US 10 was created as part of...
(US 10), and the connection to the state park was assigned the M-247 designation. This was the highest highway number in the state, excluding Interstates, until the 1998 designation of M-553
M-553 (Michigan highway)
M-553 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The trunkline was originally Marquette County Road 553. It is the main highway connection between the US 41/M-28 corridor and both the Sawyer International Airport and Gwinn.M-553 was given its...
in the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
.