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M-27 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-27 is a north–south state trunkline highway
in the extreme north of the Lower Peninsula
of the US state of Michigan
. The route runs between Interstate 75
(I-75) just north of Indian River
and Cheboygan
, where it meets US Highway 23
(US 23) near Lake Huron
. It remains as a relic of the old US 27 which disappeared north of Grayling
after being supplanted by I-75, which lies close to old US 27 between Grayling and Indian River.
. M-27 runs along the western shore of Mullett Lake
and forms the main street of Topinabee. The highway intersects M-33
near the confluence
of the Cheboygan
and Black
rivers. North of the M-33 junction, M-27 runs parallel to the Cheboygan River on the west river bank into downtown Cheboygan.
M-27 has the local road name of "Main Street" in Cheboygan and "Straits Highway" outside the of the city. State Street (US 23) and Main Street (M-27) form the two major streets in the Cheboygan street grid. The main downtown businesses are located along Main Street south to the city limits. The highway has not been listed on the National Highway System
, a network of roads important to the country's defense, economy and mobility.
, running from the Mount Clemens area east and north through New Baltimore to Port Huron. There it ran through Carsonville and Minden City to Harbor Beach and along Lake Huron to Port Austin. This version of M-27 was designated by July 1, 1919, and would last until 1926. All of the original M-27 was given to other contemporary highways including M-29
(Mount Clemens to Port Huron), M-51
(Port Huron to M-83), and M-29 (Harbor Beach to Port Austin).
, Gaylord
, and Cheboygan. After the construction of the Mackinac Bridge
, US 27 was extended north to St. Ignace
. The construction of I-75 in the early 1960s obsoleted the northern portion of US 27. Between Grayling
and Indian River, I-75 replaced US 27 as the main highway in the area. North of Indian River, I-75 was built along a different routing. Where US 27 ran northwest through Topinabee to Cheboygan and then concurrently
along US 23 to Mackinaw City, I-75 was built due north of Indian River before turning northwest parallel and several miles inland from Lake Huron
, bypassing Cheboygan completely. M-27 was designated in the latter half of 1961 on the current alignment replacing US 27 which was truncated back to Grayling. Today, the streach from Grayling to about Wolverine is known as Old 27, and from there to Indian River, it is called Straits Highway.
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 extreme north 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 route runs between Interstate 75
Interstate 75 in Michigan
Interstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Miami, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 enters the state from Ohio in the south, just to the north of Toledo. It runs generally north through Detroit, Pontiac and Bay City, crossing the...
(I-75) just north of Indian River
Indian River, Michigan
Indian River is an unincorporated community in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and is not legally recognized as a municipality. The population was 2,008 at the 2000 census....
and Cheboygan
Cheboygan, Michigan
Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....
, where it meets US Highway 23
U.S. Route 23 in Michigan
US Highway 23 is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from Jacksonville, Florida to Mackinaw City, Michigan. In the US state of Michigan, it is a major north–south state trunkline highway that runs through the Lower Peninsula...
(US 23) near 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...
. It remains as a relic of the old US 27 which disappeared north of Grayling
Grayling, Michigan
Grayling is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Crawford County. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. Grayling takes its name from the Grayling fish that was once prevalent in its lakes and streams....
after being supplanted by I-75, which lies close to old US 27 between Grayling and Indian River.
Route description
I-75 takes a more direct route between Indian River and Mackinaw City. M-27 follows old US 27 through Topinabee and Cheboygan. With US 23 it is a scenic, if indirect, alternative to I-75 on its approach to the Mackinac BridgeMackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
. M-27 runs along the western shore of Mullett Lake
Mullett Lake
Mullett Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is named after John Mullett, who, together with William A. Burt, made a federal survey of the area from 1840 to 1843. A neighboring lake was named after Burt. Historically, Mullett Lake has been recorded as Mullet...
and forms the main street of Topinabee. The highway intersects M-33
M-33 (Michigan highway)
M-33 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs from Interstate 75 at Alger in Arenac County north to M-27 near Cheboygan. In between, the trunkline runs through rural sections of the northeastern Lower Peninsula including state and national forest areas...
near the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Cheboygan
Cheboygan River
The Cheboygan River is a short but significant river in the Lake Huron drainage basin of the U.S. state of Michigan. in length, the Cheboygan River flows from the north end of Mullett Lake at to the Straits of Mackinac at . The river forms the boundary between Benton Township and Inverness...
and Black
Black River (Cheboygan County)
Black River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan, flowing mostly northward through four Northern Michigan counties: Otsego, Montmorency, Presque Isle, and Cheboygan. The Black River flows into the Cheboygan River at , just south of the city of Cheboygan...
rivers. North of the M-33 junction, M-27 runs parallel to the Cheboygan River on the west river bank into downtown Cheboygan.
M-27 has the local road name of "Main Street" in Cheboygan and "Straits Highway" outside the of the city. State Street (US 23) and Main Street (M-27) form the two major streets in the Cheboygan street grid. The main downtown businesses are located along Main Street south to the city limits. The highway has not 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.
Previous alignment
This is the second time a highway was designated M-27 in Michigan. The original M-27 was located in The ThumbThe 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...
, running from the Mount Clemens area east and north through New Baltimore to Port Huron. There it ran through Carsonville and Minden City to Harbor Beach and along Lake Huron to Port Austin. This version of M-27 was designated by July 1, 1919, and would last until 1926. All of the original M-27 was given to other contemporary highways including M-29
M-29 (Michigan highway)
M-29 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs in a south–north direction from Chesterfield Township to Marysville. It generally runs along the shore of Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River....
(Mount Clemens to Port Huron), M-51
M-51 (Michigan highway)
M-51, is a north–south state trunkline highway in the southwestern portion of the US state of Michigan. The northern terminus is on I-94 west of Paw Paw, where it continues north for less than a mile to W Red Arrow Highway as Van Buren CR 671, and the southern terminus is at the Indiana state...
(Port Huron to M-83), and M-29 (Harbor Beach to Port Austin).
Current alignment
In the late 1950s, US 27 was the main highway connection between GraylingGrayling, Michigan
Grayling is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Crawford County. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. Grayling takes its name from the Grayling fish that was once prevalent in its lakes and streams....
, Gaylord
Gaylord, Michigan
Gaylord is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,681. It is the county seat of Otsego County. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord; it is by far the smallest settlement serving as the location of an active Roman...
, and Cheboygan. After the construction of the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
, US 27 was extended north to St. Ignace
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
. The construction of I-75 in the early 1960s obsoleted the northern portion of US 27. Between Grayling
Grayling, Michigan
Grayling is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Crawford County. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. Grayling takes its name from the Grayling fish that was once prevalent in its lakes and streams....
and Indian River, I-75 replaced US 27 as the main highway in the area. North of Indian River, I-75 was built along a different routing. Where US 27 ran northwest through Topinabee to Cheboygan and then 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 US 23 to Mackinaw City, I-75 was built due north of Indian River before turning northwest parallel and several miles inland from 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...
, bypassing Cheboygan completely. M-27 was designated in the latter half of 1961 on the current alignment replacing US 27 which was truncated back to Grayling. Today, the streach from Grayling to about Wolverine is known as Old 27, and from there to Indian River, it is called Straits Highway.