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M-48 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-48 is an east–west state trunkline highway
in the Upper Peninsula
(UP) of the US state of Michigan
. It connects Rudyard with Pickford and continues to the far eastern end of the UP. The highway runs for 43.723 miles (70.4 km) through rural parts of Chippewa County
, including along the county line with Mackinac County
. Between 580 and 1,800 vehicles a day use the roadway daily.
The highway was designated by 1919 along a route that ran much farther west in the UP. Within its first decade, M-48 was extended to end at a point north of Newberry
. Since the 1960s, it has had its current configuration. A section of roadway that was previously used as part of the western end of the highway was redesignated as a section H-40 in the 1970s.
. M-48 turns eastward south of town along 22 Mile Road through fields. At Meridian Road
, M-48 turns south along M-129
through the community of Pickford. South of town, M-48/M-129 runs long the Chippewa
–Mackinac
county line and crosses the Munuscong River
. M-48 turns east at 26 Mile Road into Chippewa County. The highway zig-zags through rural areas in the southeast of the county. It follows Hanna and 28 Mile roads to Stalwart. In that community, M-48 runs south on Reynolds Road to a corner on the Chippewa–Mackinac county line where the highway turns back east toward the Goetzville area running through the Lake Superior State Forest
. After one last north–south segment, M-48 terminates at a junction with M-134 west of DeTour Village near Albany Harbor.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) maintains M-48 like all other parts of the state trunkline highway system under its jurisdiction. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic along its roads using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This measurement is a calculation of the average traffic levels for a roadway segment on any average day of the year. In 2009, MDOT figured that between 580 and 1,800 vehicles a day used sections of M-48. In addition, the department has added the portion of M-48 between the northern M-129 junction and M-134 to the Lake Huron Circle Tour, a scenic drive that loops around the lake. No part of the highway has been added to the National Highway System
, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.
. M-48 was extended along US Highway 2
(US 2) to Garnet. From there, M-48 ran north to M-28
east of Newberry. It turned west along M-28 into Newberry and then north to Four Mile Corner. In the mid 1930s, M-28's routing through the Newberry area was shifted. As a result of this shift, the section of M-28/M-48 in downtown was renumbered M-28A
/M-48. In the early 1940s, US 2 was moved to a new routing along the Lake Michigan
shoreline. In the process, the US 2/M-48 concurrency was eliminated. By the same time, M-48 was truncated when M-134
was designated east to the DeTour area. By the end of the decade, M-48 was truncated and rerouted on its western end, replacing the contemporary M-117
south of Rexton to US 2 in Epoufette. All of M-48 west of US 2 was turned over to local jurisdiction and removed from the state highway system, save a section made part of M-123
in late 1960 or early 1961. A few years later, M-48 was extended along a former section of US 2 into Rudyard to connect to the newly opened I-75/US 2 freeway in 1963. After October 1970, the former M-48 west of the current highway was designated as a part of the County-Designated Highway System.
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 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...
(UP) 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 connects Rudyard with Pickford and continues to the far eastern end of the UP. The highway runs for 43.723 miles (70.4 km) through rural parts of Chippewa County
Chippewa County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge* Hiawatha National Forest * Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, including along the county line with Mackinac County
Mackinac County, Michigan
-Local Airports:*Mackinac County Airport *Mackinac Island Airport -Airline service:The nearest airports with scheduled passenger service are:*Chippewa County International Airport in Sault Ste...
. Between 580 and 1,800 vehicles a day use the roadway daily.
The highway was designated by 1919 along a route that ran much farther west in the UP. Within its first decade, M-48 was extended to end at a point north of Newberry
Newberry, Michigan
Newberry is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Luce County. Located within McMillan Township at its very southern end, it shares some administrative responsibilities with the surrounding township. The population was 2,686 at the 2000 census.The village was named in...
. Since the 1960s, it has had its current configuration. A section of roadway that was previously used as part of the western end of the highway was redesignated as a section H-40 in the 1970s.
Route description
M-48 currently starts at an interchange with I-75 in the Rudyard area. The highway runs west from the interchange into Rudyard where it turns south, running concurrently with county road H-63H-63 (Michigan county highway)
H-63 is a county-designated highway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that follows along the Interstate 75 corridor between St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie. The road is known as the Mackinac Trail, named for an Indian trail used before European settlers reached the area...
. M-48 turns eastward south of town along 22 Mile Road through fields. At Meridian Road
Michigan Meridian
The Michigan Meridian is the meridian used as a reference in the Michigan Survey, the survey of the U.S. state of Michigan in the early 19th century. It is located at 84 degrees, 22 minutes and 24 seconds west longitude at its northern terminus at Sault Ste...
, M-48 turns south along M-129
M-129 (Michigan highway)
M-129 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs from Cedarville to Sault Ste. Marie. South of Nine Mile Road in Chippewa County , M-129 overlays the Michigan Meridian. The section of M-129 that overlays the meridian is named Meridian Road...
through the community of Pickford. South of town, M-48/M-129 runs long the Chippewa
Chippewa County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge* Hiawatha National Forest * Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
–Mackinac
Mackinac County, Michigan
-Local Airports:*Mackinac County Airport *Mackinac Island Airport -Airline service:The nearest airports with scheduled passenger service are:*Chippewa County International Airport in Sault Ste...
county line and crosses the Munuscong River
Munuscong River
-References:*...
. M-48 turns east at 26 Mile Road into Chippewa County. The highway zig-zags through rural areas in the southeast of the county. It follows Hanna and 28 Mile roads to Stalwart. In that community, M-48 runs south on Reynolds Road to a corner on the Chippewa–Mackinac county line where the highway turns back east toward the Goetzville area running through the Lake Superior State Forest
Lake Superior State Forest
Lake Superior State Forest is a state forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The North Country Trail utilizes this state forest for 43 miles of its route....
. After one last north–south segment, M-48 terminates at a junction with M-134 west of DeTour Village near Albany Harbor.
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-48 like all other parts of the state trunkline highway system under its jurisdiction. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic along its roads using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This measurement is a calculation of the average traffic levels for a roadway segment on any average day of the year. In 2009, MDOT figured that between 580 and 1,800 vehicles a day used sections of M-48. In addition, the department has added the portion of M-48 between the northern M-129 junction and M-134 to the Lake Huron Circle Tour, a scenic drive that loops around the lake. No part of the highway has been added to 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 economy, defense, and mobility.
History
On July 1, 1919, M-48 ran from Rexton to Trout Lake and eastward on to Rudyard. The highway continued to Goetzville and ran to DeTour Village at the eastern tip of the UP. By 1927, the western end was moved to a point north of NewberryNewberry, Michigan
Newberry is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Luce County. Located within McMillan Township at its very southern end, it shares some administrative responsibilities with the surrounding township. The population was 2,686 at the 2000 census.The village was named in...
. M-48 was extended along US Highway 2
U.S. Route 2 in Michigan
US Highway 2 is a component of the United States Numbered Highway System that connects Everett, Washington, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan, with a separate segment that runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine...
(US 2) to Garnet. From there, M-48 ran north to M-28
M-28 (Michigan highway)
M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township...
east of Newberry. It turned west along M-28 into Newberry and then north to Four Mile Corner. In the mid 1930s, M-28's routing through the Newberry area was shifted. As a result of this shift, the section of M-28/M-48 in downtown was renumbered M-28A
M-28 Business (Newberry, Michigan)
M-28 Business Route was a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It served as a business route running for through the Newberry area. The business loop followed a U-shaped routing to connect downtown Newberry with M-28 south of town...
/M-48. In the early 1940s, US 2 was moved to a new routing along the 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...
shoreline. In the process, the US 2/M-48 concurrency was eliminated. By the same time, M-48 was truncated when M-134
M-134 (Michigan highway)
M-134 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects Interstate 75 north of St. Ignace with the communities of Cedarville and De Tour Village along Lake Huron. East of De Tour, the highway crosses the De Tour Passage on a ferry to run south of the...
was designated east to the DeTour area. By the end of the decade, M-48 was truncated and rerouted on its western end, replacing the contemporary M-117
M-117 (Michigan highway)
M-117 is a state trunkline highway in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway connects US Highway 2 with M-28 west of Newberry. The designation has been used twice in the UP, once in 1941 for a former section of US 2 between Rexton and Epoufette, and the...
south of Rexton to US 2 in Epoufette. All of M-48 west of US 2 was turned over to local jurisdiction and removed from the state highway system, save a section made part of M-123
M-123 (Michigan highway)
M-123 is a state trunkline highway in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is one of only a few highways in Michigan that curve around and form a U-shape. In fact, M-123 has three intersections with only two state trunklines. It meets M-28 twice as a result of its U-shaped...
in late 1960 or early 1961. A few years later, M-48 was extended along a former section of US 2 into Rudyard to connect to the newly opened I-75/US 2 freeway in 1963. After October 1970, the former M-48 west of the current highway was designated as a part of the County-Designated Highway System.