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M-73 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-73 is a north–south state trunkline highway
in the Upper Peninsula
of the US state of Michigan
. It connects with US Highway 2
(US 2) and Highway 55
(WIS 55) at the state line near Iron River
. Running through forest, the highway was first designated along with the rest of the state highway system in 1919. Unchanged since its inception, M-73 was completely paved by the mid 1930s.
that connects across the state line to WIS 55 in Forest County, Wisconsin
. On the Michigan side of the border, the highway runs north away from the river. It runs along the western edge of a section of farm fields before turning eastward to run through them. M-73 passes to the south of Hagerman, Little Hagerman and Bass lakes, after which it turns northeasterly running north of Stanley Lake. The northern terminus is at US 2 west of downtown Iron River. All of M-73 is two-lane rural highway through wooded terrain except the section immediately north of the state line which runs along the aforementioned farm.
No part of M-73 is listed on the National Highway System
. In 2009, the Michigan Department of Transportation
conducted a survey to determine the traffic volume along the highway, reported using a metric called average annual daily traffic. The department determined that 890 vehicles a day used the southern half of the highway while 1,100 vehicles used the northern section closest to US 2. In the same surveys, MDOT calculated that, on average, 30 trucks used the roadway daily.
(WisDOT), MDOT funded a replacement in 2003. WisDOT supervised construction of the new span in a project that ran between July 14 and November 4, 2003.
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...
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 with 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) and Highway 55
Highway 55 (Wisconsin)
State Trunk Highway 55 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs south–north in northeast Wisconsin from a junction with US 151 approximately 1.5 miles north of Brothertown near the eastern shore of Lake Winnebago in Calument County to the Michigan State line at the Brule...
(WIS 55) at the state line near Iron River
Iron River, Michigan
Iron River is a city in Iron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,929. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 population estimate for this city was 3,122....
. Running through forest, the highway was first designated along with the rest of the state highway system in 1919. Unchanged since its inception, M-73 was completely paved by the mid 1930s.
Route description
M-73 starts on its southwestern end on a bridge over the Brule RiverBrule River
Brule River is a river in the U.S. states of Michigan and Wisconsin, and nearly the entire course forms a portion of the boundary between the two states.The Brule begins at Brule Lake, just inside the Michigan border, at...
that connects across the state line to WIS 55 in Forest County, Wisconsin
Forest County, Wisconsin
Forest County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,304. Its county seat is Crandon.-Indian Reservations:...
. On the Michigan side of the border, the highway runs north away from the river. It runs along the western edge of a section of farm fields before turning eastward to run through them. M-73 passes to the south of Hagerman, Little Hagerman and Bass lakes, after which it turns northeasterly running north of Stanley Lake. The northern terminus is at US 2 west of downtown Iron River. All of M-73 is two-lane rural highway through wooded terrain except the section immediately north of the state line which runs along the aforementioned farm.
No part of M-73 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...
. In 2009, 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...
conducted a survey to determine the traffic volume along the highway, reported using a metric called average annual daily traffic. The department determined that 890 vehicles a day used the southern half of the highway while 1,100 vehicles used the northern section closest to US 2. In the same surveys, MDOT calculated that, on average, 30 trucks used the roadway daily.
History
M-73 was designated by July 1, 1919, along with the rest of the initial state trunkline highway system. In 1937, the highway was completely hard-surfaced for the first time. Its routing has been largely unchanged since designation. The original bridge over the Brule River was built in 1922. In a joint project with the Wisconsin Department of TransportationWisconsin Department of Transportation
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, abbreviated as WisDOT, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's highways...
(WisDOT), MDOT funded a replacement in 2003. WisDOT supervised construction of the new span in a project that ran between July 14 and November 4, 2003.