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M-83 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-83 is a state trunkline in the Lower Peninsula
of the US state of Michigan
primarily serving as a link between I-75
/US 23 and the Bavaria
n themed town of Frankenmuth
known for Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
, Zehnder's and the Bavarian Inn.
. The two run east from the freeway along Birch Run Road crossing Dixie Highway
. At the intersection with South Gera Road, they diverge. M-83 turns north and M-54 turns south. From here, M-83 runs north past Bronner's Christmas Wonderland and into Frankenmuth along Main Street crossing the Cass River
. North of town, M-83 intersects M-46
/Holland Road before ending at M-15
near Richville
Store." Designed with an Alpine
architecture and operating year-round, the building covers 7.35 acres (29,744 m²) and landscaped grounds covering 27 acres (109,265 m²). Outside the entrance are three 17 feet (5 m) tall outdoor Santas and a 15 feet (5 m) tall snowman
. Inside, there are some 800 animated figurine
s at various locations throughout the store.
. This designation lasted until around 1927 when it was replaced by a northerly extension of M-26
.
The second designation of M-83 replaced M-31
across The Thumb
between Bay Port and Harbor Beach
along what is today M-142
.
/US 23 in Clio
by way of Frankenmuth to Reese
. The gap between the two sections was filled in a year later when M-84
in Tuscola County
is redesignated as part of M-83. After this change, M-83 continues north from Reese through Gilford and Akron
to Unionville
. There it runs concurrently along M-29
to Bay Port, connecting the two segments.
The eastern segment first designated in 1927 was separated from the rest of the highway in 1939. The northern end was scaled back to M-15
/M-24 in Saginaw County. The concurrency along M-81 was removed, the section northeast to Gilford was transferred to local control, and the section northeast of Guilford to Unionville was added to M-138
. The Bayport – Harbor Beach section was redesignated M-142
. The last changes came around 1962 when the I-75/US 10/US 23 freeway was completed between Pontiac and Flint. M-83 was rerouted on its south end to turn west along Birch Run Road to the freeway, concurrent with the new M-54, which replaced M-83 south of Birch Run Road.
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"....
primarily serving as a link between I-75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
/US 23 and the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n themed town of Frankenmuth
Frankenmuth, Michigan
Frankenmuth is a city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,838 at the 2000 census. The 2009 census estimate places the population at 4,619. The city is located within Frankenmuth Township, but is politically independent. Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, which bills...
known for Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland is a retail store in Frankenmuth, Michigan that is the "World's Largest Christmas Store." Designed with an Alpine architecture and operating year-round, the building is 7.35 acres in size with landscaped grounds covering 27 acres...
, Zehnder's and the Bavarian Inn.
Route description
M-83 provides the main access to and from Frankenmuth and I-75/US 23. It starts at exit 136 south of town along the freeway. This exit is also the northern terminus of M-54M-54 (Michigan highway)
M-54 is a state trunkline highway approximately long in the US state of Michigan that bypasses the city of Flint. It is named "Dort Highway" in much of its length, in honor of Flint carriage and automobile pioneer Josiah Dallas Dort, the business partner of General Motors founder William C. Durant...
. The two run east from the freeway along Birch Run Road crossing Dixie Highway
Dixie Highway
The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a small network of...
. At the intersection with South Gera Road, they diverge. M-83 turns north and M-54 turns south. From here, M-83 runs north past Bronner's Christmas Wonderland and into Frankenmuth along Main Street crossing the Cass River
Cass River
The Cass River is a river in the Thumb region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It drains large portions of Sanilac and Tuscola counties and smaller portions of Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, and Saginaw counties....
. North of town, M-83 intersects M-46
M-46 (Michigan highway)
M-46 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan between Muskegon and Port Sanilac, terminating near Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on each end. Except for the north–south segment that corresponds with the US Highway 131 freeway between Cedar Springs and Howard City, M-46 is...
/Holland Road before ending at M-15
M-15 (Michigan highway)
M-15 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is a junction with US Highway 24 just south of Clarkston on the northwestern edge of the Detroit metropolitan area. The trunkline is a recreational route running north and northwest to the...
near Richville
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland is a retail store in Frankenmuth that bills itself as the "World's Largest ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Store." Designed with an Alpine
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
architecture and operating year-round, the building covers 7.35 acres (29,744 m²) and landscaped grounds covering 27 acres (109,265 m²). Outside the entrance are three 17 feet (5 m) tall outdoor Santas and a 15 feet (5 m) tall snowman
Snowman
A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture. They are customarily built by children as part of a family project in celebration of winter. In some cases, participants in winter festivals will build large numbers of snowmen...
. Inside, there are some 800 animated figurine
Figurine
A figurine is a statuette that represents a human, deity or animal. Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay...
s at various locations throughout the store.
Previous designation
The first designation of M-83 was in place by July 1, 1919 for a routing along the Mohawk–Gay Road between the communities of the same name in Keweenaw CountyKeweenaw County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,301 people, 998 households, and 604 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 2,327 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
. This designation lasted until around 1927 when it was replaced by a northerly extension of M-26
M-26 (Michigan highway)
M-26 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, running from two miles east of Rockland to its junction with US Highway 41 in Copper Harbor. It generally runs southwest-to-northeast in the western half or Michigan's Upper Peninsula...
.
The second designation of M-83 replaced M-31
M-31 (Michigan highway)
M-31 was a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula in the US state of Michigan. It served as a connecting route between Saginaw, The Thumb communities, and Port Huron.-Route description:...
across The Thumb
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...
between Bay Port and 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:...
along what is today M-142
M-142 (Michigan highway)
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.-Route description:...
.
Current designation
The current designation was assigned in 1929 as a second, disconnected section of highway. This new routing ran from US 10U.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 23 in Clio
Clio, Michigan
Clio is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan.As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 2,483. Clio is home to Michigan's second tallest construction, the WEYI Tower...
by way of Frankenmuth to Reese
Reese, Michigan
Reese is a village in Tuscola and Saginaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located almost entirely in Tuscola County's Denmark Township, the village includes only a tiny portion of Blumfield Township in Saginaw County...
. The gap between the two sections was filled in a year later when M-84
M-84 (Michigan highway)
M-84 is a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It was originally part of M-47 until that road was relocated onto what was formerly US 10 from Saginaw Township to east of Midland...
in Tuscola County
Tuscola County, Michigan
-Highways:* M-15* M-24* M-25* M-46* M-81* M-138-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 58,266 people, 21,454 households, and 15,983 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 23,378 housing units at an average density of 29 per...
is redesignated as part of M-83. After this change, M-83 continues north from Reese through Gilford and Akron
Akron, Michigan
Akron is a village in Tuscola County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 461 at the 2000 census.The village is located on the boundary between Akron Township on the north and Fairgrove Township on the south, with the village area approximately evenly split between the two...
to Unionville
Unionville, Michigan
Unionville is a village in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 605 at the 2000 census. The village is located in the northwestern corner of Columbia Township.-Geography:...
. There it runs concurrently along 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....
to Bay Port, connecting the two segments.
The eastern segment first designated in 1927 was separated from the rest of the highway in 1939. The northern end was scaled back to M-15
M-15 (Michigan highway)
M-15 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is a junction with US Highway 24 just south of Clarkston on the northwestern edge of the Detroit metropolitan area. The trunkline is a recreational route running north and northwest to the...
/M-24 in Saginaw County. The concurrency along M-81 was removed, the section northeast to Gilford was transferred to local control, and the section northeast of Guilford to Unionville was added to M-138
M-138 (Michigan highway)
M-138 is a long state trunkline highway in the Thumb region of the US state of Michigan.-Route description:M-138 begins at a junction with M-15 just west of the hamlet of Munger, in Bay County's Merritt Township. Known to locals as Munger Road, the route then heads due east through agricultural...
. The Bayport – Harbor Beach section was redesignated M-142
M-142 (Michigan highway)
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.-Route description:...
. The last changes came around 1962 when the I-75/US 10/US 23 freeway was completed between Pontiac and Flint. M-83 was rerouted on its south end to turn west along Birch Run Road to the freeway, concurrent with the new M-54, which replaced M-83 south of Birch Run Road.