County Road 186 (Delta County, Michigan)

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County Road 186 marker

County Road 186

Brampton 27.5 Road
Map
CR 186 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by DCRC
Length4.402 mi[1] (7.084 km)
ExistedJuly 26, 1939[2]–present
Major junctions
West end M-35 in Brampton
East end US 2 / US 41 in Rapid River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyDelta
Highway system
  • Delta County Roads
M-185M-186 M-186

County Road 186 (CR 186, Co. Rd. 186) is a primary

Michigan State Highway Department
(MSHD) to the control of the Delta County Road Commission (DCRC). The commission initially refused to accept jurisdiction of the roadway for nearly seven months, resulting in an orphan road that was not being maintained by any agency until the legal dispute was settled.

Route description

CR 186 starts at an intersection with M-35 in Brampton Township just north of the community of Brampton and runs eastward through woodlands along Brampton 27.5 Road. The roadway curves northward around a bend in the Days River and then turns southeasterly. CR 186 passes to the south of Brampton Lake before turning due east into Rapid River. The road turns 90° south along a segment of South 75 Road to terminate an at intersection with US 2/US 41 just west of the intersection where those two highways merge in Rapid River.[3][4][5] Most of the length of the roadway is in the Escanaba River State Forest.[6]

History

M-186 marker

M-186

LocationBramptonRapid River
Length4.478 mi[8] (7.207 km)
ExistedOctober 27, 1932[7]–July 26, 1939[2]

In September 1932, the MSHD announced the construction of a state highway in Delta County to serve as a shortcut between M-35 at Brampton and US 2/US 41 at Rapid River. The rural highway served westbound traffic on US 2 headed north on M-35, providing those motorists with a shortcut instead of driving south to M-35 at Gladstone, and the state planned to upgrade an existing trail at the location.[9] On October 27, the state included the number M-186 in an announcement of road projects, budgeting $50,000 (equivalent to $910,000 in 2023[10]) for its construction.[7] The state advertised for bids on the upgraded roadway that November.[8] M-186 debuted on the state highway map on May 1, 1934.[11]

The highway was transferred from state control to the DCRC on July 26, 1939.

Murray D. Van Wagoner
proposed the transfer of another 212 miles (341 km) of highways in Northern Michigan back to county control. Van Wagoner had described traffic levels on the roadways as insufficient to justify their status as a state highway.
State Administrative Board on December 23, 1939, although the board found itself in the middle of a controversy as the county road commissions refused to accept control of the roadways, even though they automatically became county roads upon transfer and cancellation as state trunklines.[15] The Missaukee County Road Commission refused to accept the transfer of M-74 at that time, and the Delta County Road Commission restated their refusal to accept jurisdiction over M-186, resulting in a pair of orphan roads that were not being maintained by any road agency.[16] Van Wagoner stated at the time, "[A]s far as I'm concerned, those are county roads now and the counties will have to maintain them."[17]

The next month, Van Wagoner and the Missaukee County prosecutor appealed to the state Attorney General Thomas Read to settle the status of the roadways. The prosecutor claimed that the commissioner lacked the authority to transfer an entire highway to local control.[13] Read refused to settle the dispute on February 5 and referred the matter to the courts instead.[18] As part of this dispute in early 1940, the road went unplowed, causing issues for residents living along the former highway. The MSHD plowed the road on February 9, clearing it of snow for the first time in 40 days. The department did this after eight children had been out of school for two weeks.[19] The DCRC dropped their objections to the transfer in mid-February 1940 and accepted jurisdiction at that time.[20] The designation was reused for a different highway in Grand Traverse County later that year.[21][22]

Junction list

The entire highway is in Delta County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Brampton Township0.0000.000 M-35 – Gwinn, Gladstone
Masonville Township4.4027.084 US 2 / US 41 – Escanaba, Manistique
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

  •  
    Michigan Highways portal

References

  1. ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  2. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  3. ^ United States Geological Survey (2019). Perkins Quadrangle, Michigan: Delta County (Topographic map). 1:24,000. 7.5-Minute. Reston, Virginia: United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  4. ^ United States Geological Survey (2019). Rapid River Quadrangle, Michigan: Delta County (Topographic map). 1:24,000. 7.5-Minute. Reston, Virginia: United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  5. ^ Google (March 2, 2023). "Overview Map of CR 186" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  6. .
  7. ^ a b "Half of Federal Loan to Be Spent On U.P. Highways". The Daily Mining Journal. Marquette, Michigan. October 28, 1932. p. 5. Retrieved March 2, 2023 – via Upper Peninsula Digital Network.
  8. ^ a b "Brampton Road Job Advertised". The Escanaba Daily Press. November 27, 1932. p. 12. Retrieved March 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "To Make Shortcut Between Two Main Highways in Delta". The Escanaba Daily Press. September 17, 1932. p. 7. Retrieved March 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^
    Gross Domestic Product deflator
    figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  11. OCLC 12701143
    . Retrieved March 2, 2023 – via Michigan History Center.
  12. ^ "Farmers Commandeer Plows, Clear Road: Snow Cleared from M-74 in Protest Move". The Herald-Press. St. Joseph, Michigan. Associated Press. February 1, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "212 Miles of Highway Lack Maintenance". Detroit Free Press. January 5, 1940. p. 8. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "300 Angry Farmers Seize Snowplows from State: Throng Raids Two Garages to Open Road". Detroit Free Press. February 1, 1940. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "'Orphan Roads' Sent Back to Highway Chief". The Evening News. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Associated Press. December 23, 1939. p. 3. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "'Orphan' Roads Raise Puzzle". The Herald-Press. St. Joseph, Michigan. Associated Press. January 2, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Three Counties Refuse to Take Over Highways". Ironwood Daily Globe. Associated Press. January 2, 1940. p. 2. Retrieved March 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Orphan Roads Ruling Denied". The Escanaba Daily Press. Associated Press. February 6, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "'Orphan' Road Cleared After 40 Days In Snow". The Escanaba Daily Press. February 10, 1940. p. 3. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "County Won't Go to Court". The Escanaba Daily Press. February 11, 1940. p. 10. Retrieved March 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. OCLC 12701143
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  22. .

External links

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