County Road 492 (Marquette County, Michigan)
Route information | |
---|---|
Maintained by MCRC | |
Length | 13.008 mi[1] (20.934 km) |
Existed | 1936[2]–present |
Major junctions | |
West end | US 41 / M-28 in Negaunee |
M-35 in Negaunee Township US 41 / M-28 in Marquette Township | |
East end | Lakeshore Boulevard in Marquette |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Michigan |
County | Marquette |
Highway system | |
|
County Road 492 (CR 492, Co. Rd. 492) is a primary
CR 492 was previously known as the Marquette–Negaunee Road before it was made a part of the State Trunkline Highway System. It was originally designated as a part of M-15 as early as 1917. The superintendent of the Marquette County Road Commission, Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer, painted the first rural highway centerline on the roadway on Dead Man's Curve. The highway was later a part of M-28 before being transferred back to county control. The highway assumed its current form by 2001. The eastern section along Brookton Road in Marquette Township was redesignated as a county secondary highway when a new connection to US 41/M-28 was opened, and the designation was extended along Wright Street on the west and north sides of Marquette.
Route description
In the city of Negaunee, CR 492 is a part of Maas Street, which runs east–west through town starting at Teal Lake. CR 492 begins at the intersection of Maas Street and US 41/M-28 in Negaunee next to Miners Park. From there, CR 492 passes some businesses near the highway before running through a residential area. East of Woodland Drive, the street runs downhill into a more rural section of town. In this area, the roadway runs through forested terrain parallel to tracks of the LS&I. The road then loops to the north away from the tracks, crossing the Carp River next to the Forge Road intersection.[3][4] Through this area, the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, a multi-use trail system, was built to follow CR 492,[5] and opened in 2013.[6] Forge Road runs north to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum on the site of the Carp River Forge,[4] the original iron ore forge in the region.[7] Maas Street runs along the south side of the city cemetery. The cemetery main gate is located near the city limits, where Maas Street ends and CR 492 continues into Negaunee Township.[1][4]
CR 492 intersects M-35 near Eagle Mills Location. M-35 approaches the county road from the north before it turns east to
The county road designation resumes to the west at a roundabout on US 41/M-28 about 1,300 feet (400 m) from the previous intersection. From this location, CR 492 runs northward between several businesses. North of this commercial development, the roadway curves to the northeast to round the northern side of the North Star Academy and merge onto Wright Street. The roadway leaves the commercial corridor and returns to woodland before the intersection with Forestville Road and Commerce Drive. Wright Street curves to the northeast and then the east crossing into the westernmost section of the City of Marquette. As Wright Street continues eastward, it runs through a residential section along part of the city line before completely crossing into Marquette. The roadway passes the Holy Cross Cemetery and the north side of the campus of Northern Michigan University (NMU). The northern main entrance to campus is located at the intersection with CR 550 (Sugar Loaf Avenue) and Tracy Avenue. Wright Street passes through residential neighborhoods east of CR 550 before meeting Presque Isle Avenue. East of that intersection, CR 492 crosses onto the northern edge of NMU's campus immediately north of the Superior Dome. Wright Street ends as it curves around to the south into a junction with Lakeshore Boulevard at the shore of Lake Superior.[13][11]
History
The first roadway along the route of the modern CR 492 was a plank road built by the Cleveland and Sharon Iron Companies in the 1850s.[14] The roadway was originally named the Marquette–Negaunee Road, due to its endpoints. The road was included as a section of "Division 8" in the State Trunkline Highway System when that was created on May 13, 1913.[15] In 1917, the first highway centerline in the nation was painted along a section of the road known as "Dead Man's Curve".[16][17] The centerline was painted by Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer, long-time superintendent of the county road commission.[18] Traffic along the road was heavy for the era, and along the curves, drivers would follow the innermost side instead of keeping to their own lane. Sawyer added arrows to indicate travel direction and found that motorists used the appropriate travel lanes.[19]
At this time, the road carried an unsigned designation of "Trunk Line 15" (T.L. 15) as designated by the
After this transfer, the roadway carried the CR 492 designation. In 1964, several abandoned underground mine shafts collapsed underneath M-35 in Negaunee, and M-35 was rerouted out of the city along its current roadway through Negaunee Township, connecting with CR 492.[26] The eastern end of CR 492 was moved by 2001. Before this realignment, CR 492 followed Brookton Road, parallel to US 41/M-28 before turning to the previous terminus just west of the border between Marquette Township and the City of Marquette. After the change, CR 492 turned north to intersect the highway opposite of Wright Street. The CR 492 designation was extended along Wright Street at the same time.[27] In 2006, the city of Marquette extended Wright Street to end at Lakeshore Boulevard.[28]
In 2010, the county road commission built an extension to Commerce Drive across US 41/M-28. This extension was designed to connect the southern and northern segments of CR 492 severed by traffic flow changes along US 41/M-28. Traffic wishing to cross between the two segments needs to follow US 41/M-28 to a median turn around in a maneuver similar to a Michigan left. After the project was completed, motorists gained a second option to cross between the two segments of CR 492 following Brookton Road to the Commerce Drive extension and around the Westwood Mall to Wright Street. This newer connector is designed for 35-mile-per-hour (56 km/h) traffic.[29] The stop light at the US 41/M-28 intersection was installed in early November to complete the project.[30] In August 2010, the speed limits along Wright Street were increased. After the results of a speed study, the limits were increased from 25 and 35 mph (40 and 56 km/h) to 35, 40 and 45 mph (56, 64 and 72 km/h).[31]
In 2019, two intersections controlled by
Major intersections
The entire road is in Marquette County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LSCT | Western end of western segment; street continues west as Maas Street | ||||||
2.019 | 3.249 | Forge Road (Co. Rd. JQ) | Access to Michigan Iron Industry Museum | ||||
Negaunee Township | 3.405– 3.460 | 5.480– 5.568 | M-35 | Short concurrency so that M-35 can cross rail line | |||
Marquette Township | 7.802 | 12.556 | CR 500 (Grove Street) | ||||
8.787 | 14.141 | Brookton Road (Co. Rd. HF) | Formerly CR 492 | ||||
8.912 | 14.342 | LSCT | Eastern end of eastern segment | ||||
Gap in route | |||||||
8.912 | 14.342 | LSCT | Southwestern end of northeastern segment | ||||
9.495 | 15.281 | Wright Street | Formerly CR 492 | ||||
9.546 | 15.363 | Forestville Road north (Co. Rd. HQ) CR 505 east (Commerce Drive) | |||||
Marquette | 10.717 | 17.247 | CR 498 south (Ontario Street) | ||||
12.217 | 19.661 | CR 550 north (Sugar Loaf Avenue to Big Bay Road) | |||||
13.008 | 20.934 | Lakeshore Boulevard | Eastern end of the northeastern segment | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
See also
- Michigan Highways portal
References
- ^ a b c d Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ OCLC 12701143.
- ^ a b c d Google (November 9, 2019). "Overview Map of CR 492 (Western Segment)" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ OCLC 1146086218.
- ^ UP Engineers and Architects (February 2008). Iron Ore Heritage Trail Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Marquette, Michigan: Lake Superior Community Partnership. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
- JSTOR 3105434.
- ^ OCLC 1146086218.
- ISBN 9780814336434. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via Google Books.
- from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ OCLC 1146086218.
- ^ Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres (December 22, 2009). "Marquette Location". Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres. Archived from the original on February 25, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ Google (November 9, 2019). "Overview Map of CR 492 (Northeastern Segment)" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- OCLC 28982417.
- OCLC 44724558. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- OCLC 18700342.
- OCLC 3280344.
- OCLC 9729223. Archived from the originalon December 24, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- Archive.org.
- .
- OCLC 15607244. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Michigan State University Libraries.
- OCLC 9975013.
- ^ Weingroff, Richard F. (January 9, 2009). "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
- .
- ^ Michigan State Highway Department (December 1, 1926). Official Highway Condition Map (Map). [c. 1:823,680]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.
- OCLC 12844096. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
- )
- OCLC 9729223.
- from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ Czarnopis, Ty (August 10, 2012). "Speed Change for Well-Traveled Marquette Road". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "Roundabout Opening Today at US-41/M-28". Daily Press. Escanaba, Michigan. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
External links
- Iron Ore Heritage Trail official website
- CR 492 on the list of "107 Things To Love about Marquette County" (WMQT-FM)