M-115 (Michigan highway)

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M-115 marker

M-115

Map
M-115 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length96.432 mi[1] (155.192 km)
Existedc. May 1929[2]–present
Major junctions
West end M-22 in Frankfort
Major intersections
East end
Bus. US 10 in Clare
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesBenzie, Manistee, Wexford, Osceola, Clare
Highway system
← M-114→ M-116

M-115 is a

Bus. US 10. In between, the trunkline runs about 96+1⁄2 miles (155.3 km) through woodlands, including areas that are a part of either the Manistee National Forest or the Pere Marquette State Forest. The highway also passes agricultural areas, several lakes in the region and a state park near Cadillac
.

M-115 was first designated in the 1920s on the northwestern end near Frankfort. Additional, disconnected sections were designed as part of the trunkline in the 1930s near Cadillac, Farwell and Mesick. All but one of these gaps (Cadillac–Mesick) was eliminated by the end of that decade. The remaining segment was built in the 1950s to unite M-115 into a single highway. The last change came in 1989 when the highway was extended into Clare to its current southern terminus.

Route description

Eastern terminus of M-115 in downtown Clare

M-115 starts in downtown Clare at a four-way intersection with the two

Lake Mitchell, and M-115 turns northwesterly between the two lakes passing Mitchell State Park and the eastern shore of the latter lake.[3][4]

Past the Cadillac area, M-115 runs through the northeastern corner of the Manistee National Forest.[5] The highway continues through woodlands, passing several small lakes in the area as it approaches the community of Mesick. There it turns due west and joins M-37 through town. After M-37 separates to the south, M-115 crosses the Manistee River and continues its northwestern course. The highway crosses the northeastern corner of Manistee County and runs through the community of Copemish on the way to Benzonia. The landscape here turns more agricultural as the highway skirts southwest of Thompsonville crossing the Betsie River.[3][4]

After the river crossing, the highway enters Benzie County and runs through the Pere Marquette State Forest. South of Benzonia, M-115 runs concurrently with US 31 into town. The highways separate in the center of town where M-115 turns westward to run along the south shore of Crystal Lake past Frankfort Dow Memorial Field, the local airport near Frankfort. M-115 follows Forest Avenue, and the highway designation ends at the intersection in town with M-22 near Betsie Lake.[3][4]

The

average annual daily traffic (AADT). This number is a calculation of the traffic level along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. In 2009, MDOT determined that the highest traffic levels along M-115 were the 12,079 vehicles daily along the section of highway near lakes Mitchell and Cadillac. The lowest AADT was the 2,236 vehicles near Copemish.[6] The trunkline between the US 10 and M-37 junctions has been listed on the National Highway System.[7] a network of roads important to the country's defense, economy and mobility.[8]

History

In 1929, the first stretch of M-115 was designated from Frankfort to Benzonia.

Michigan State Highway Department started work to fill in the gap between M-66 and the highway north of US 10 in Clare County.[13] These two sections were completed as earth-graded highway in 1939.[14] Both discontinuous sections were fully paved by 1945.[15]

In 1953, a county road was built along the path of the future M-115 between Mesick and Cadillac.[16][17] This road was designated as a state highway by 1957, with a connection along Boon Road north of Cadillac and a concurrency along US 131 to close the gap in 1957.[18][19] The Boon Road segment was removed the next year when the routing near Lake Mitchell opened.[20] The southern end of M-115 was truncated slightly when the US 10 freeway bypass of Clare was opened in 1975.[21][22] M-115 has since been rerouted in 1989 along the two-lane Old US 10 from its original southeastern ending point near the US 10 overpass through Farwell to Clare.[23][24] A roundabout was built for the intersection with northbound M-37 east of Mesick and was opened in September 2013.[25]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
LMCT – Manistee, Empire
Benzonia6.56510.565
 US 31 north – Traverse City, Petoskey		Northern end of US 31 concurrency
Joyfield Township8.77714.125
 US 31 south – Manistee		Southern end of US 31 concurrency
Manistee
 No major junctions
WexfordMesick31.88851.319
 M-37 south – Baldwin		Western end of M-37 concurrency
Springville Township32.96253.047
 M-37 north – Traverse City		Eastern end of M-37 concurrency; roundabout constructed in 2013[25]
Cadillac50.74781.669
 M-55 west (Lake Mitchell Drive) – Manistee		Western end of M-55 concurrency
Clam Lake Township53.687–
53.706		86.401–
86.431
 US 131 / M-55 east – Petoskey, Grand Rapids		Exit 176 on US 131; eastern end of M-55 concurrency
OsceolaMiddle Branch Township70.346113.211
 M-61 east – Harrison		Western terminus of M-61
71.580115.197 M-66 – Marion, Ionia
ClareSurrey Township89.402143.879 US 10 – Clare, LudingtonFreeway begins on US 10
Bus. US 10 – Grayling, Midland, Lansing
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 October 11, 2021.
  2. ^
    OCLC 12701195, 79754957
    .
  3. ^
    OCLC 42778335, 639960603
    .
  4. ^ a b c Google (March 10, 2011). "Overview Map of M-115" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  5. ISBN 0-528-93981-5
    .
  6. ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  7. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (April 23, 2006). National Highway System, Michigan (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  8. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  9. OCLC 12701143
    .
  10. OCLC 12701143, 317396365
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  11. OCLC 12701143
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  12. OCLC 12701143
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  13. OCLC 12701143
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  14. OCLC 12701143
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  15. OCLC 554645076
    .
  16. OCLC 12701120
    .
  17. OCLC 12701120
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  18. OCLC 12701120
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  19. OCLC 12701120
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  20. OCLC 12701120, 51856742
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1958)
  21. OCLC 12701177, 320798754
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  22. OCLC 12701177
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  23. OCLC 42778335
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  24. OCLC 42778335
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  25. ^
    WWTV-TV
    . September 26, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.

External links

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/M-115 (Michigan highway)
KML is from Wikidata
  • M-115 at Michigan Highways

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