M-123 (Michigan highway)

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Lake Superior Circle Tour
Tahquamenon Scenic Heritage Route
Major junctions
South end I-75 near St. Ignace
Major intersections
North end M-28 near Newberry
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesMackinac, Chippewa, Luce
Highway system
← M-122→ M-124

M-123 is a

Michigan Heritage Route
system.

The highway was first designated before 1936 along a section of its current routing. Sections added since then encompass segments formerly belonging to US Highway 2 (US 2) and M-48. The last changes came to the highway in 1962 and 1963, when the northern end was extended and the southern end was truncated slightly.

Route description

M-123 serves a thinly-populated section of the state.

Lake Superior Circle Tour.[6]

Rogers Park to Paradise

The southern terminus of the highway is at exit 352 along

Eckerman.[6][8]

Trout Lake

M-123 is designated as a Scenic Heritage Route north of M-28.[9] Here it continues northwest to East–West Road and turns to run along the shores of Whitefish Bay and cross the Tahquamenon River near its mouth. Continuing along the bay as Whitefish Road, M-123 meets the community of Paradise, the northernmost point along the highway. It is here that M-123 intersects Whitefish Point Road, which continues north to Whitefish Point, home of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. In either direction, M-123 runs southbound from Paradise, changing direction. Continuing east of Paradise, M-123 is the only paved road that serves the Tahquamenon Falls State Park and the Whitefish Point region.[6][8]

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

Main article: Tahquamenon Falls State Park
The Tahquamenon Falls are a major tourist attraction along the route of M-123.

The Tahquamenon Falls State Park is a 46,179-acre (18,688 ha) state park in Michigan. It is the second largest of Michigan's state parks. Bordering on Lake Superior, most of the park is located within Chippewa County, with the western section of the park extending into Luce County. The park follows the Tahquamenon River as it passes over Tahquamenon Falls and drains into Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior. The Tahquamenon Falls include a single 50-foot (15 m) drop, the Upper Falls, plus the cascades and rapids collectively called the Lower Falls. During the late-spring runoff, the river drains as much as 50,000 US gallons (190,000 L) of water per second, making the upper falls the second most voluminous vertical waterfall east of the Mississippi River, after only Niagara Falls.[10]

Paradise to Newberry

East of Paradise, M-123 runs along the Tahquamenon River inside the state park boundaries. Past the park, the highway is known as Falls Road in

H-37 at Four Mile Corner. The highway crosses a branch of the Tahquamenon River one last time before becoming Newberry Avenue in the city of Newberry. The highest annual average daily traffic, a measure of traffic volume, was recorded by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for M-123 in 2007 along Newberry Avenue at 7,500 vehicles.[11] South of downtown, M-123 meets M-28 a second time west of Twin Lake. This intersection is the "northern" terminus of the 96.1-mile (154.7 km) highway.[6][8]

History

The construction of M-123 started in the 1930s near

Trout Lake to Rogers Park north of St. Ignace, came in 1954. Part of this routing in Trout Lake uses M-48 (now a portion of H-40). An additional extension is shown north to the Tahquamenon River Bridge, lengthening the highway to the north on the April 15, 1954 official state map.[12] The section north to the Tahquamenon River Bridge is remarked on the October 1, 1954 state map as a county road, however.[13] In 1957, M-123 was permanently extended north to the bridge,[14] and in 1962 the final extension north to Paradise and south to Newberry was completed. From Four Mile Corner south, M-123 replaced M-117 to a new terminus at M-28 south of Newberry.[15] The southernmost section of roadway between the I-75/US 2 freeway and H-63 (Old US 2) was transferred to Mackinac County for maintenance with the opening of the freeway in 1963.[16]

On November 9, 2007, MDOT expanded the Tahquamenon Scenic Heritage Route designation previously applied to M-123. This expanded the designation to all of the highway north of M-28, recognizing it for its "outstanding natural beauty" and the scenic views of "rivers, forests, trails and Tahquamenon Falls State Park."[17] Previously, the designation was limited to between Luce County Road 500 to Galloway Creek. The expansion was planned by the Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning & Development Commission along with local governments and businesses.[17]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
LHCT – Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace
Exit 352 on I-75
H-57
west (Brevort Lake Road)
Rudyard
Eastern terminus of H-40 (former M-48) concurrency
Rexton
Western terminus of H-40 concurrency
LSCT east – Newberry, Sault Ste. Marie
Eastern junction; the LSCT joins M-123
Whitefish Township44.44871.532 Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway (Lake Superior Shoreline Road)Eastern terminus of WBNFSB
Paradise55.43589.214Whitefish Point Road – Whitefish PointM-123 changes from northbound to southbound
H-37 north (CR 407) – Deer Park
LSCT west – Munising, Sault Ste. Marie
LSCT continues westward along M-28
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 12701143
    .
  3. ^ United States Census Bureau (n.d.). "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ISBN 0-528-93981-5
    .
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^
    OCLC 42778335. Archived from the original
    on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019 – via Archives of Michigan.
  7. ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6
    – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b c Google (October 11, 2008). "Overview Map of M-123" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  9. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (November 9, 2007). "Scenic Heritage Routes". Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  10. ^ Michigan Department of Natural Resources (2007). "Tahquamenon Falls State Park Detail". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  11. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (2007). Statewide AADT Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  12. OCLC 12701120
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  13. OCLC 12701120
    .
  14. OCLC 12701120, 367386492
    .
  15. OCLC 12701120, 173191490
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  16. OCLC 12701120
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  17. ^ a b Lake, James (November 9, 2007). "M-123 Tahquamenon Scenic Heritage Route expanded" (Press release). Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2008.

External links

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