M-35 (Michigan highway)
Major junctions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
South end | US 41 at Menominee | |||
North end | US 41 / M-28 near Negaunee | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Michigan | |||
Counties | Menominee, Delta, Marquette | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
M-35 is a
M-35 is an original state trunkline that was first signposted in 1919, that was intended to run from Menominee in the south to near Big Bay in the north, before it was to turn toward L'Anse to end at Ontonagon. However, the section through the Huron Mountains in northern Marquette and Baraga counties was never built. Automobile pioneer Henry Ford helped halt this construction to gain favor with and membership into the exclusive Huron Mountain Club. Some discontinuous sections were later ceded to local control. The northern segment of the route between Ontonagon and Baraga was retained as a discontinuous segment of the highway; this northern segment was later redesignated as another state trunkline. The northern end was later rerouted out of the City of Negaunee into Negaunee Township to avoid mining activity near Palmer.
Route description
M-35 is primarily a two-lane roadway, with the exception of the nearly 8+1⁄2-mile-long (13.7 km) section between
Menominee to Gladstone
The southern terminus of M-35 is at the corner of 10th Street (US 41) and North Shore Drive north of downtown Menominee. It is a Y-shaped intersection near John Henes Park. This park sits on 50
At the
From Escanaba, M-35 runs concurrently with US 2 and US 41 to
Gladstone to Negaunee
M-35 turns northwesterly in Gladstone through northern Delta County and southern Marquette County and crosses the
Built as a
M-35 runs northwest of Gwinn to Palmer along the outskirts of Cleveland-Cliffs' Empire Mine, where large piles of waste rock from the mining operations tower over the roadway. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the segment through Palmer logged the highway's lowest AADT, only 487 vehicles per day, in 2012.[8] North of Palmer, M-35 runs past Goose Lake to end in Negaunee Township. The northern terminus is 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of Negaunee, just east of the former Marquette County Airport and the studios of WLUC-TV on US 41/M-28.[13]
History
The first path along part of the modern M-35 roadway was the Sault and Green Bay Trail, an old Native American trail, between Menominee and Escanaba. This trail continued eastward from Escanaba to Sault Ste. Marie and southerly to Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was a narrow path of approximately 12–18 inches (30–50 cm) in width, wide enough to permit single-file traffic.[15] Another route, the Carp River Trail, paralleled the path of M-35 from Escanaba to the Marquette area as well. These footpaths were later used for the basis of gravel roads a century before the modern state highway system was created.[16]
On May 13, 1913, the Legislature created the
Huron Mountains
In 1919, the State Department of Highways, forerunner to today's MDOT, designated a scenic shoreline trunkline to run north from Negaunee to Skanee and L'Anse by way of Big Bay. The highway would continue from the L'Anse and Baraga area to eventually end at Ontonagon at an intersection with M-64.[18] Local Upper Peninsula historian Fred Rydholm summarized the routing planned in 1925 as extending "... in a northwesterly direction, across the Dead River, over the Panorama Hills, then west past the Elm Creek swamp, along the south side of Burnt Mountain, across the Cedar Creek, the Cliff Stream and out past Cliff Lake to Skanee and L'Anse".[19] This highway was designated as an extension of M-35, which ended in downtown Negaunee. Work was completed on a significant portion of the route in Marquette County by 1926. M-35 was routed east along M-15 toward Marquette before turning north-northwesterly toward Big Bay. This section of roadway follows the modern County Road 510 (CR 510) in Marquette County. Similar work was completed in Baraga County connecting L'Anse and Skanee by 1932.[14]
Construction on the two ends left the center portion through the Huron Mountains unfinished and shown on state maps as a dashed line marked "impassable".[14] One section running northwesterly from the modern CR 510 toward the Salmon Trout River, complete with guard rails and cement culverts[19] has been called "Blind 35" since.[20]
The Steel Bridge
One of the first tasks for the State Highway Department was bridging the Dead River in Negaunee Township, three miles (4.8 km) north of US 41.[21] The state solved the problem by buying a bridge in Pennsylvania, where bridges of this design were more common.[21] MDOT describes the bridge as:
... a rare Pennsylvania through truss highway bridge, particularly because of the length [271 feet or 83 meters] of this single span. It was purchased by the State Highway Department in 1919, moved from an unspecified
Pittsburgh, and then erected on this site in 1921.[22]
The bridge is still in place over the Dead River and previously carried CR 510 as the successor to M-35 in northern Marquette County.[23] Known locally as "The Old Bridge" or "The Steel Bridge", it survived a May 15, 2003, flood caused by the breaching of the Silver Lake Dam.[22][24] The Marquette County Road Commission had announced plans in 2006 to bypass the Steel Bridge with a modern replacement, leaving the existing bridge as a footpath or bike path.[25] Construction on the bypass road and replacement bridge was begun in October 2007. The concrete work for the replacement span was started in late 2009, with an original projected completion date of November 1, 2010. The new crossing is 100 feet (30 m) above river level compared to the 10 feet (3 m) for the 1921 span. The total budget for bridge construction was $4.5 million (equivalent to $4.8 million in 2023[26]) with an additional $1.7 million (equivalent to $2.3 million in 2023[26]) for the approach work; the project had an 80 percent federal, 15 percent state and 5 percent county funding split.[27] The new bridge opened to traffic in September 2010, diverting traffic from the Steel Bridge. Completion of the new span came after about a decade of planning.[23]
Henry Ford
Records of the
Ford built a
Hunters, campers, hikers, fishermen, and some landowners opposed highway construction near the Huron Mountains. Rydholm said, "... there seemed to be no groundswell of sentiment in favor of it, but it looked as the though the die was cast and nothing could be done to stop it".[19] The Huron Mountain Club members opposed the highway because it would open vast reaches of the back country and might harm the wilderness. Highway construction would also open the possibility of a resort hotel; William C. Weber, a real estate developer from Detroit, owned property along Mountain Lake, in northern Marquette County. A Michigan attorney general's opinion provided a way for blocking the road if two-thirds of the property over which the road would pass was owned by people opposed to the project. The proposed highway was to cross two 40-acre (16 ha) parcels of Huron Mountain Club property, but that was not enough to halt construction.[28]
In 1926, Hebard was elected the new president at the Huron Mountain Club[19] and changed its rules for admission.[28] Before the changes, all existing members voted on new admissions, and four "no" votes meant rejection. After Hebard's changes, only club directors could vote, and only one "no" was needed to block election.[28] In 1927, the road grading for M-35 had reached the Salmon Trout River. That same year, Ford bought more land near Mountain Lake. This property encompassed more than the requisite two-thirds necessary to stop construction of the road. In 1928, the road was moved to connect with the Big Bay Road (CR 550), leaving the stub of "Blind 35" behind.[19] According to club records, "by 1929, M-35 was dead in its tracks and Henry Ford was a member".[28] To commemorate his membership, Ford built a white pine log cabin on club property that cost between $80,000 and $100,000 in 1929 (equivalent to $1,120,000 to $1.4 million in 2023[26]).[19]
After Ford
In 1939, M-35 from Negaunee to Big Bay to L'Anse was officially canceled as a state trunkline highway.[29][30] Constructed portions were turned over to local control, becoming Skanee Road in Baraga County and CR 510 in Marquette County. This left a discontinuous routing for 13 years. The southern segment of M-35 ran from Menominee to Negaunee, and the northern segment ran from Baraga to Ontonagon along the modern M-38. The two segments were rejoined in 1953, closing the gap left by the cancelled Huron Mountain route. M-35 signs were added to existing highway signs westward from the end of the southern segment at Negaunee along US 41/M-28 and US 41 to Baraga, to connect with the northern segment westward to Ontonagon.[31]
In 1964, several abandoned underground mine shafts collapsed underneath the roadway, forcing a rerouting of M-35 out of the City of Negaunee.
The last major changes to M-35 came in January 1969 when the section from Baraga to Ontonagon was given the M-38 designation. The M-35 concurrencies were removed along US 41/M-28 and US 41 in Marquette and Baraga counties. This change shortened the highway designation and moved the northern terminus to the present location in Negaunee Township.[35] Since then, sections of the roadway were realigned in Richmond Township south of Palmer to straighten some of the many curves between Palmer and Gwinn in 1989.[36] MDOT constructed a new 20-space commuter parking lot at the southern terminus of M-553 at M-35 in August 2008 as part of an effort to offer expanded ride-sharing opportunities in Marquette County.[37]
Tourist routes
The southern section of M-35 is a part of the
In a press release, MDOT's James Lake states:The Heritage Route passes through both Delta and Menominee counties on the western shoreline of
Upper Peninsula, and features parks, waterways, forests, trails, attractions, boat launches, harbors, and campgrounds. Suggested stops range from cultural centers and modern entertainment, to historical sites and natural attractions.[10]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southern end of LMCT concurrency | |||||
G-12 west (Cedar River Road) – Stephenson | Western terminus of G-12 | ||||
Delta | Escanaba | 52.227 | 84.051 | US 2 west / US 41 south (Ludington Street) – Powers, Iron Mountain | South end of US 2/US 41 concurrency |
Arnold | Eastern terminus of CR 426 | ||||
60.645 | 97.599 | LMCT east – Manistique, Marquette | North end of US 2/US 41/LMCT concurrency | ||
Brampton | 67.955 | 109.363 | CR 186 east (Brampton Road, 27.5 Road) – Rapid River | Western terminus of former M-186 | |
Skandia | Eastern terminus of CR 456 | ||||
Gwinn | 101.121 | 162.738 | M-553 north – Marquette | Southern terminus of M-553 | |
106.015 | 170.615 | CR 557 south – Arnold | Northern terminus of CR 557 | ||
National Mine | Eastern terminus of CR 565 | ||||
Negaunee Township | 124.781 | 200.816 | CR 480 – Negaunee, Sands Township | ||
126.715– 126.744 | 203.928– 203.975 | CR 492 | A concurrency of 153 feet (47 m) to cross railroad tracks; M-35 traffic yields to CR 492 | ||
128.388 | 206.620 | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
See also
- Interstate 275, another highway in Michigan with a northern extension cancelled by landowner opposition
Notes
- Winter Olympics and other international competitions is called kunstbahn and uses artificial refrigeration to form the ice surface in banked curves, while naturbahn uses natural ice frozen on a flat surface.[33]
References
- ^ a b c Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ OCLC 15607244. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Michigan State University Libraries.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c 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 February 4, 2008.
- ^ Hunt, Mary & Hunt, Don (2007). "Henes Park". Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Albion, Michigan: Midwestern Guides. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
- ^ Google (May 4, 2008). "Escanaba, Michigan" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
- OCLC 1586080. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ a b Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ Hunt & Hunt (2007), "Escanaba".
- ^ a b Lake, James (August 26, 2007). "M-35 Named UP Hidden Coast Recreation Heritage Route" (Press release). Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
- ^ National Park Service (June 24, 2002). "National Register of Historic Places: Michigan, Marquette County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
- ^ Google (March 16, 2008). "Gwinn, Michigan" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 16, 2008.
- ^ a b c Google (March 15, 2007). "Negaunee, Michigan" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
- ^ OCLC 12701053.
- ^ Pohl, Dorothy G. & Brown, Norman E. (December 2, 1997). "The History of Roads in Michigan". Association of Southern Michigan Road Commissions. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- ^ Mason, Philip P. (January 12, 1987). "Indians Started Roads: From Paths to Freeways" (PDF). Ionia Sentinel-Standard. Retrieved May 12, 2018 – via Michigan Department of Transportation.
- .
- ^ OCLC 24448978.
- ^ OCLC 20652946.
- OCLC 41970440.
- ^ Archive.org.
- ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (April 19, 2002). "County Rd. 510–Dead River". Michigan's Historic Bridges. Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
- ^ from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- OCLC 9729223.
- ^ "Plans to Replace Historic Bridge Underway". Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. May 2, 2006.
- ^ Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- OCLC 9729223. Archived from the originalon July 18, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
- ^ OCLC 608430314.
- OCLC 12701143. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- OCLC 12701143.
- OCLC 12701120.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (n.d.). "Marquette County" (PDF) (Map). Right-of-Way File Application. Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Sheets 73–76. Retrieved May 8, 2008. Right of way for the M-35 relocation was purchased between March 20, 1964, and October 12, 1964.
- ^ Meyer, Zlati (February 23, 2014). "You Haven't Lived Here Until... You Slide Down the Naturbahn Luge Track in Negaunee". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ Hunt & Hunt (2007), "Negaunee: Lucy Hill Naturbahn Luge".
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (n.d.). "Marquette County" (PDF) (Map). Right-of-Way File Application. Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Sheet 78. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
- ^ Lake, James (August 19, 2008). "MDOT Building New Lot for Marquette County Commuters" (Press release). Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
- OCLC 9940134.
- ^ Hunt & Hunt (2007), "M-35 Along the Green Bay Shore".
- ^ "MDOT Declares UP Road as Heritage Route". Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. August 28, 2007.
- ^ Hunt & Hunt (2007), "M-35 Along the Green Bay Shore: Fuller Park".
External links
- Geographic data related to M-35 at OpenStreetMap
- M-35 at Michigan Highways
- UP Hidden Coast Recreational Heritage Route (Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission)
- M-35: The Highway Henry Ford Stopped at Michigan Highways
- CR 510 Bridge at Historic Bridges.org