M-61 (Michigan highway)

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M-61 marker

M-61

Map
M-61 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length62.276 mi[1] (100.224 km)
Existedc. July 1, 1919[2]–present
Major junctions
West end M-115 in Marion
Major intersections
East end US 23 in Standish
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesOsceola, Clare, Gladwin, Bay, Arenac
Highway system
← M-60→ M-62

M-61 is a

state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs between Marion and Standish. The highway runs along the boundary area between Northern Michigan and Central Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. M-61 runs through rural forestland connecting several smaller communities together as it connects M-115, US Highway 127 (US 127), Interstate 75 (I-75) and US 23
. Less than 10,000 vehicles a day use various segments of the roadway on average.

The trunkline was first designated along a portion of its current alignment by 1919. M-61 was extended in segments through 1940, with a truncation at the end of the 1950s. One change in routing in the 1970s resulted in the current routing of the highway.

Route description

M-61 starts in eastern

business loop of US 127 (Bus. US 127) through town. Bus. US 127/M-61 follows Clare Avenue south of the city to exit 170 on the US 127 freeway. The business loop ends, and M-61 turns east along Gladwin Road.[3][4]

The highway passes south of Wiggins Lake as it approaches the junction with

Wooden Shoe Village as it continues through the Au Sable State Forest, crossing extreme northern Bay County. The trunkline crosses into Arenac County before meeting I-75 and US 23 in Arenac County near Standish.[3][4]

The

average annual daily traffic (AADT). This is a measurement of the traffic along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. The highest traffic level for M-61 in MDOT's 2009 surveys was 9,257 vehicles per day along the Harrison business loop. The lowest AADT was 981 vehicles daily between the Osceola–Clare county line and the Muskegon River crossing.[5] No section of M-61 has been added to the National Highway System,[6] a network of roads important to the country's defense, economy and mobility.[7]

History

On July 1, 1919, when the rest of the state highway system was first signed, M-61 ran between M-18 at Gladwin to M-30 at White Star.

Bentley to Standish.[8][9] This eastern extension was straightened in 1932, bypassing the route south through Winegars and Bentley to use a direct course between White Star and Standish. At the same time, a second, discontinuous section of M-61 was created when a section of the contemporary M-63 was redesignated M-61 between US 131 at Tustin and M-115 near Marion. At the same time, additional county roads were upgraded to state highways, extending the western M-61 to US 127 in Harrison.[10][11] The gap between Harrison and Gladwin was eliminated in 1940 when the roadway was built between the two towns.[12][13] At the end of the 1950s, M-61's designation was removed between M-115 and US 131.[14][15] The western end was realigned in 1974 to bypass Marion, shortening the route of M-61.[16][17]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
OsceolaMiddle Branch Township0.0000.000 M-115 – Cadillac, Clare
0.9211.482 M-66 – Lake City, Ionia
Bus. US 127
north		Northern end of Bus. US 127 concurrency
Bus. US 127
north		Southern end of Bus. US 127 concurrency at exit 170
GladwinGladwin35.00756.338
 M-18 south – Beaverton		Western end of M-18 concurrency
35.94457.846
 M-18 north – Houghton Lake		Eastern end of M-18 concurrency
Meridian Road) – West Branch, Edenville
Bay
 No major junctions
ArenacLincoln Township59.422–
59.459		95.630–
95.690		 I-75 – Mackinac Bridge, SaginawExit 190 on I-75
LHCT – Alpena, Saginaw
Road continues east as Main Street/Pine River Road
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 15607244
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  3. ^
    OCLC 42778335, 639960603
    .
  4. ^ a b Google (March 9, 2011). "Overview Map of M-61" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  6. ^ Michigan Department of Transportion (April 23, 2006). National Highway System, Michigan (PDF) (Map). Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. OCLC 12701195, 79754957
    .
  9. OCLC 12701195, 79754957
    .
  10. OCLC 12701053
    .
  11. OCLC 12701053
    .
  12. OCLC 12701143
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  13. OCLC 12701143
    .
  14. OCLC 12701120, 51856742
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1958)
  15. OCLC 12701120, 81552576
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1960)
  16. OCLC 12701177, 83138602
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  17. OCLC 12701177, 320798754
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.

External links

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/M-61 (Michigan highway)
KML is from Wikidata
  • M-61 at Michigan Highways

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