M-69 (Michigan highway)
Route information | ||
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Maintained by MDOT | ||
Length | 65.260 mi[1] (105.026 km) | |
Existed | c. July 1, 1919[2]–present | |
Major junctions | ||
West end | US 2 / US 141 in Crystal Falls | |
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East end | US 2 / US 41 near Bark River | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Michigan | |
Counties | Iron, Dickinson, Menominee, Delta | |
Highway system | ||
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M-69 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of the U.S. state of Michigan. It connects with US Highway 2 (US 2) on both ends in Crystal Falls and near Bark River. In between, the highway runs for 65.26 miles (105.03 km) in rural UP forest lands.
Before the creation of the
Route description
M-69 starts at the intersection of 5th Street and Superior Avenue in Crystal Falls, where it meets US 2/
On the opposite bank of the river, Superior Avenue climbs a hill past the Evergreen Cemetery at the top. The section of roadway up to this point carries the highest levels of traffic as measured by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in their annual average daily traffic (AADT) surveys. Some 3,900 vehicles used this segment of trunkline daily in 2007.[8] Outside of town, the trunkline runs south of Runkle Lake through hilly, wooded terrain. The roadway crosses the southern section of the Michigamme River west of the Dickinson County line.[9]
Running around two miles (3.2 km) east of the county line,
Between Randville and the former community of
The highway continues to follow the river until crossing it at
History
In 1919, M-69 started at the state line south of Crystal Falls. It ran north through Crystal Falls, where it intersected
In the late 1930s, the state had a general program to abandon some 250 miles (400 km) of state highways with a daily traffic level of less than 300 vehicles. On July 26, 1939, the state turned over 5.8 miles (9.3 km) of M-69 in Delta County, but the Delta County Road Commission immediately filed a protest to block the transfer. The Dickinson County Road Commission had already protested the abandonment of 23.5 miles (37.8 km) of M-69 in that county.[17] Maps published later that year do not indicate any change in jurisdiction to the highway.[18]
In 1960, the section of M-69 east of Randville was decommissioned, and the concurrency with M-95 was removed. This truncated the highway to 12.834 miles (20.654 km), approximately one-fifth of its previous length.
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Length | 46.470 mi[1] (74.786 km) |
Existed | c. October 5, 1970[21]–1993[23] |
At various points, the road commissions in Dickinson, Menominee and Delta counties tried to give the roadway back to the state for maintenance. Menominee County made the request in 1974 and 1982, both times rejected because the road did not carry enough traffic to be a state highway. The road was a maintenance issue for the counties because of its relative isolation and high truck traffic carrying pulpwood to the paper mill in Escanaba and potatoes from farms near Felch. The roadway was in a relative state of disrepair in 1982, and the counties wanted the state to fix it. Menominee County estimated that it would cost $500,000 (equivalent to $1.34 million in 2023[7]) for their 18-mile (29 km) stretch, while Dickinson estimated that it would cost $1 million (equivalent to $2.67 million in 2023[7]) for their 27 miles (43 km).[20]
This county road designation lasted until 1993. That year, the changes made in 1960 were reversed and M-69 was re-extended along M-95 and back to the Bark River area.[23]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Iron | Crystal Falls | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 2 / US 141 – Ironwood, Iron Mountain | ||||
Sagola | 12.834 | 20.654 | M-95 north – Republic, Marquette | Pre-1993 eastern terminus; northern end of M-95 concurrency | ||||
G-30 ; southern end of M-95 concurrency | ||||||||
Loretto | ||||||||
Menominee |
No major junctions | |||||||
Delta | Bark River Township | 65.260 | 105.026 | US 2 / US 41 – Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Menominee | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- Michigan Highways portal
References
- ^ a b c d e f g 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 City of Crystal Falls. "Courthouse". City of Crystal Falls. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (May 10, 2002). "M-69–Paint River". Michigan's Historic Bridges. Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (March 2006). "M-69: Paint River Bridge Rehabilitation" (PDF). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Garrett, Greg (August 2004). "Rehabilitating Michigan's Paint River Bridge". Better Roads. Vol. 74, no. 8. p. 68.
- ^ Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (2007). Statewide AADT Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Google (October 17, 2008). "Overview Map of M-69" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6– via Google Books.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (2007). Commercial Statewide AADT Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
- ISSN 0008-1159. Retrieved March 8, 2012 – via Archive.org.
- ^ OCLC 42778335.
- .
- .
- .
- Newspapers.com.
- OCLC 12701143. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1960)
- ^ a b Lynch, Jim (April 8, 1982). "No One Wants UP Highway". Daily Press. Escanaba, MI.
- ^ OCLC 13440201. Retrieved May 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- .
- ^ .
External links
- M-69 at Michigan Highways