Wikipedia

M-50 (Michigan highway)

M-50is astate trunkline highwayin the US state ofMichigan.Although designated as an east–west highway, it is nearly a diagonal northwest–southeast route. The western terminus is at exit 52 alongInterstate 96(I-96) nearAltoa few miles east of themetro Grand Rapidsarea, and its eastern terminus is in downtownMonroeatUS Highway 24(US 24, Telegraph Road). In between the trunkline runs through seven counties of the southern part of theLower Peninsulamostly through rural farm fields and small communities. The highway also runs through downtownJacksonto connect between two freeway sections ofUS 127.In theIrish Hillsarea of the state southeast of Jackson, M-50 runs next toMichigan International Speedway.

M-50 marker
M-50
Map
M-50 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained byMDOT
Length138.072 mi[1](222.205 km)
Existedc. July 1, 1919[2]–present
Major junctions
West endI-96nearAlto
Major intersections
East endUS 24inMonroe
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesKent,Ionia,Barry,Eaton,Jackson,Lenawee,Monroe
Highway system
←M-49→M-51

Dating back to the early days of the state highway system, M-50 was first signed in the southeastern corner of the state in 1919. During the 1920s, the highway was extended to theGrand Rapidsarea and beyond toLake Michigan,making it a trans-peninsular route connecting that Great Lake withLake Erie.A rerouting of highways including M-50 through Grand Rapids in the 1950s createdBusiness M-50(Bus. M-50), abusiness loopthrough that city that lasted for eight years. Additional changes made during the 1960s rerouted M-50 to replace its business loop until the highway was shortened to its present western terminus south of Lowell. A pair of truncations in Monroe in 1996 and 2006 are responsible for the present-day eastern terminus.

Route description

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Lowell to Jackson

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M-50 begins at an interchange with I-96 at exit 52 south ofLowellin southeasternKent County.The highway proceeds south along with Alden Nash Avenue and turns east on 92nd Street through farms and fields in the rural southeastern corner of the county. As the trunkline runs to the east, it crosses intoIonia County.M-50 follows Thompson Road, Nash Highway and Tupper Lake Road intoLake Odessa.In Lake Odessa, the road bends around the north side ofJordan Lake,curving to the south into the extreme northeasternBarry County.The highway turns back to the east as it heads towards a junction withM-66andM-43at the Barry–Eatoncounty line.[3][4]

After meeting M-43, the two trunklinesrun concurrentlyfor about a mile (1.6 km) before M-50 breaks off to the southwest nearWoodbury.From there, the road continues in its southeasterly path along Clinton Trail through the northeast part of Eaton County as it runs through fields toCharlotte.Just prior to entering the city, the road bends to the south and near the middle of town it has a junction withM-79andBusiness Loop I-69(BL I-69). After this intersection, M-50 continues south concurrent with the business loop for several blocks before turning eastward. On the eastern end of town, it has an interchange withI-69at exit 60.[3][4]

After heading east past the junction with I-69, the highway turns southeast as it heads through rural fields towardEaton Rapids.Once it reaches the city, M-50 converges withM-99,and the two intersectM-188on the south side of theGrand River.The two highways run south out of the city. Immediately prior to enteringJackson County,the two trunklines diverge with M-99 heading off to the southwest and M-50 to the southeast.[3][4]

M-50 continues its journey through Jackson County, winding its way to the southeast through rural fields and small forests. The landscape transitions to residential neighborhoods as the road approaches theUS 127freeway north ofJackson.InBlackman Township,M-50 merges with US 127 to run concurrently into the north side of Jackson. After an interchange withI-94at exit 138, US 127 exits to run east on I-94 for four miles (6.4 km), M-50 andBusiness US 127(Bus. US 127) run concurrently into the city as West Avenue passing by theJackson Crossingshopping mall. The road then proceeds south through the northern side of the city before turning east on Michigan Avenue as it heads towards downtown.[3][4]

Jackson to Monroe

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In downtown Jackson, Michigan Avenue continues into downtown while M-50 is routed around the city center along pairedone-way streets.Washington Street carries eastbound traffic and the Louis Glick Highway. On the east side of downtown, the roads merge near the JacksonAmtrakstation and a junction withM-106on Cooper Street, where M-50 turns south and then southeast as Brooklyn Road. On the south side of Jackson, M-50 and US 127 meet up once again just east ofVandercook Lake.M-50 follows the US 127 freeway through a pair of conjoinedpartial interchangesbefore M-50 heads east away from Vandercook Lake.[3][4]

The trunkline then heads southeast toNapoleon,where the road then turns south and heads towardsBrooklyn,part of theIrish Hillsarea ofLenawee County,a region known for its scenery. The road serves as main street for downtown Brooklyn as well as the primary thoroughfare for drivers headed toMichigan International Speedway.M-50 curves around the north and east side of the race track before intersectingUS 12inCambridge Junction.After crossing US 12, the road passes between several lakes of the Irish Hills area including Washington, Little Stony and Marrs lakes before continuing on its southeasterly journey towardsTecumseh.[3][4]

After leaving the Brooklyn area, the road returns to a rural environment as it cuts through agricultural fields. Before passing throughTipton,M-50 passes the entrance toHidden Lake Gardens,[3][4]a botanical garden and arboretum operated byMichigan State University.[5]After passing Hidden Lake, the road intersectsM-52and continues into Tecumseh. Known as Chicago Boulevard, the road serves as the main route through the city. After leaving Tecumseh, the highway passes through the communities ofRidgewayandBrittonbefore leaving Lenawee County.[3][4]

M-50 facing west toward the interchange with US 23 in Dundee

M-50 begins the final leg of its journey, as it crosses into Monroe county, passing through land that is mostly fields. Prior to reaching its interchange withUS 23,the highway passes to the south ofCabela's,[3][4]a 225,000-square-foot (20,900 m2) outdoor sports retailer inDundee.[6]After leaving town, the trunkline continues to the southeast, running to the south of theRiver Raisin,through rural areas as South Custer Road before entering the outskirts ofMonroewhere it finally ends its journey at a junction withUS 24(Telegraph Road) a few miles inland fromLake Erie.[3][4]

M-50 is maintained by theMichigan Department of Transportation(MDOT) like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric calledannual average daily traffic,which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2011 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-50 were the 25,770 vehicles daily south of the Springport Road interchange in the Jackson area; the lowest counts were the 2,055 vehicles per day south of the M-99 concurrency.[7]The only sections of M-50 that have been listed on theNational Highway System(NHS) are the two US 127 concurrencies in the Jackson area and the connection between them through downtown.[8]The NHS is a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[9]

History

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When the state highway system was first signed in 1919,[10]M-50 started at an intersection withM-23(present-day US 12) inCambridge Junction,south ofBrooklyn.From there it ran to the southeast, similar to its present-day routing, throughDundeeandTecumsehinto downtownMonroewhere it intersectedM-56.[2]There was a concurrency between M-50 andM-65between Dundee and theIdaarea which became an overlap with US 23 after 1926.[11]By the end of 1927, M-50 underwent a major lengthening as its western terminus was extended through Jackson to Eaton Rapids, Charlotte, and Vermontville before intersectingM-39just east of Woodbury. From this point, M-50 was routed over M-39 toUS 16nearAlto.M-50 then ran concurrently with US 16 intoGrand Rapidswhere it turned to the west and traveled throughAllendalebefore terminating at a junction withUS 31inAgnew.[12]A few years later in 1929, the route between Charlotte and Woodbury was changed as M-50 was routed north out of Charlotte to the former M-39 and replaced it east to Woodbury; the former routing was turned over to local control.[13][14]

In 1953, the route was realigned onto the south and west beltline to bypass Grand Rapids; the old routing through downtown becameBusiness M-50(Bus. M-50).[15][16]In the late 1950s, when the US 127 freeway bypass east of Jackson opened up, the old routing through town became Bus. US 127/M-50. At the same time, the concurrency with US 23 between Dundee and theIdaarea was dropped after the new US 23 freeway opened; the old route becomes solely designated M-50.[17][18]

In 1961, when the I-96/US 16/M-50 freeway was extended to the northwest in Grand Rapids, the old M-50 routing around the city becameM-11and M-50 was returned to its former alignment along Lake Michigan Drive and Fulton Street, supplanting Bus. M-50.[19][20]In 1964, the western end of M-50 was truncated from its junction with US 31 back to I-96 south ofLowellat exit 52. The former alignment from exit 40 to Agnew was given theM-45designation.[21][22]

In 1996, the highway was truncated as the terminus was scaled back toM-125in Monroe.[23][24]Finally on October 4, 2006, the section of M-50 between M-125 andUS 24was also removed, shortening the highway by about a mile (1.9 km).[25]

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
KentLowell Township0.000–
0.063		0.000–
0.101		I-96–Grand Rapids,LansingExit 52 on I-96
Ionia
 No major junctions
Barry–Eaton
county line		Woodland–Sunfieldtownship line22.12435.605
M-43west –Hastings
M-66–Battle Creek,Ionia		Western end of M-43 concurrency
EatonSunfield Township23.42337.696
M-43east –Lansing		Eastern end of M-43 concurrency
Charlotte41.34766.542
M-79west (West Lawrence Avenue) –Hastings

BL I-69north (East Lawrence Avenue)		Northern end of BL I-69 concurrency; eastern terminus of M-79
41.95867.525
BL I-69south		Southern end of BL I-69 concurrency
Eaton Township42.707–
42.727		68.730–
68.762		I-69–Lansing,Ft. WayneExit 60 on I-69
Eaton Rapids51.81883.393
M-99north –Lansing		Northern end of M-99 concurrency
52.31784.196
M-188east		Western terminus of M-188
Hamlin Township58.24093.728
M-99south –Albion		Southern end of M-99 concurrency
JacksonBlackman Township73.258117.89746
US 127north –Lansing		Western end of US 127 concurrency at exit 46 on US 127; northern end of freeway; northbound exit and southbound entrance on US 127
73.539118.35045Parnall RoadProvides access from eastbound M-50 to northbound US 127 and southbound US 127 to westbound M-50
74.416119.76144Springport Road
74.926–
74.934		120.582–
120.595		—
I-94south /US 127–Detroit,Chicago


Bus. US 127south		Southern end of US 127 concurrency and northern end of the Bus. US 127 concurrency; exit 138 on I-94 and exit 43 on US 127; southern end of freeway
Jackson76.672123.392BL I-94(Michigan Avenue)Western end of BL I-94 concurrency
77.901125.370
BL I-94east (Michigan Avenue)

M-106north –Stockbridge		Eastern end of BL I-94 concurrency; southern terminus of M-106
Summit Township79.818–
80.238		128.455–
129.131		34US 127–Lansing,Hudson


Bus. US 127north
McDevitt Avenue		Southbound exit and northbound entrance from US 127 only; southern end of Bus. US 127 concurrency; eastbound M-50 is briefly concurrent with US 127 but westbound follows a ramp
Brooklyn91.508147.268
M-124east		Western terminus of M-124
LenaweeCambridge Township94.782152.537US 12–Coldwater,Ann Arbor
Franklin Township106.883172.012M-52–Adrian,Chelsea
MonroeDundee124.466–
124.476		200.309–
200.325		US 23–Ann Arbor,ToledoExit 17 on US 23
Monroe138.072222.205US 24(Telegraph Road) –Detroit,Toledo
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Business route

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Business M-50
LocationWalker–Grand Rapids
Length11.084 mi[1](17.838 km)
Existed1953[15][16]–1961[19][20]

Business M-50(Bus. M-50) was a 11.084-mile-long (17.838 km)business loopthat ran throughGrand Rapids.Thestate trunkline highwaywas created when M-50 was rerouted to follow 28th Street and Wilson Avenue around the south and west sides of the city in 1953.[15][16]The business loop wasdecommissionedwhen M-50 was returned to its former routing in 1961.[19][20]The highway followed Lake Michigan Drive (nowM-45) from the Standale neighborhood ofWalkereasterly to Fulton Street in Grand Rapids. From there it followed Fulton easterly through downtown Grand Rapids and the east side of the city to a junction with Cascade Road inGrand Rapids TownshipThe last segment followed Cascade Road to theI-96/M-50 freeway where it connected with its parent highway and terminated.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcMichigan Department of Transportation(2021).Next Generation PR Finder(Map). Michigan Department of Transportation.RetrievedOctober 11,2021.
  2. ^abMichigan State Highway Department(July 1, 1919).State of Michigan(Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Lower Peninsula sheet.OCLC15607244.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.
  3. ^abcdefghijMichigan Department of Transportation (2012).Pure Michigan: State Transportation Map(Map). c. 1:975,000. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. §§ L9–N13.OCLC42778335,794857350.
  4. ^abcdefghij"Overview Map of M-50"(Map).Google Maps.RetrievedFebruary 24,2008.
  5. ^Courtney, Steven."Hidden Lake Gardens".University Development.Michigan State University.Archived fromthe originalon February 5, 2012.RetrievedJune 4,2012.
  6. ^Staff."Cabela's Dundee, MI, Retail Store".Cabela's.RetrievedJune 4,2012.
  7. ^Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008)."Traffic Monitoring Information System".Michigan Department of Transportation.RetrievedJune 4,2012.
  8. ^Michigan Department of Transportation (2005).National Highway System: Jackson Urbanized Area(PDF)(Map). Cartography by MDOT. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation.RetrievedJanuary 1,2011.
  9. ^Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012)."What is the National Highway System?".National Highway System.Federal Highway Administration.RetrievedJuly 1,2012.
  10. ^"Michigan May Do Well Following Wisconsin's Road Marking System".The Grand Rapids Press.September 20, 1919. p. 10.OCLC9975013.
  11. ^Michigan State Highway Department (December 1, 1926).Official Highway Condition Map(Map). [c. 1:823,680]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.
  12. ^Michigan State Highway Department (December 1, 1927).Official Highway Service Map(Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.OCLC12701195,79754957.
  13. ^Michigan State Highway Department (May 1, 1929).Official Highway Service Map(Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.OCLC12701195,79754957.
  14. ^Michigan State Highway Department &H.M. Gousha(January 1, 1930).Official Highway Service Map(Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.OCLC12701195,79754957.
  15. ^abcMichigan State Highway Department (April 15, 1953).Official Highway Map(Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Grand Rapids inset.OCLC12701120.
  16. ^abcMichigan State Highway Department (October 1, 1953).Official Highway Map(Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Grand Rapids inset.OCLC12701120.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.
  17. ^Michigan State Highway Department (1958).Official Highway Map(Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ M11, N13.OCLC12701120,51856742.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.(Includes all changes through July 1, 1958)
  18. ^Michigan State Highway Department (1960).Official Highway Map(Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ M11, N13.OCLC12701120,81552576.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.(Includes all changes through July 1, 1960)
  19. ^abcdMichigan State Highway Department (1961).Official Highway Map(Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Grand Rapids inset.OCLC12701120,51857665.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.(Includes all changes through July 1, 1961)
  20. ^abcMichigan State Highway Department (1962).Official Highway Map(Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Grand Rapids inset.OCLC12701120,173191490.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.
  21. ^Michigan State Highway Department (1964).Official Highway Map(Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ K8–L9.OCLC12701120,81213707.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.
  22. ^Michigan State Highway Department (1965).Official Highway Map(Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ K8–L9.OCLC12701120.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.
  23. ^Michigan Department of Transportation (1996).Michigan Department of Transportation Map(Map). c. 1:190,080. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Monroe inset.OCLC42778335,41545375.
  24. ^Michigan Department of Transportation (1997).Michigan Department of Transportation Map(Map). c. 1:190,080. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Monroe inset.OCLC42778335,39132463.RetrievedOctober 17,2019– via Michigan History Center.
  25. ^Staff (October 4, 2006)."Memorandum of Understanding".Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe originalon January 5, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 25,2008.
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