M-123 (Michigan highway)

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M-123

Maintained by MDOT

Length:

92.11 mi^[1] (148.24 km)

Formed:

1935

South end:

I-75 near St. Ignace

Major
junctions:

H-40 in Trout Lake

M-28 near Eckerman
H-37 near Newberry

North end:

M-28 near Newberry

Counties:

Mackinac, Chippewa, Luce

Michigan highways
< M-122		M-124 >

M-123 is a state trunkline highway in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is one of only a few highways in Michigan that curve around and form a U-shape. In fact, M-123 has three intersections with only two state trunklines. It meets M-28 twice as a result of its U-shaped routing. M-123 also has a rare signed concurrency with a County-Designated Highway in Michigan. In Trout Lake, there is a concurrency with H-40.

1 Route description
- 1.1 Tahquamenon Falls State Park
2 History
3 Major intersections
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Route description

From the "northern terminus" it extends north from M-28 near Newberry to Paradise. M-123 changes direction at this point. On leaving Paradise in either direction, the highway is M-123 South. M-123 then extends south to its southern terminus at I-75 exit 352 near St. Ignace, Michigan. It is a Scenic Heritage Route within the Michigan Heritage Route system.

The concurrency of M-123 & H-40 in Trout Lake

M-123 serves a thinly-populated section of the state. Much of the highway passes through the eastern unit of the Hiawatha National Forest. It is the only paved road serving Tahquamenon Falls State Park and the Whitefish Point region. It is the major access to the state park and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point.

[edit] 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 (186.9 km²) state park in the U.S. state of 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-meter) 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 gallons (200,000 liters) of water per second, making the upper falls the second most voluminous vertical waterfall east of the Mississippi River, after only Niagara Falls.

[edit] History

The construction of M-123 started in the 1930s near Eckerman, the location of the eastern M-28/M-123 junction. By 1930, M-123 is 10 miles (16 km) in length and hard-surface paved. 1954-05-15 marked the first big extension of M-123 southward from Eckerman through Trout Lake to Rogers Park north of St. Ignace. Part of this routing in Trout Lake uses M-48 (now a portion of H-40). By 1957, M-123 would be extended northerly to a bridge over the Tahquamenon River, and on 1962-05-18 the final extension north to Paradise and south to Newberry is completed. From Four Mile Corner south, M-123 would replace M-117 to a new terminus at M-28 south of Newberry.

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Roads	Notes
Luce	Newberry	0.00	M-28	"Northern" terminus; M-123 runs northbound
Luce	Newberry		H-37	To Deer Park
Chippewa	Paradise		Whitefish Point Road	To Whitefish Point; M-123 changes from northbound to southbound
	Eckerman		M-28	Eastern Junction
	Trout Lake		H-40	Former M-48 concurrency
Mackinac	Allenville		H-57
Mackinac	Rogers Park	92.11	I-75	Southern terminus