M-129 (Michigan highway)
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| M-129 |
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| Maintained by MDOT | |||||||||
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| Length: | 33.223 mi[1] (53.47 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1930[2] | ||||||||
| South end: |  M-134 in Cedarville |
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| Major junctions: |
 M-48 in Pickford |
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| North end: |  BS I-75 in Sault Ste. Marie |
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| Counties: | Mackinac & Chippewa | ||||||||
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M-129 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs from Cedarville to Sault Ste. Marie. South of Nine Mile Road in Chippewa County (and in all of Mackinac County), M-129 overlays the Michigan Meridian. The section of M-129 that overlays the meridian is named Meridian Road. It is one of five north–south cross-peninsular highways in the Upper Peninsula. The others are M-64, US 41, M-117 and I-75. The highway between M-48 and the northern terminus is a part of the larger Lake Huron Circle Tour.
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[edit] Route description
M-129 starts at an intersection between Meridian Road and M-134 in Cedarville. This intersection is northwest of Lake Huron and a ferry connection to the 4-mile (6 km) long La Salle Island, part of Les Cheneaux Islands. The islands are a quiet tourist destination full of low-key charm.[3] From here north, M-129 follows the Michigan Meridian on Meridian Road. The highway forms part of the north–south Mackinac–Chippewa county line as it approaches the community of Pickford. South of Pickford, M-129 and M-48 merge along Meridian Road at 26 Mile Road. M-129 picks up the Lake Huron Circle Tour designation and together with M-48 they both cross the Munuscong River which empties into Munuscong Lake, a part of the St. Marys River. These two highways run concurrently through Pickford to 22 Mile Road.[4]
At 22 Mile Road, M-48 turns westerly and M-129 continues north. This intersection is also the location of the Munscong Golf Club. M-129 meets the eastern termini of M-80 and M-28 at 17 Mile Road and 9 Mile Road respectively. Just before meeting 9 Mile Road, M-129 jogs to the east, leaving Meridian Road to meet up with McKnight Road, which runs parallel to the Michigan Meridian. McKnight Road and I-75 run roughly parallel approaching Sault Ste. Marie from the south. At 3 Mile Road, M-129 enters the City of Sault Ste. Marie east of the southern terminus of BS I-75 and the roadway is renamed to Ashmun Street. When BS I-75 meets Ashmun Street, M-129 ends and and BS I-75 takes over Ashmun Street into downtown.[4] M-129 ends south of the Lake Superior State University campus, home of the annual Banished Words List.[5]
[edit] History
The modern M-129 was originally part of M-12 from 1919 until 1926 and US 2 from 1926 to 1933.
[edit] Previous designations
The first usage of M-129 on a highway in Michigan was on a roadway connecting Lake Gogebic State Park to Marenisco and south to the Wisconsin state line, a routing now used by M-64 since 1930. The second usage was for a highway in the Keweenaw Peninsula connecting Phoenix with Eagle Harbor. This second designation was extended in 1933 to Copper Harbor and replaced by M-26 in 1935.[2]
[edit] Current designation
M-5 was used as the designation for the former US 2 in Mackinac and Chippewa counties until 1939. This designation was replaced by M-129 in that year as part of a plan to free up the single-digit highway numbers for a proposed "superhighway network" in Michigan. The last gravel sections of roadway were paved in 1960 south of Sault Ste. Marie and the highway was truncated to end at M-134 in Cedarville in 1963. Previous to this, the highway continued south into downtown Cedarville on Merdian Road. A small realignment moved the northern terminus to a new intersection with BS I-75 in Sault Ste. Marie in 1967.[2]
[edit] Major intersections
The following table shows the major intersections along the routing of M-28. Included are intersections with other state trunklines.
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Roads | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mackinac | Cedarville | 0.000 | M-134 |
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| Chippewa | Pickford Township | 8.991 | M-48 26 Mile Road |
South end of M-48 concurrency |
| 12.991 | M-48 22 Mile Road |
North end of M-48 concurrency | ||
| Bruce Township | 17.991 |  M-8017 Mile Road |
Eastern terminus of M-80 | |
| Dafter Township | 25.991 |  M-289 Mile Road |
Eastern terminus of M-28 | |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 33.223 | BS I-75 Ashmun Street |
| Legend | |||||
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| Crossing, no access | Concurrency terminus | Deleted | Unconstructed | Closed | |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Control Section/Physical Reference Atlas. Michigan Department of Transportation (2001). Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ a b c Bessert, Christopher J.. Michigan Highways: Highways 120 through 139. Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
- ^ Hunt, Mary and Hunt, Don (2007). "Les Cheneaux Islands", Hunt's Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Albion, MI: Midwestern Guides. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ a b Google Maps. Cedarville, MI to Sault Ste. Marie, MI [map]. Cartography by NAVTEQ, Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ History of Word Banishment. Banished Words List. Lake Superior State University. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
