M-140 (Michigan highway)

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M-140 marker

M-140

M-140 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length: 37.205 mi[1] (59.876 km)
Existed: c. 1931[2][3] – present
Major junctions
South end: M-139 in Niles
 

M-62 near Eau Claire

I-94 near Watervliet
North end: I-196 / US 31 / LMCT / BL I-196 at South Haven
Location
Counties: Berrien, Van Buren
Highway system
← M-139 US 141 →

M-140 is a north–south state trunkline highway in Berrien and Van Buren counties of the US state of Michigan. The highway starts in the Niles area at M-139 and runs north through Watervliet to South Haven, ending at Interstate 196/US Highway 31 (I-196/US 31). In between, it runs through farm fields and past lakes in the southwestern part of the Lower Peninsula. The trunkline is used, on average, by between 1,500 and 10,200 vehicles.

The state designated M-140 in the early 1930s over a previous alignment of US 31 when that highway rerouted through the area. M-140 was extended from Watervliet to Niles a few years later. Changes were made to the routing of the trunkline in the 1950s and 1960s. The last change was made in 1972, resulting in the modern course for the highway.

Route description

M-140 starts at an intersection with M-139 near the St. Joseph River north of Niles and runs due north through farm fields. The trunkline jogs to the west near Steinbauer Lake before returning to the northerly course. There is another westerly jog along Pokagon Road to avoid Riggins Lake. M-140 turns back northward and runs through the community of Berrien Center. Near Eau Claire, the highway turns west along Maple Grove Road for about 1,000 feet (300 m) before turning north on Watervliet Road. East of town, the trunkline follows Main Street eastward toward the Berrien–Cass county line. M-140 intersects the northern terminus of M-62 and turns north.[4][5]

In northern Berrien County, M-140 follows Watervliet Road to an interchange with Interstate 94 (I-94). The highway continues northward along Main Street into Watervliet, running through the middle of town and intersecting Red Arrow Highway, the former US 12. North of downtown, the trunkline curves through residential neighborhoods to the northeast around the east end of Paw Paw Lake. M-140 crosses into western Van Buren County about five miles (8.0 km) north of Watervliet. The highway crosses, and parallels, the Van Buren Trail in Covert. In South Haven Township, M-140 connects the South Haven Area Regional Airport with the I-196/US 31 freeway; north of this interchange, the freeway continues as Business Loop I-196.[4][5]

M-140 is maintained by the Michigan 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 called annual average daily traffic, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2010 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-140 were the 10,176 vehicles daily near in Watervliet; the lowest count was 1,536 vehicles per day along Pokagon Road.[6] No section of M-140 has not been listed on the National Highway System,[7] a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[8]

History

In late 1931, the state transferred US 31 to a new routing between the St. Joseph and South Haven areas; in the process, the former route of US 31 between Watervliet and South Haven was redesignated as M-140.[2][3] The highway was extended southward from Watervliet to the Niles area in late 1934 or early 1935.[9][10] The concurrency between M-62 and M-140 was eliminated around the end of 1957 when the former highway was truncated to terminate east of Eau Claire instead of continuing west into town.[11][12] At the end of the 1950s, the route north of Watervliet to the county line was realigned, smoothing several sharp curves.[12][13]

The construction of the I-196/US 31 freeway around the South Haven area impacted the northern terminus of M-140 in the 1960s. When it opened in 1963, BL I-196 is shown on maps as continuing north along M-140 into town to a junction with M-43.[14][15] In 1972, business loop is rereouted, and M-140 is truncated to end at the freeway interchange south of town.[16][17]

Major intersections

CountyLocationMile[1]kmDestinationsNotes
BerrienNiles Charter Township0.0000.000 M-139 (Old US 31/Front Street)
Berrien Township –
Pipestone Township		10.32016.608 M-62 east – Dowagiac
Watervliet Township23.678–
23.698		38.106–
38.138		 I-94 – Detroit, ChicagoExit 41 on I-94
Van BurenSouth Haven Township37.20559.876 I-196 / US 31 / LMCT south – Benton Harbor, Holland
BL I-196 north / LMCT north		Exit 18 on I-196/US 31; road continues as BL I-196
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

  • Portal icon Michigan Highways portal

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Michigan Department of Transportation (2009). MDOT Physical Reference Finder Application (Map). Cartography by Michigan Center for Geographic Information. http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/prfinder/. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michigan State Highway Department (October 1, 1931). Official Highway Service Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Michigan State Highway Department (May 1, 1932). Official Highway Service Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michigan Department of Transportation (2011). State Transportation Map (Map). 1 in:15 mi / 1 cm:9 km. Section M8–N8.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Google Inc. "Overview Map of M-140". Google Maps (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=M-140+N&daddr=Interstate+196+Business+Loop%2FM-140+N&hl=en&sll=42.361842,-86.267309&sspn=0.063674,0.058193&geocode=FbaqfgIdKKfb-g%3BFVByhgIdAqbb-g&oq=Niles&vpsrc=0&mra=ls&t=h&z=11. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 4, 2012. 
  7. ↑ Michigan Department of Transportation (April 23, 2006) (PDF). National Highway System, Michigan (Map). http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_NHS_Statewide_150626_7.pdf. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  8. ↑ Adderly, Kevin (August 26, 2010). "The National Highway System". Planning, Environment, and Realty. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 1, 2011. 
  9. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department (September 1, 1934). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally.
  10. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department (May 15, 1935). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally.
  11. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department (October 1, 1957). 1957 Official Highway Map (Map). Section M7.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Michigan State Highway Department (1958). Official Highway Map (Map). Section M8. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1958)
  13. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department (1960). Official Highway Map (Map). Section M7–M8. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1960)
  14. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department (1963). Official Highway Map (Map). Section M7.
  15. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department (1964). Official Highway Map (Map). Section M7.
  16. ↑ Michigan Department of State Highways (1972). Official Highway Map (Map). 1 in:14.5 mi. Section M7.
  17. ↑ Michigan Department of State Highways (1973). Official Highway Map (Map). 1 in:14.5 mi. Section M7.

External links

Route map: Google / Bing
KML file (edit)
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