M-32 (Michigan highway)

M-32
M-32 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length:	100.14 mi[1][2] (161.16 km)
Existed:	c. July 1, 1919[3] – present
Major junctions
West end:	M-66 at East Jordan
	US 131 near Elmira I-75 at Gaylord M-33 at Atlanta M-65 near Lachine
East end:	US 23 at Alpena
Location
Counties:	Charlevoix, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena
Highway system
Michigan State Trunkline Highway System Interstate US State Heritage Routes ← M-31 M-33 →

M-32 is a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is an east–west route running 100.14 miles (161.16 km) from M-66 in East Jordan to US Highway 23 (US 23) in Alpena. It runs via Gaylord and Atlanta through forested terrain. There is one business spur for the highway that currently exists.

The highway has been extended a few times during its history, once reaching both lakes Michigan and Huron. Although it is no longer a true "cross-peninsular" highway, it is close, and there are efforts being made to extend the road back to US 31, restoring the cross-peninsular status lost in 1974 when it was shortened away from Charlevoix.

Route description

M-32 starts at the corner of Lake and Water streets in East Jordan. From there it follows Water, Bridge, Mill and State streets through town. It finally turns south on Maple Street leaving town. The trunkline turns east on Rogers Road south of Patricia Lake and then runs southeast into Antrim County. There it joins US 131 along a concurrency before turning east through Elmira and running east toward Gaylord. North of the Alba Road intersection, M-32 passes a cluster of lakes that includes Lake 27. Continuing east, M-32 crosses through a retail corridor before it passes under Interstate 75 (I-75) and runs into downtown Gaylord with Business Loop I-75 (BL I-75). Passing out of Gaylord, the highway runs southeasterly toward Johannesburg. The road passes Big Lake and turns south on Turtle Lake Road at the intersection with Beckett Road. The highway resumes its eastward path on McCoy Road into Johannesburg. It passes through the community and meets the county line in Vienna. There M-32 turns northwesterly to Atlanta. In town, M-32 meets and joins M-33. The two highways cross the Thunder Bay River before parting ways east of Atlanta in Avery Township. M-32 turns north by Fletcher Pond, which straddles the Montmorency–Alpena county line. Outside of the village of Hillman, M-32 passes Business M-32 (BUS M-32). In western Alpena County, the trunkline runs to the north of Manning Hill and passes the south end of the Alpena County Regional Airport outside Alpena. In the city, M-32 follows Washington Avenue. The end of the highway is at US 23, blocks from the Thunder Bay of Lake Huron.^[4]

All of M-32 consists of rural two-lane highway outside of the city of Gaylord. The highway passes through forest lands outside of the communities along the highway.^[4] From US 131 east to the eastern terminus at US 23, M-32 is listed on the National Highway System (NHS), a group of highways which are determined to be important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.^[5] The exception is a portion in eastern Otsego and western Montmorency counties, between the corner of Beckett & Turtle Lake Roads, six miles (10 km) east of Gaylord to the crossroads known as Big Rock, five miles (8 km) west of Atlanta.^[6]

History

M-32 was formed as a state trunkline in 1919 along its present routing between M-13 (now US 131) and M-10 (later US 23, now M-65) near Lachine.^[3] In 1933, M-32 was extended westerly along M-131 and then to M-66 in East Jordan.^[7] The concurrency along M-131 would remain when US 131 replaced it in 1939. Another change in this year comes on the east end as US 23 is realigned north of Alpena. M-32 takes over the US 23 routing between Lachine and Alpena.^[8] M-32 would be extended along M-66 to Charlevoix from 1964 until 1974.^[9][10] BUS M-32 would be disconnected from M-32 when the latter is realigned in Hillman in 1994.^[11]

Future

As stated above, a portion of M-32 is not on the NHS. Instead, the Federal Highway Administration map for the NHS in Michigan shows a proposed realignment that has not been built as of 2008.^[6]

Municipal officials in the Village of Ellsworth have sought an extension of M-32 westward from East Jordan to end at US 31.^[12] Such an extension would restore M-32's status as a "cross-peninsular" highway, making it the 4th if extended.

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile[1][2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Charlevoix	East Jordan	0.00	0.00	M-66 / C-48 west – Charlevoix, Mancelona	Western end of C-48 concurrency
				C-48 east (East Jordan-Boyne City Road)	Eastern end of C-48 concurrency
Antrim	Warner Township	15.54	25.01	US 131 north – Petoskey	Northern end of US 131 concurrency
		16.01	25.77	US 131 south – Kalkaska	Southern end of US 131 concurrency
Otsego	Hayes Township	24.46	39.36	C-42 west (Alba Road) – Alba
	Gaylord	28.64	46.09	I-75 / BL I-75 south – Mackinac Bridge, Saginaw	Exit 282 on I-75; western end of BL I-75 concurrency
		29.18	46.96	BL I-75 south	Eastern end of BL I-75 concurrency
				F-44 east (Wilkinson Road)
Montmorency	Vienna Corners			F-01 (Meridian Line Road)
	Atlanta	61.72	99.33	M-33 north – Onaway	Western end of M-33 concurrency
	Avery Township	67.67	108.90	M-33 south – Mio	Eastern end of M-33 concurrency
	Hillman			F-21 north (Veterans Memorial Highway)	To BUS M-32; also the former routing of M-32
Alpena	Green Township	84.36	135.76	M-65 south – Curran	Western end of M-65 concurrency
		85.97	138.36	M-65 north – Rogers City	Eastern end of M-65 concurrency
	Alpena	100.14	161.16	US 23 – Cheboygan, Standish
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Business spur

BUS M-32
Location:	Hillman
Length:	0.738 mi[1] (1.188 km)
Existed:	by 1927[13]–present

BUS M-32 is a .738-mile (1.188 km)^[1] business spur route running through Hillman, Michigan. There are markers present, but BUS M-32 does not connect to M-32. It is the shortest business route in the state, and the second shortest overall trunkline. It is 0.006 miles (0.010 km) longer than M-212 in Aloha. The termini for BUS M-32 are Hillman Road and Old M-32 south of Hillman and the northern city limit along Hillman Road.^[1]

BUS M-32 highlighted in red

See also

• Michigan Highways portal

References

External links

• M-32 at Michigan Highways
• M-32 Spur – Thunder Bay River Bridge