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M-129 (Michigan highway)

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M-129 marker
M-129
Map
M-129 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length33.223 mi[1] (53.467 km)
Existed1939[2]–present
Tourist
routes		 Lake Huron Circle Tour
Major junctions
South end M-134 in Cedarville
Major intersections M-48 in Pickford

M-80 near Donaldson

M-28 near Dafter
North end BL I-75 in Sault Ste. Marie
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesMackinac, Chippewa
Highway system
←
Bus. US 127		→ M-130

M-129 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of the US 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. The highway between M-48 and the northern terminus is a part of the larger Lake Huron Circle Tour.

Originally a part of M-12 and US Highway 2 (US 2), the current roadway was formerly designated M-5 from 1930 until 1939. Two other highways were also previously designated M-129. The first was in the western UP in the late 1920s; it was replaced by M-64. The second was in the Keweenaw Peninsula and was replaced by M-26.

Route description

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M-129 starts at an intersection between Meridian Road and M-134 in Cedarville. This intersection is northwest of Lake Huron and the 4-mile long (6 km) La Salle Island, part of Les Cheneaux Islands. The islands are a quiet tourist destination that Hunt's Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula describes as "off the beaten tourist track" and 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 the two roads cross together over 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 Ashmun Street. When BS I-75 meets Ashmun Street, M-129 ends and BS I-75 takes over the Ashmun Street name into downtown.[4] M-129 ends south of the Lake Superior State University campus, home of the annual Banished Words List.[5]

History

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The modern M-129 was originally part of M-12 from 1919 until 1926 and US 2 from 1926 to 1933.[6][7][8]

Previous designations

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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;[9] this routing was designated M-64 in 1930.[10] 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.[8][11]

Current designation

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M-5 was used as the designation for the former US 2 in Mackinac and Chippewa counties until 1939, when it was redesignated as M-129 on maps.[2][12] The last gravel sections of roadway were paved in 1960 south of Sault Ste. Marie,[13] and the highway was truncated to end at M-134 in Cedarville in 1963.[14] 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 late 1967.[15][16]

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
MackinacCedarville0.0000.000 M-134 / LHCT – Hessel, De Tour Village
ChippewaPickford Township8.99114.470

 M-48 east / LHCT east (26 Mile Road) – Goetzville		Southern end of M-48/LHCT concurrency
12.99120.907
 M-48 west (22 Mile Road) – Rudyard		Northern end of M-48 concurrency
Bruce Township17.99128.954
 M-80 west (17 Mile Road) – Kincheloe		Eastern terminus of M-80
Dafter Township25.99141.828
 M-28 west (9 Mile Road) – Newberry, Munising		Eastern terminus of M-28
Sault Ste. Marie33.22353.467 BS I-75 / LHCT (Ashmun Street)Northern end of LHCT concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (December 1, 1939). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map) (Winter ed.). [c. 1:850,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ C11–D11. OCLC 12701143. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  3. ^ Hunt, Mary & Hunt, Don (2007). "Les Cheneaux Islands". Hunt's Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Albion, MI: Midwestern Guides. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Overview Map of M-129" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  5. ^ Department of English (n.d.). "History of Word Banishment". Banished Words List. Lake Superior State University. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  6. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (July 1, 1919). State of Michigan (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Lower Peninsula sheet. OCLC 15607244. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  7. ^ Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  8. ^ a b Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (July 1, 1933). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:840,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ C11–D11. OCLC 12701053.
  9. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (May 1, 1929). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
  10. ^ Michigan State Highway Department & H.M. Gousha (July 1, 1930). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
  11. ^ Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (May 15, 1935). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:850,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § A4. OCLC 12701143.
  12. ^ Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (April 15, 1939). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map) (Summer ed.). [c. 1:850,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ C11–D11. OCLC 12701143.
  13. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (1960). Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § C11. OCLC 12701120, 81552576. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1960)
  14. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (1963). Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § D11. OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  15. ^ Michigan Department of State Highways (1967). Michigan Water-Winter Wonderland: Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan Department of State Highways. § C11. OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  16. ^ Michigan Department of State Highways (1968). Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan Department of State Highways. § C11. OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
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  • M-129 at Michigan Highways

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