M-23 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-23 was an early designation for the east–west state trunkline highway
in the southern part of the US state of Michigan
that became US 112
when the US Highway system came into existence in the mid-1920s. It extended from the Michigan/Indiana
state line just north of Elkhart, Indiana
, going due north for about two miles (3 km) and turned eastward. At Ypsilanti, Michigan
it had its eastern terminus, meeting what was then M-17
(which would become U.S. Highway 12 from 1926 to 1961).
, crossing the state line in a north–south direction along a route later known as M-205
. M-23 turned abruptly eastward about two miles north of the state line and followed a route that with some later re-alignments would become US 112 from 1926 until 1961 and in turn US 12.
At Ypsilanti
, M-23 had its eastern terminus, meeting what was then M-17 (which would become US 12 from 1926 to 1961).
in southern Michigan. The designation became superfluous as the U.S. Highway system was introduced in Michigan, and the highway even crossed what would become US 23 in Saline
. A bridge (now closed to vehicular traffic) west of Coldwater
has a plaque indicating that the route that used that bridge was originally designated M-23. Michigan has not used markers for M-23 since the 1920s.
Michigan Highway System
The Michigan State Trunkline Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstates, U.S. Highways and State Highways in the US state of Michigan. The system is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation and comprises of trunklines in all 83 counties of Michigan on...
in the southern part of the US state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
that became US 112
U.S. Route 112
U.S. Route 112 was a largely east–west state trunkline highway across the southern portion of the US state of Michigan between New Buffalo and Detroit...
when the US Highway system came into existence in the mid-1920s. It extended from the Michigan/Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
state line just north of Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
, going due north for about two miles (3 km) and turned eastward. At Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
it had its eastern terminus, meeting what was then M-17
M-17 (Michigan highway)
M-17 is a long state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, connecting the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County. It was once part of a highway that spanned the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan before the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926...
(which would become U.S. Highway 12 from 1926 to 1961).
Route description
M-23 had its western terminus at the Indiana/Michigan state line near Elkhart, IndianaElkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
, crossing the state line in a north–south direction along a route later known as M-205
M-205 (Michigan highway)
M-205 was a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The route was turned back to local control in October 2002 by the Michigan Department of Transportation after the completion of M-217/Michiana Parkway...
. M-23 turned abruptly eastward about two miles north of the state line and followed a route that with some later re-alignments would become US 112 from 1926 until 1961 and in turn US 12.
At Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
, M-23 had its eastern terminus, meeting what was then M-17 (which would become US 12 from 1926 to 1961).
History
Most of M-23 became first US 112 and then what is now US 12U.S. Route 12 in Michigan
US Highway 12 is a US Highway that runs from Aberdeen, Washington to Detroit, Michigan. In the US state of Michigan it runs for . Previous to the creation of Interstate Highways in Michigan, US 12 ran along Michigan Avenue between Kalamazoo and Detroit, a highway corridor now served by I-94...
in southern Michigan. The designation became superfluous as the U.S. Highway system was introduced in Michigan, and the highway even crossed what would become US 23 in Saline
Saline, Michigan
Saline is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,810.The city is popular for its annual Celtic Festival, which attracts people from all over the United States and its sister cities Brecon, Wales and Lindenberg, Germany...
. A bridge (now closed to vehicular traffic) west of Coldwater
Coldwater, Michigan
Coldwater is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,945. It is the county seat of Branch County....
has a plaque indicating that the route that used that bridge was originally designated M-23. Michigan has not used markers for M-23 since the 1920s.