M-30 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-30 is a state trunkline highway
in the U.S. state of Michigan
that runs in a north–south direction from the Midland
area to West Branch
. The highway runs through rural parts of three counties in the Lower Peninsula
. The southern end runs along the Michigan Meridian
and parallel to the Tittabawassee River
. Prior to 1962, M-30's southern terminus ended at a junction with M-46
in Merrill
. Since then, the segment south of US Highway 10
(US 10) was returned to local control and decommissioned. In May 2009, M-30 was extended southerly from US 10 to M-20
, restoring some of the highway decommissioned in the 1960s to M-30.
through forest lands to a crossing of the Tittabawassee River
near Sanford
. M-30 passes through the community and crosses the US 10 freeway near the location where the latter crosses a narrow section of Sanford Lake. The road continues north running parallel to the lake along the meridian to a point near Edenville
. There, the highway turns westerly along Curtis Road and then back northerly on Midland Road to a crossing of the Tittabawassee and Wixom Lake.
Past the river and lake crossings, M-30 angles to the northeast to return to the Michigan Meridian. The area adjacent to the lake is farm land, but continuing north, the highway returns to the woodlands of the Au Sable State Forest
. M-30 intersects M-61
at Wooden Shoe Village near Smallwood Lake. The highway continues to parallel the Tittabawassee River, crossing several of its smaller tributaries
, until a point south of the Gladwin
–Ogemaw County
county line. The trunkline passes through a small unnamed, unincorporated community northwest of Hockaday near Indian and Elk lakes as the road turns to the northeast between the lakes in the area. M-30 crosses the county line near Edwards and continues northward. The highway turns to the northeast as it approaches West Branch, crossing under I-75 without an interchange. M-30 ends at Business Loop I-75/M-55
on the west side of West Branch.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) maintains M-30 like all other parts of the state trunkline highway system. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic using its roads in surveys using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). MDOT calculates the traffic level for a segment of roadway for any average day of the year in these surveys. For 2009, the highest traffic levels were observed on the section north of US 10 at 7,579 vehicles per day. The lowest AADT levels were the 2,952 vehicles between the M-61 junction and the Gladwin–Ogemaw county line. The survey did not include the section south of US 10. No segment has been listed as part of the National Highway System
, a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.
. An extension of M-18 in 1928 or 1929 south of Beaverton
lead to the redesignation and extension of M-30 south through Edenville
and Sanford to end at M-46
. M-30 was completely paved as the last 15 miles (24 km) of gravel roadway are completed between Sanford and the Midland
–Saginaw
county line in 1961. The next year, M-30 was truncated to end at the US 10 freeway in Sanford, the remaining portion south of US 10 was turned over to county control. On May 13, 2009, the Midland County Road Commission (MCRC) and the Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that transferred control of Meridian Road south of US 10 to M-20. The roadway transferred included a newly constructed bridge over the Tittabawassee River and other segments of roadway rebuilt by the MCRC.
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 U.S. 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 runs in a north–south direction from the Midland
Midland, Michigan
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan in the Tri-Cities region of the state. It is the county seat of Midland County. The city's population was 41,863 as of the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area....
area to West Branch
West Branch, Michigan
West Branch is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,926. It is the county seat of Ogemaw County. The city is located within West Branch Township, but is politically independent.-History:...
. The highway runs through rural parts of three counties in the Lower Peninsula
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
. The southern end runs along the Michigan Meridian
Michigan Meridian
The Michigan Meridian is the meridian used as a reference in the Michigan Survey, the survey of the U.S. state of Michigan in the early 19th century. It is located at 84 degrees, 22 minutes and 24 seconds west longitude at its northern terminus at Sault Ste...
and parallel to the Tittabawassee River
Tittabawassee River
The Tittabawassee River is a stream which flows in a generally southeasterly direction through the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river begins at Secord Lake in Clement Township, at the confluence of the East Branch and the Middle Branch...
. Prior to 1962, M-30's southern terminus ended at a junction with M-46
M-46 (Michigan highway)
M-46 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan between Muskegon and Port Sanilac, terminating near Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on each end. Except for the north–south segment that corresponds with the US Highway 131 freeway between Cedar Springs and Howard City, M-46 is...
in Merrill
Merrill, Michigan
Merrill is a village located in Jonesfield Township in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 782 at the 2000 census...
. Since then, the segment south of US Highway 10
U.S. Route 10 in Michigan
US Highway 10 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from West Fargo, North Dakota, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway enters the state on the SS Badger crossing Lake Michigan at Ludington and ends at Bay City.US 10 was created as part of...
(US 10) was returned to local control and decommissioned. In May 2009, M-30 was extended southerly from US 10 to M-20
M-20 (Michigan highway)
M-20 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs from New Era to Midland. It crosses through rural Lower Peninsula forest land between the two ends. The highway serves the college towns of Big Rapids and Mt...
, restoring some of the highway decommissioned in the 1960s to M-30.
Route description
M-30 is a rural, two-lane highway. M-30 follows Meridian Road starting at an intersection with M-20 (Isabella Road) outside of Midland. From this intersection, the highway runs north along the Michigan MeridianMichigan Meridian
The Michigan Meridian is the meridian used as a reference in the Michigan Survey, the survey of the U.S. state of Michigan in the early 19th century. It is located at 84 degrees, 22 minutes and 24 seconds west longitude at its northern terminus at Sault Ste...
through forest lands to a crossing of the Tittabawassee River
Tittabawassee River
The Tittabawassee River is a stream which flows in a generally southeasterly direction through the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river begins at Secord Lake in Clement Township, at the confluence of the East Branch and the Middle Branch...
near Sanford
Sanford, Michigan
Sanford is a village in Midland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 943 at the 2000 census.The founder's day parade is an important annual event in this old logging village along the Tittabawassee River....
. M-30 passes through the community and crosses the US 10 freeway near the location where the latter crosses a narrow section of Sanford Lake. The road continues north running parallel to the lake along the meridian to a point near Edenville
Edenville, Michigan
Edenville is a small unincorporated community in Edenville Township, Midland County in the U.S. state of Michigan.The community is in the northeast corner of the township near the boundary with Gladwin County, but the settlement is mostly within Midland County...
. There, the highway turns westerly along Curtis Road and then back northerly on Midland Road to a crossing of the Tittabawassee and Wixom Lake.
Past the river and lake crossings, M-30 angles to the northeast to return to the Michigan Meridian. The area adjacent to the lake is farm land, but continuing north, the highway returns to the woodlands of the Au Sable State Forest
Au Sable State Forest
The Au Sable State Forest is a state forest in the north-central Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources....
. M-30 intersects M-61
M-61 (Michigan highway)
M-61 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs between Marion and Standish. The highway runs along the boundary area between Northern Michigan and Central Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. M-61 runs through rural forestland connecting several smaller communities together as...
at Wooden Shoe Village near Smallwood Lake. The highway continues to parallel the Tittabawassee River, crossing several of its smaller tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, until a point south of the Gladwin
Gladwin County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 26,023 people, 10,561 households, and 7,614 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 16,828 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
–Ogemaw County
Ogemaw County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,645 people, 8,842 households, and 6,189 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 15,404 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile...
county line. The trunkline passes through a small unnamed, unincorporated community northwest of Hockaday near Indian and Elk lakes as the road turns to the northeast between the lakes in the area. M-30 crosses the county line near Edwards and continues northward. The highway turns to the northeast as it approaches West Branch, crossing under I-75 without an interchange. M-30 ends at Business Loop I-75/M-55
M-55 (Michigan highway)
M-55 is a state trunkline highway in the northern part of the US state of Michigan. M-55 is one of only three state highways that extend across the Lower Peninsula from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan; the others are M-46 and M-72. The highway crosses through rural forest and farmlands to connect...
on the west side of West Branch.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan Department of Transportation
The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...
(MDOT) maintains M-30 like all other parts of the state trunkline highway system. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic using its roads in surveys using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). MDOT calculates the traffic level for a segment of roadway for any average day of the year in these surveys. For 2009, the highest traffic levels were observed on the section north of US 10 at 7,579 vehicles per day. The lowest AADT levels were the 2,952 vehicles between the M-61 junction and the Gladwin–Ogemaw county line. The survey did not include the section south of US 10. No segment has been listed as part of the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...
, a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.
History
M-30 was first designated by July 1, 1919. The original routing only ran from Winegars to West Branch. South of Winegars, the roadway is a portion of M-18M-18 (Michigan highway)
M-18 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs for through the central region of the state connecting US Highway 10 near North Bradley with M-72 in rural Crawford County near the community of Luzerne...
. An extension of M-18 in 1928 or 1929 south of Beaverton
Beaverton, Michigan
Beaverton is a city in Gladwin County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,106 at the 2000 census.The city is adjacent to Beaverton Township and incorporates some land formerly in the township....
lead to the redesignation and extension of M-30 south through Edenville
Edenville, Michigan
Edenville is a small unincorporated community in Edenville Township, Midland County in the U.S. state of Michigan.The community is in the northeast corner of the township near the boundary with Gladwin County, but the settlement is mostly within Midland County...
and Sanford to end at M-46
M-46 (Michigan highway)
M-46 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan between Muskegon and Port Sanilac, terminating near Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on each end. Except for the north–south segment that corresponds with the US Highway 131 freeway between Cedar Springs and Howard City, M-46 is...
. M-30 was completely paved as the last 15 miles (24 km) of gravel roadway are completed between Sanford and the Midland
Midland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 82,874 people, 31,769 households, and 22,683 families residing in the county. The population density was 159 people per square mile . There were 33,796 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile...
–Saginaw
Saginaw County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 210,039 people, 80,430 households, and 55,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 260 people per square mile . There were 85,505 housing units at an average density of 106 per square mile...
county line in 1961. The next year, M-30 was truncated to end at the US 10 freeway in Sanford, the remaining portion south of US 10 was turned over to county control. On May 13, 2009, the Midland County Road Commission (MCRC) and the Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan Department of Transportation
The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...
(MDOT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that transferred control of Meridian Road south of US 10 to M-20. The roadway transferred included a newly constructed bridge over the Tittabawassee River and other segments of roadway rebuilt by the MCRC.