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M-31 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-31 was a state trunkline highway
in the Lower Peninsula
in the US state of Michigan
. It served as a connecting route between Saginaw
, The Thumb
communities, and Port Huron
.
being commissioned in 1926, the route was renumbered in several segments. M-31 started at the 1920s version of M-21
and followed modern M-25
northward to Harbor Beach
. There M-31 would follow today's M-142
westward through Bad Axe and Pigeon
back to the modern M-25. Once back on the modern M-25, M-31 passed through Sebewaing
southwesterly to the modern M-24
and south to Unionville
. Once M-31 met up with the modern M-138
it turned westerly through Akron
and Fairgrove
to Bradleyville Road. Bradleyville Road connected through Gilford to the current M-81
. M-31 followed M-81 west to Saginaw, and the terminus at what was then M-10
.
and was extended southward to Port Huron in 1923. With the coming of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, M-31 was deleted in favor of alternate route numbers, presumably to stem possible confusion with the future US 31 that would run on the western side of the state.
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 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...
in 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"....
. It served as a connecting route between Saginaw
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, The Thumb
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
communities, and Port Huron
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
.
Route description
The route of M-31 can still be driven today. With US 31U.S. Route 31 in Michigan
US Highway 31 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Alabama, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs from the Indiana–Michigan state line at Bertrand Township to its terminus at Interstate 75 south...
being commissioned in 1926, the route was renumbered in several segments. M-31 started at the 1920s version of M-21
M-21 (Michigan highway)
M-21 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan connecting the cities of Grand Rapids and Flint. The highway passes through rural farming country and several small towns along its course through the Lower Peninsula...
and followed modern M-25
M-25 (Michigan highway)
M-25 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The route follows an arc-like shape closely along the Lake Huron shore of the Thumb in the eastern Lower Peninsula between Port Huron and Bay City. It serves the lakeshore resorts along Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay and generally lies...
northward to Harbor Beach
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Harbor Beach is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,837 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,587 in 2009.-Geography:...
. There M-31 would follow today's M-142
M-142 (Michigan highway)
M-142 is a state trunkline highway in the Thumb region of the US state of Michigan. It is a "trans-peninsular" route in that it travels from Bay Port on Saginaw Bay to Harbor Beach on Lake Huron, thereby crossing the thumb peninsula.-Route description:...
westward through Bad Axe and Pigeon
Pigeon, Michigan
Pigeon is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,207 at the 2000 census. The village is within Winsor Township.-Geography:*According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land....
back to the modern M-25. Once back on the modern M-25, M-31 passed through Sebewaing
Sebewaing, Michigan
Sebewaing is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,974 at the 2000 census. The village is within Sebewaing Township. This small community is known as the Sugar Beet Capital, due to the Michigan Sugar slicing mill located within the village and the yearly...
southwesterly to the modern M-24
M-24 (Michigan highway)
M-24 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan that extends through Southeast Michigan, from northeast Auburn Hills to Unionville. It starts at an interchange with Interstate 75 and ends where it merges with M-25...
and south to Unionville
Unionville, Michigan
Unionville is a village in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 605 at the 2000 census. The village is located in the northwestern corner of Columbia Township.-Geography:...
. Once M-31 met up with the modern M-138
M-138 (Michigan highway)
M-138 is a long state trunkline highway in the Thumb region of the US state of Michigan.-Route description:M-138 begins at a junction with M-15 just west of the hamlet of Munger, in Bay County's Merritt Township. Known to locals as Munger Road, the route then heads due east through agricultural...
it turned westerly through Akron
Akron, Michigan
Akron is a village in Tuscola County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 461 at the 2000 census.The village is located on the boundary between Akron Township on the north and Fairgrove Township on the south, with the village area approximately evenly split between the two...
and Fairgrove
Fairgrove, Michigan
Fairgrove is a village in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 627 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Fairgrove Township.-Geography:...
to Bradleyville Road. Bradleyville Road connected through Gilford to the current M-81
M-81 (Michigan highway)
M-81 is a state trunkline in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan that travels from the city of Saginaw at the junction with M-13 and ends at the junction with M-53 east of Cass City over the county line in Greenleaf Township in northwestern Sanilac County.-Route description:M-81 starts...
. M-31 followed M-81 west to Saginaw, and the terminus at what was then M-10
M-10 (Michigan highway)
M-10, is a state trunkline route in the US state of Michigan. The southernmost portion follows Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit, and the southern terminus is at the intersection of Jefferson and Randolph Street leading to the entrance to the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel...
.
History
M-31 was one of the original trunklines shown on the July 1, 1919 map of the Trunkline System. Originally, M-31 ran from Saginaw to Harbor BeachHarbor Beach, Michigan
Harbor Beach is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,837 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,587 in 2009.-Geography:...
and was extended southward to Port Huron in 1923. With the coming of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, M-31 was deleted in favor of alternate route numbers, presumably to stem possible confusion with the future US 31 that would run on the western side of the state.