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M-99 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-99 is a state highway
in the Lower Peninsula
of the US state of Michigan
. It runs from the Ohio
state border, where it connects to SR 15, north to Lansing
where it terminates at a junction with I-496. It mainly serves local communities along the route as the I-69
corridor is nearby to the west, while the US 127
corridor is close to the east.
where it becomes M-99. It then travels north, through mostly agricultural areas before reaching a junction with M-34
just west of Osseo. The route then travels westward, bending to the north around Baw Beese Lake just southeast of Hillsdale. M-99 passes through Hillsdale on a northwest course, passing just a few blocks to the west of Hillsdale College
. After leaving Hillsdale, the road bends to the north as it heads to Jonesville
where it junctions with US 12
. The two routes share a concurrency in Jonesville that is less than half a mile before M-99 returns to its northwesterly course as it leaves the town towards Litchfield.
In Litchfield, M-99 enters the town from the southwest, passing near the center of town where it meets the northern terminus of M-49
. The route then leaves Litchfield heading northwest for a few miles before bending to the north as it heads towards Homer
. In Homer, after passing through a roundabout
, M-99 meets up with M-60
and, together, leave the town to the northeast. The road briefly becomes divided to provide an enhanced junction to end the concurrency as M-99 heads north, while M-60 continues east. From here, the route continues northward towards the city of Albion
. After crossing the Kalamazoo River
in downtown Albion, M-99 junctions with the I-94 business loop. The business loop has a junction with M-199
just a few blocks north of the intersection. M-99 continues east concurrently with the business loop passing by Albion College
before heading back north to an interchange with I-94
at exit 124.
M-99 continues north to the village of Springport
where it briefly becomes Main Street as it passes through the town before continuing north east on Eaton Rapids Road. Shortly after leaving Springport, M-50
comes in from the southwest to meet up with M-99 where the two travel together into Eaton Rapids
. Together they form Main Street in Eaton Rapids before they split ways on the north side of town where M-50 leaves to the northwest as Dexter Road (Clinton Trail outside of the city limits) and M-99 continues to the northeast as first Canal Street, and then Michigan Street. For the next few miles, the road parallels the general course of the Grand River
before crossing over the river just southeast of Diamondale where it then has an interchange with I-96
at exit 101.
From I-96, the road continues north into the outskirts of Lansing
as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The road then travels north through the southern side of the Capitol City, crossing major city thoroughfares such as Jolly Road and Mount Hope Avenue before ending at a junction with I-496
at exits 5 and 6.
shoreline and M-11
(now US 31
) between Muskegon
and Hart
; in the 1930s, M-99 was designated on a gravel road in the Upper Peninsula
from US 2
(just east of Gulliver) to Port Inland on Lake Michigan
.
The current incarnation of M-99 was originally M-9 until 1939 when the designation was removed in an effort to retain single digit designations for planned "super highways" in Michigan which never came to fruition. In 1934, M-9 traveled on Pioneer Road, in Hillsdale County, from the Ohio border before turning west on Burt Road, north on Clark Road, west on Montgomery Road then north onto Hillsdale Road. During this time a loop was planned to continue north from the corner of Pioneer and Burt Roads to Montgomery Road where it turned west and met back up with M-9 at Clark Road. This short loop was designated M-158, however later in the year the routing of M-9 was shifted onto the M-158 alignment thereby ending its short tenure in the state highway system. The M-158 designation has not been used since.
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...
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"....
. It runs from the Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
state border, where it connects to SR 15, north to Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
where it terminates at a junction with I-496. It mainly serves local communities along the route as the I-69
Interstate 69
Interstate 69 is an Interstate Highway in the United States. It exists in two parts: a completed highway from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and a mostly proposed extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas...
corridor is nearby to the west, while the US 127
U.S. Route 127
U.S. Route 127 is a long north–south United States highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 near Grayling, Michigan...
corridor is close to the east.
Route description
Ohio State Route 15 crosses into Michigan just north of Pioneer, OhioPioneer, Ohio
Pioneer is a village in Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,369 at the 2010 census.-History:Earliest recorded settlers of Pioneer were P.W. Norris and Owen McCarty , who were hired to clear James A. Rogers land in 1842-3. That land was section 17 of Williams County...
where it becomes M-99. It then travels north, through mostly agricultural areas before reaching a junction with M-34
M-34 (Michigan highway)
M-34 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the southeastern region of the US state of Michigan. It has a western terminus near Osseo on M-99 and runs through forest and farm lands to its eastern terminus at Business US Highway 223 and M-52 in Adrian...
just west of Osseo. The route then travels westward, bending to the north around Baw Beese Lake just southeast of Hillsdale. M-99 passes through Hillsdale on a northwest course, passing just a few blocks to the west of Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis...
. After leaving Hillsdale, the road bends to the north as it heads to Jonesville
Jonesville, Michigan
Jonesville is a village in Fayette Township, Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,337 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
where it junctions with US 12
U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
. The two routes share a concurrency in Jonesville that is less than half a mile before M-99 returns to its northwesterly course as it leaves the town towards Litchfield.
In Litchfield, M-99 enters the town from the southwest, passing near the center of town where it meets the northern terminus of M-49
M-49 (Michigan highway)
M-49 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the south-central portion of the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Ohio state line north to Litchfield through rural Hillsdale County. M-49 is the only Michigan highway in which the road crossing into another state has the same state highway...
. The route then leaves Litchfield heading northwest for a few miles before bending to the north as it heads towards Homer
Homer, Michigan
Homer is a village in Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,851 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. In Homer, after passing through a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
, M-99 meets up with M-60
M-60 (Michigan highway)
M-60 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Niles area at a junction with US Highway 12 to the Jackson area where it ends at Interstate 94 . The trunkline passes through a mix of farm fields and woodlands, crosses or runs along several rivers and...
and, together, leave the town to the northeast. The road briefly becomes divided to provide an enhanced junction to end the concurrency as M-99 heads north, while M-60 continues east. From here, the route continues northward towards the city of Albion
Albion, Michigan
Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The population was 9,144 at the 2000 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. After crossing the Kalamazoo River
Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch...
in downtown Albion, M-99 junctions with the I-94 business loop. The business loop has a junction with M-199
M-199 (Michigan highway)
M-199 is a short highway in the US state of Michigan. The western terminus of the 3.98 mile-long road is in Sheridan Township at exit 119 off I-94. The eastern terminus is a junction with BL I-94 in the city of Albion. The entire road is within Calhoun County. Although M-199 is nominally a "child"...
just a few blocks north of the intersection. M-99 continues east concurrently with the business loop passing by Albion College
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
before heading back north to an interchange with I-94
Interstate 94 in Michigan
Interstate 94 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Billings, Montana, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that enters the state south of New Buffalo...
at exit 124.
M-99 continues north to the village of Springport
Springport, Michigan
Springport is a village in Jackson County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 704. The village is located within Springport Township on M-99.-Geography:...
where it briefly becomes Main Street as it passes through the town before continuing north east on Eaton Rapids Road. Shortly after leaving Springport, M-50
M-50 (Michigan highway)
M-50 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. Although designated as an east–west highway, it is nearly a diagonal northwest-southeast route...
comes in from the southwest to meet up with M-99 where the two travel together into Eaton Rapids
Eaton Rapids, Michigan
Eaton Rapids is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,214 at the 2010 census.The city is located in the south of Eaton Rapids Township, on the boundary with Hamlin Township, though it is politically independent of both townships...
. Together they form Main Street in Eaton Rapids before they split ways on the north side of town where M-50 leaves to the northwest as Dexter Road (Clinton Trail outside of the city limits) and M-99 continues to the northeast as first Canal Street, and then Michigan Street. For the next few miles, the road parallels the general course of the Grand River
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...
before crossing over the river just southeast of Diamondale where it then has an interchange with I-96
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...
at exit 101.
From I-96, the road continues north into the outskirts of Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The road then travels north through the southern side of the Capitol City, crossing major city thoroughfares such as Jolly Road and Mount Hope Avenue before ending at a junction with I-496
Interstate 496
Interstate 496 is an Interstate Highway that passes through downtown Lansing, Michigan and is a "child" of Interstate 96. It is ceremonially designated the R.E. Olds Freeway along the portion that cuts through the city of Lansing...
at exits 5 and 6.
History
In the 1920s, M-99 was designated on a road between the Lake MichiganLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
shoreline and M-11
M-11 (Michigan highway)
M-11 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. The highway runs through the western and southern sides of the metro area, starting over the border in Ottawa County at an interchange with Interstate 96...
(now US 31
U.S. Route 31
U.S. Route 31 is a long north–south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with its northern terminus at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City, Michigan, and southern terminus at the combined U.S. Route 90 & U.S. Route 98 at Spanish Fort, Alabama...
) between Muskegon
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
and Hart
Hart, Michigan
Hart is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,950. It is the county seat of Oceana County. The city is located within Hart Township, but is politically independent....
; in the 1930s, M-99 was designated on a gravel road in the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
from US 2
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 2 is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada...
(just east of Gulliver) to Port Inland on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
.
The current incarnation of M-99 was originally M-9 until 1939 when the designation was removed in an effort to retain single digit designations for planned "super highways" in Michigan which never came to fruition. In 1934, M-9 traveled on Pioneer Road, in Hillsdale County, from the Ohio border before turning west on Burt Road, north on Clark Road, west on Montgomery Road then north onto Hillsdale Road. During this time a loop was planned to continue north from the corner of Pioneer and Burt Roads to Montgomery Road where it turned west and met back up with M-9 at Clark Road. This short loop was designated M-158, however later in the year the routing of M-9 was shifted onto the M-158 alignment thereby ending its short tenure in the state highway system. The M-158 designation has not been used since.