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| U.S. Route 127 | |||||||||
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| Length: | 758 mi[1] (1,220 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1926 | ||||||||
| South end: |  US-27 at Chattanooga, TN |
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| Major junctions: |
 I-40 at Crossville, TN
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| North end: |  I-75 near Grayling, MI |
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U.S. Route 127 is a 758-mile (1,220 km) 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.
In Michigan, US 127 tripled in length in 2002 at the expense of its parent, US 27.
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Route description
Tennessee
In Tennessee, US 127 traverses rural areas of the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Middle Tennessee and western East Tennessee, passing through the cities of Jamestown and Crossville, then follows the Sequatchie Valley, passing through the cities of Pikeville and Dunlap. Near Dunlap the route turns southeastward to cross Walden Ridge, passing Signal Mountain and ending at its junction with US 27 in the northern Chattanooga suburb Red Bank.
Kentucky
In Kentucky, US 127 is cosigned with US 42 through Cincinnati's Northern Kentucky suburbs until five miles (8 km) west of Warsaw, then passing south through Owenton, Frankfort, bypassing Lawrenceburg, Harrodsburg and Danville, veering south-southwest toward Lake Cumberland and crossing into Tennessee in Clinton County. This was the road being driven by Buddy Rich when he wrote "Blue Grass makes me Blue" in 1947. Until as late (probably even later) as 1948, US 127 was known as KY 35 for its length in Kentucky.[2]
Ohio
Within Ohio, US 127 serves multiple rural communities along the extreme western edge of Ohio, including Bryan, Paulding, Van Wert, Celina, Greenville, Eaton, Somerville, Seven Mile and New Miami. From there, it heads south through Hamilton and Fairfield, Ohio before entering Cincinnati through its northwestern suburbs. US 127 crosses the Ohio Turnpike near West Unity, but does not have an intersection with it. It also joins with United States Route 36 for about 5 miles (8.0 km). The last city (5,000+) that US 127 goes through before reaching Michigan is Bryan. The last city US 127 goes through before Kentucky is Cincinnati. The highway is a four-lane, divided by-pass around Greenville
Michigan
In Michigan, US 127 runs from the Ohio border south of Hudson north to the junction with I-75, 4 miles (6 km) south of Grayling, a distance of 214.12 miles (344.59 km).[3]
The highway is the primary route connecting Lansing and central Michigan to Northern Michigan and the Mackinac Bridge. It serves the cities of Hudson, Jackson, Lansing, DeWitt, St. Johns, Ithaca, St. Louis, Alma, Mount Pleasant, Clare, and Houghton Lake. From the south side of Jackson northerly, it is mostly a four-lane freeway, with the notable exception of a 16-mile (26 km) stretch from north of St. Johns to just south of Ithaca, where access to the road is not limited and speeds are restricted to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).[3]
Prior to 2002, US 127 ran from I-69 north of East Lansing southerly to the Ohio border near Hudson, a total of 83 miles (134 km). From the Ohio border until Jackson, the highway follows the course (with minor deviations) of the Michigan Meridian used to survey Michigan in the early 19th century. That stretch is generally named Meridian Rd.
A proposed I-73 would incorporate US 127 between Jackson and Grayling.[4]
History
Southern terminus
US 127 originally terminated at Toledo when it was commissioned in 1926. At that time, the southern portion ran from Somerset to Toledo along the route of present day U.S. Route 223. In 1930 the southern terminus moved to Cincinnati, and in 1958 it was extended to its present southern terminus at Chattanooga.[5]
Northern terminus
The northern terminus of US 127 was in or near Lansing, Michigan from its inception in 1926 to 2002. In 2002, the terminus was moved to an intersection with I-75 south of Grayling in Crawford County, Michigan, replacing all of US 27 north of Lansing.[6]
See also
Related routes
References
- ^ Droz, Robert V. (2006-04-06). "Termini and Lengths in Miles". U.S. Highways: From US 1 to (US 830). http://www.us-highways.com/us1830.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
- ^ http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/maps/ghm1950/owen-1950.tiff
- ^ a b Bessert, Christopher J. (2008-01-01). "Michigan Highways: Highways 120 through 139". Michigan Highways. http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/MichHwys120-139.html#US-127. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
- ^ "NHS High Priority Corridors Description". High Priority Corridors on National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. 2006-09-15. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/hipricorridors/hpcor.html. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
- ^ Endpoints of US highways
- ^ Garnell, Dan (2003-11-03). "U.S. Route 127 Ends". Michigan Ends. http://www.state-ends.com/michigan/us127/. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
External links
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
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<  KY 126 |
KY | KY 128  > |
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<  M-126 |
MI | M-129  > |
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