U.S. Route 23 in Michigan

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U.S. Highway 23
Maintained by MDOT
US 23 highlighted in red
Length:	362.33 mi (583.11 km)
Formed:	1926
South end:	US 23 at Ohio state line southwest of Lambertville
Major junctions:	I-94 – Ann Arbor I-96 – Brighton I-75 north – Flint I-69 – Flint I-475 south – Mt. Morris US 10 – Bay City I-75 – Standish
North end:	I-75 – Mackinaw City
Counties:	Monroe, Washtenaw, Livingston, Genesee, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Iosco, Alcona, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Emmet
Michigan highways < M-22 M-23 >

U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from Jacksonville, Florida to Mackinaw City, Michigan In the US state of Michigan, it is a major 362.33-mile (583.11 km) north-south highway. The route is freeway from the Michigan/Ohio state line to the city of Standish, Michigan, and mostly parallels the Lake Huron shoreline from there to its northern terminus.

Route description

US 23 enters Michigan on a freeway north of Toledo, Ohio, concurrent with US 223.^[1] It continues northerly as a limited-access expressway through Ann Arbor and Brighton, Michigan, intersecting I-94 and I-96, respectively, in those two towns.^[2][3] The expressway portion of US-23 serves as a western bypass of the Detroit metropolitan area.

Just south of Flint, US 23 joins I-75,^[4] staying with it through Flint and past Saginaw and Bay City before splitting at Standish via a 2-mile (3.2 km) freeway connector terminating south of the city.^[5] From there to Mackinaw City, US-23 follows the shoreline of Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron, serving such lakeside communities as Au Gres, East Tawas, Oscoda, Harrisville, Alpena, Rogers City, and Cheboygan. I-75 is a much more direct route for long-distance travel between Standish and Mackinaw City.

In 2004, US-23 between Standish and Mackinaw City was designated as the Sunrise Side Coastal Highway.

History

US-23 was commissioned in 1926 with the debut of the United States Highway system. It supplanted two state trunkline designations within the state: M-65 from the Michigan/Ohio state line to Flint, and a portion of M-10 from there to Mackinaw City. US-23 was co-signed with the newly-designated US-10 from Flint to Saginaw as well.^[6]

From Standish to Mackinaw City, US-23 initially took a more inland route. Between 1928 and 1941, the highway was gradually realigned to its present-day route largely along the Lake Huron shoreline, with portions of the old inland route becoming parts of M-65, M-55, M-32, M-68 and M-33.^[6] One portion of the former route between Tawas City and Oscoda via Wilber is now a series of county roads, one of which is named Old US-23.^[6] Another portion south of Alpena took the M-171 designation; when US-23 was rerouted through Harrisville (supplanting the Oscoda-Harrsisville leg of M-72 in the process), the original M-171 was decommissioned and that number was applied to the former routing of US-23 between Oscoda and Hubbard Lake via Lincoln.^[6] This latter incarnation of M-171 was decommissioned in 1960 and took the F-41 designation ten years later. Also, the portion of present-day US-23 between Rogers City and Hoeft State Park originally carried the designation M-91.^[6]

Freeway portion

One of the first pieces of what would later become part of US-23's freeway route was completed in 1951, when a two-lane bypass was built around the eastern side of Milan. Two years later, a similar bypass was built from Bridgeport to M-81 on the east side of Saginaw, with the old route becoming a Business US-23 designation.^[6] Both bypasses would later be upgraded to four-lane freeways by 1961, with the Saginaw one later incorporated into the route of I-75.^[6]

The first freeway portion of US-23 was built in 1957 from north of Ann Arbor to Whitmore Lake.^[6] Following this completion, US-23 (along with US-27 and US-31 were shifted from their termini at the Michigan state car ferry docks in Mackinaw City along present-day I-75; US-23 and US-31 then ended at the foot of the bridge, with US-27 continuing across it to St. Ignace.^[6] (US-27 was later scaled back, with the bridge taking the I-75 designation and US-23's northern terminus eventually shifted to exit 338 off I-75.)^[6]

In 1958, the first stretch of the "Fenton-Clio Expressway" opened, stretching from Fenton to Birch Run. By 1960, the portion from Flint to Birch Run also gained the I-75 designation.^[6] Also that year, a new I-75/US-23/US-10 freeway was built from the north end of the Saginaw bypass to Bay City, utilizing the Zilwaukee drawbridge (later replaced by the Zilwaukee Bridge) over the Saginaw River.^[6] By 1962, US-23 was a complete freeway from the Ohio state line to Kawkawlin.^[6] Another thirty miles of freeway was built in 1967, extending to Standish. While initially signed as just US-23, this route would become part of I-75 once that freeway was completed northerly to Grayling.^[6]

Proposed freeway extension

As early as 1994, plans were made to build a new US-23 freeway from Standish northerly, with proposed termini in either Tawas City, Oscoda or Alpena.^[7] This proposal was brought up due to a high level of tourist traffic along the current routing, but has been rejected at least once due to concerns about wildlife.^[7] Since the beginning of this proposal, portions of US-23 within the northeastern Lower Peninsula have been widened from two to three or four lanes.^[7]

Bannered routes

US-23 presently has two business loops: one into Ann Arbor and one into Rogers City. Previously, US-23 also had business loops into Fenton and Saginaw, as well as two alternate routes (US-23A and ALT US-23) in the Bay City area, neither of which was signed for more than a year.^[6]

Exit list

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Monroe	Whiteford Township	1.48	1	Sterns Road
		2.99	3	Consear Road - Ottawa Lake
		5.11	5	US 223 north – Blissfield, Adrian	North end of US 223 overlap.
	Sumerfield Township	8.73	9	Summerfield Road
		13.19	13	Ida West Road - Petersburg
	Dundee Township	15.33	15	Lloyd Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance via Dixon Road
	Dundee	16.69	17	M-50 – Jackson, Monroe
	Milan Township	21.89	22	Cone Road - Azalia
	Milan	25.15	25	Plank Road — Downtown Milan
Washtenaw		26.65	27	Carpenter Road
	York Township	30.64	31	Willis Road – Willis, Saline
	Pittsfield Township	34.02	34	US 12 (Michigan Avenue) – Saline, Ypsilanti
	Ann Arbor	35.37	35	I-94 – Detroit, Chicago	South end of BL I-94 overlap
		37.39	37	M-17 east / BL I-94 west / BUS US 23 north - Downtown Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti	North end of BL I-94 overlap; Signed as 37A (M-17) and 37B (BL I-94 and BUS US 23)
		38.89	39	Geddes Road
		41.27	41	Plymouth Road
		42.49	42	M-14 east – Plymouth, Livonia	South end of M-14 overlap
	Ann Arbor Township	45.01	45	M-14 west / BUS US 23 south – Downtown Ann Arbor	North end of M-14 overlap
	Northfield Township	49.07	49	North Territorial Road
		50.18	50	6 Mile Road - Whitmore Lake
	Whitmore Lake	52.15	52	Barker Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		52.59	53	8 Mile Road — Downtown Whitmore Lake
Livingston	Green Oak Township	53.76	54	M-36 – South Lyon, Pinckney, Hamburg	Signed as exits 54A (east) and 54B (west) northbound. 9 Mile Road
		55.48	55	Silver Lake Road
		58.14	58	Lee Road
	Brighton	59.45	60	I-96 – Detroit, Brighton, Lansing	Signed as exits 60A (east) and 60B (west)
	Hartland Township	67.28	67	M-59 – Howell, Pontiac
		70.35	70	Clyde Road - Clyde
	Tyrone Township	74.51	75	Center Road
		76.83	77	White Lake Road
Genesee	Fenton	78.43	78	Owen Road — Downtown Fenton
		79.55	79	Silver Lake Road — Downtown Fenton, Linden
		79.87	80	Torrey Road, North Road
	Fenton Township	83.76	84	Thompson Road
	Mundy Township	87.55	88	Grand Blanc Road – Grand Blanc
		89.58	90	Hill Road	Connector to I-475
		90.27	115	I-75 south – Detroit, Toledo	South end of I-75 overlap; US 23 follows I-75 exit numbers
	Flint	91.61	116	Bristol Road	Signed as exits 116A (east) and 116B (west) southbound; former M-121, Exit to Bishop International Airport
	Flint Township	92.51	117	I-69 / Miller Road – Port Huron, Lansing	Signed as exits 117A (I-69) and 117B (Miller Road)
		94.03	118	M-21 (Corunna Road) – Owosso
	Mt. Morris Township	98.24	122	Pierson Road – Flushing
		100.70	125	I-475 south – Downtown Flint
		102.25	126	Mt. Morris
	Vienna Township	106.34	131	M-57 – Clio, Montrose
Saginaw	Birch Run	111.41	136	M-54 south / M-83 north – Birch Run, Frankenmuth	Northern terminus of M-54, southern terminus of M-83
	Bridgeport Township	119.81	144	Frankenmuth, Bridgeport	Signed as exits 144A (Frankenmuth) and 144B (Bridgeport) northbound
	Buena Vista Township	124.53	149	M-46 (Holland Avenue) – Sandusky, Buena Vista	Signed as exits 149A (Sandusky) and 149B (Buena Vista)
		125.83	150	I-675 north – Downtown Saginaw
		127.01	151	M-81 – Caro, Reese
		129.26	153	M-13 (East Bay City Road) – Saginaw
	Zilwaukee	Zilwaukee Bridge over Saginaw River
		130.19	154	Zilwaukee
	Zilwaukee Township	131.09	155	I-675 south – Downtown Saginaw
Bay	Frankenlust Township	135.43	160	M-84 (Saginaw Road)
	Monitor Township	137.94	162	US 10 west / M-25 east / BL I-75 east – Downtown Bay City, Clare	Signed as 162A (east) and 162B (west)
		139.46	164	M-13 CONN, Wilder Road - Kawkawlin
	Kawkawlin Township	144.18	168	Beaver Road
	Fraser Township	149.14	173	Linwood Road – Linwood
	Pinconning Township	157.15	181	Pinconning Road – Pinconning
Arenac	Lincoln Township	163.73	188	I-75 north – Mackinac Bridge	North end of I-75 overlap
	Standish	166.12		M-13 south – Bay City	Freeway ends; northern terminus of M-13
		168.40		M-61 west – Gladwin	Eastern terminus of M-61
	Omer	177.86		M-65 north – Twining	Southern terminus of M-65
Iosco	Tawas City	204.25		M-55 west – West Branch, Houghton Lake	Eastern terminus of M-55
	Oscoda	220.71		F-41 north – Mikado	Southern terminus of F-41
Alcona	Greenbush	231.84		F-30 west	Eastern terminus of F-30
	Harrisville	236.63		M-72 west – Grayling, Traverse City	Eastern terminus of M-72
	Alcona Township	251.78		F-41 south – Lincoln	Northern terminus of F-41
Alpena	Alpena	268.43		M-32 west – Atlanta, Gaylord	Eastern terminus of M-32
Presque Isle	Pulawski Township	297.52		M-65 south – Posen	Northern terminus of M-65
	Rogers Township	303.36		BUS US 23 north - Downtown Rogers City	Southern terminus of BUS US 23
	Rogers City	305.67		F-21 south – Hillman	Northern terminus of F-21
		305.94		M-68 – Onaway, Downtown Rogers City
		306.86		BUS US 23 south (3rd Street) - Downtown Rogers City	Northern terminus of BUS US 23
Cheboygan	Benton Township	344.69		F-05 south	Northern terminus of F-05
	Cheboygan	346.83		M-27 south (Main Street) – Indian River C-66 west	Northern terminus of M-27; eastern terminus of C-66
	Mackinaw City	362.17		M-108 (Nicolet Street)
Emmet		362.33		I-75 – Saginaw, Mackinac Bridge	Northern terminus of US 23. Exit 338 on I-75

References

External Links

• US-23 on Arborwiki

U.S. Route 23
Previous state: Ohio	Michigan	Next state: Terminus

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