US-2
The following information was pulled from www.michiganhighways.org/ which is a tremendous resource for finding out the originals paths of our highways.
The inspiration for this came from driving original segments of Old US-2 and being able to see things along the original route.
Eastern Portion of US-2
Western Entrance: At Wisconsin state line 4.04 miles northwest of downtown Iron Mountain
Eastern Terminus: I-75 at Exit 344 in Saint Ignace (at jct I-75 & BL I-75)
Length (segment): 196.04 miles
Length (total): 305.54 miles
Notes:
This is the eastern two-thirds of US-2 in Michigan. US-2 dips into Wisconsin for approximately 15 miles between Crystal Falls and Iron Mountain.
The proposed US-2/US-141 "Iron Mountain bypass" previously mentioned on this website will not come to be. MDOT has pledged to make some improvments, however, to the current, somewhat congested route through the center of the city. Increasing traffic volumes on the two major US Highways funnelled through downtown Iron Mountain may cause further congestion without a bypass, though. From the MDOT's "Five Year Road & Bridge Program, Volume II," which covers 2000-2004:
The study of roadway alternatives for the proposed US-2 Bypass of Iron Mountain was completed during 1999. The study determined that construction of a bypass was not feasible and, therefore, improvements to the existing US-2 alignment will be implemented. The Superior Region Office, in cooperation with the City of Iron Mountain, has identified a series of operational and geometric improvements with implementation to begin in 2000. Early preliminary engineering (EPE) for the widening of US-2 from Washington Street to Michigan Avenue will begin in 2001.
It is not clear what made construction of the bypass infeasible, be it cost or engineering obstacles, but overwhelming public opposition to the project seemed to be absent.
Effective September 23, 1949, the vast majority of US-2 was designated as the "United Spanish War Veterans' Memorial Highway." Specifically, Act 104 of 1949 designated US-2 from Sault Ste Marie to Iron Mountain, M-95 from Iron Mountain to Sagola, M-69 from Sagola to Crystal Falls and US-2 again from Crystal Falls to Ironwood as a memorial to those who fought in the Spanish-American War.
Effective September 18, 1952, the portion of US-2 running from St Ignace to Sault Ste Marie was designated as part of the "Blue Star Memorial Highway," in addition to the entire route of US-31 in the Lower Peninsula from Niles to Mackinaw City. Act 71 of 1952 made the designation official.
Act 144 of 1950, effective March 19, 1960, officially designated US-2/US-41/M-35 "from the north city limits of the city of Escanaba running north 1-1/10 miles to the junction of county road number 426, also known as the extension of Sheridan Avenue" as the "Amvets Memorial Drive".
History
1926-27 - With the creation of the US Highway system, US-2 supercedes the entire route of M-12 in Michigan, with the exception of the portion between Crystal Falls and Iron Mountain, where US-2 dips into Wisconsin.
1930 - The first 4-mile stretch of what would later become US-2 is completed from M-28 (now 5 Mile Rd) to Dafter in Chippewa Co—it seems this stretch was un-numbered for the time being.
1930 - US-2/US-41 is relocated in Delta Co to its current alignment from Ludington Ave in Escanaba to north of Wells. The former route along M-35 retained the M-35 designation until the M-35 bypass of Escanaba was completed, while the former US-2/US-41 along Ludington Ave from downtown westerly to the new highway was turned back to local control.
1933 - A major realignment between St Ignace and Sault Sainte Marie is completed, shaving 11 miles from the route of US-2. Formerly, US-2 headed northerly from Rogers Park (north of St Ignace), then easterly to the Les Cheneaux Islands area along much of present-day M-134, then northerly via present-day M-129 to Sault Sainte Marie. The entrire former route of US-2 was renumbered as M-121 at the time. The route was realigned onto what is more commonly known as "Mackinac Trail" (present-day H-63).
1932-34 - US-2/US-141 was realigned onto its present routing from just north of downtown Iron Mountain to the Wisconsin state line, including a new bridge over the Menominee River, completed in 1934. While official MDOT sources show this section of highway was completed in segments in 1932 and 1934, the change does not show up on the Official highway map until 1939. The former route of US-2/US-141 along Bass Lake Rd and Co Rd 607 was turned back to local control.
1936 - A new, more-direct alignment of US-2 opens between Rapid River and Ensign in Delta Co, with the former route being turned back to local control.
1936 - A realignment of US-2 takes the highway due easterly from Cooks in western Schoolcraft Co to Thompson, then along the Lake Michigan shore into Manistique. The first segment of the former route from Cooks to M-149 was returned to county control. The next segment from M-149 to M-125 becomes part of M-149 (which was rerouted along M-125 to Thompson, decommissioning that route number). Between there and M-94 at Manistique, the former route is again turned back to county control.
1936-37 - A major alignment of the highway opens between Brevort and St Ignace in Mackinac Co. Formerly, US-2 ran east along today's Worth Rd from Brevort to the Tahquamenon Tr (later M-123), then southeasterly through Moran to meet US-31 at Rogers Park north of St Ignace. The first 18 miles of the new highway were completed in 1936, linking Brevort with the present-day westernmost intersection of US-2 & Pointe La Barbe Rd west of St Ignace. The final 5 miles into St Ignace were completed in 1938 and the US-2 designation was transferred to its present routing. The newly built highway takes US-2 along the Lake Michigan shoreline from Brevort, past Gros Cap, and into St Ignace. There, the US-2 routing supplants the US-31 designation northward to Rogers Park and the old route. US-31 is scaled back to the Lower Peninsula to end at the state ferry docks in Mackinaw City and the spur from the new US-2 in Saint Ignace to the state ferry docks there is designated M-122.
1939 - A new alignment opens northeast of Gulliver (formerly White Dale) in Schoolcraft Co, shaving 2 miles from the route. The former route along today's Co Rd 432 and Co Rd 433 is turned back to local control.
1941 - A major new alignment of US-2 is completed and opens to traffic. The new route begins at Gould City in western Mackinac Co, heads due easterly to Naubinway, then southeasterly along the Lake Michigan shore to the former route at Epoufette and is completely paved. The former route from Gould City through Engadine and Gilchrist to Garnet (Hiawatha Tr) is turned back to local control. The former route (formerly co-signed as US-2/M-48) from Garnet east for six miles becomes just M-48 and the final segment of old US-2 south to Epoufette is re-designated as M-117.
c.1941 - The steel superstructure of the Cut River Bridge, spanning the Cut River Gorge in central Mackinac Co east of Epoufette, is completed, but further construction on the bridge and its approaches is halted by World War II. The Cut River Bridge is the final link in the realignment of US-2 along the Lake Michigan shore from Gould City to St Ignace, begun in 1936. During the halt in construction during the war, US-2 traffic is maintained on Cut River Rd.
1946 - The magnificent Cut River Bridge finally opens to traffic with the completion of the bridge deck and approach roadways. The former route along Cut River Rd is turned back to local control.
1948 - The M-28 designation is extended northerly along US-2 from its eastern terminus to end in Sault Sainte Marie.
1950 - After just two years co-signed with US-2, M-28 was scaled back to its pre-1948 terminus at US-2, removing the concurrent designation.
1957 - The first portion of the US-2 freeway opens between Evergreen Shores and M-123 north of Saint Ignace, marking the first freeway segment ever built in the U.P. Also, on November 1, 1957, the Mackinac Bridge opens for traffic, with a new interchange at US-2 adjacent to Straits State Park on the west side of Saint Ignace.
1961 - A new portion of the US-2 freeway opens from end of northern Mackinac Bridge approach (at present-day Exit 344) northerly past Saint Ignace to connect with the already open freeway segment there. With this freeway opening, the I-75 designation is applied to the route across the Mackinac Bridge and north to the end of the completed freeway at M-123. The old alignment through downtown Saint Ignace becomes BL I-75. As an interesting aside, the next-closest segment of signed I-75 south of the Mackinac Straits area is at Birch Run, some 200 miles distant!
1962 - Two new sections of I-75/US-2 freeway open for traffic in Chippewa County:
From Kinross at present-day Exit 378 (present-day M-80) to Mackinac Tr (Old US-2) at Dafter. The former US-2 becomes a county road;
From BS I-75/Three Mile Rd (present-day Exit 392) in Sault Ste Marie to the newly completed International Bridge leading into Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. The former route of US-2 into downtown Sault Ste. Marie becomes BS I-75.
1963 - In the fall of 1963, the two final sections of I-75/US-2 freeway open for traffic, with the former sections of US-2 being turned over to county control:
Between end of completed freeway at M-123 (present Exit 352) and beginning of freeway at Kinross (present Exit 378);
From Mackinac Tr (Old US-2) near Dafter to BS I-75/Three Mile Rd in Sault Ste. Marie.
1971 - A four-lane divided expressway (limited-access with some crossroads) on a new alignment carrying US-2/US-41 is completed between Gladstone and Rapid River. The former route becomes a county road. Some MDOT sources seem to indicate this expressway segment was originally to be constructed as a fully controlled-access freeway, or to be converted to such with the later addition of grade separations and interchange ramps.
1983 - A new Manistique River bridge is constucted in Manistique, shortening the route by a couple miles, as well as bypassing the historic Siphon Bridge. The portion of US-2 along Chippewa Ave on the west side of Manistique becomes an unsigned state route while the remainder of the former US-2 routing through the city is designated as an extension of M-94.
1983 - The US-2 designation is scaled back from Sault Ste. Marie to end in St. Ignace at I-75's Exit 344, its present terminus, for a loss of 54 route-miles. US-2 had run concurrently with I-75 for more than 20 years.
Western Portion of US-2
Western Entrance: From Wisconsin in Ironwood
Eastern Entrance: From Wisconsin 10.0 miles south of Crystal Falls
Length (segment): 109.51 miles
Length (total): 305.54 miles
Notes:
This is the western one-third of US-2 in Michigan. US-2 dips into Wisconsin for approximately 15 miles between Crystal Falls and Iron Mountain.
Sometime in the early 1990s, MDOT began erecting milemarkers along this western segment of US-2.
Smaller than the standard Interstate highway-type milemarkers, these new markers were posted on one side of the pavement between Ironwood and the US-41 junction at Powers. No other non-freeway milemarking is evident in any other portion of the Upper Peninsula.
Effective September 23, 1949, the vast majority of US-2 was designated as the "United Spanish War Veterans' Memorial Highway." Specifically, Act 104 of 1949 designated US-2 from Sault Ste Marie to Iron Mountain, M-95 from Iron Mountain to Sagola, M-69 from Sagola to Crystal Falls and US-2 again from Crystal Falls to Ironwood as a memorial to those who fought in the Spanish-American War.
History:
1926-27 - With the creation of the US Highway system, US-2 supercedes the entire route of M-12 in Michigan, with the exception of the portion between Crystal Falls and Iron Mountain, where US-2 dips into Wisconsin.
1934 - A northern "bypass" of Ironwood is constructed to carry US-2 through traffic directly into Wisconsin along present-day Cloverland Dr, instead of through the downtowns of both Ironwood and Hurley, although it seems Wisconsin did not complete its connector to the new highway until early 1935. The former route of US-2 through Ironwood was redesignated M-54. Also in 1934, a new, more direct alignment opens between Beechwood and Iron River in Iron Co. The former route is turned back to local control.
1936-37 - The route of US-2 is realigned and straightened for approximately 6 miles in either direction of Marenisco, subtracting two miles from the distance, with the part west of Marenisco completed in 1936 and the part east in 1937. Much of the former route is turned back to local control.
1939 - A new alignment opens for approximately 5 miles to the east of Wakefield in Gogebic Co. The former route is turned back to local control.
1940 - A new, straighter alignment of US-2/US-141 opens from south of Crystal Falls to the Wisconsin state line. The former route is turned back to local control.
1940-41 - A newly-constructed, paved alignment opens from just west of US-45 at Watersmeet to the Golden Lake area west of Beechwood in Iron Co and saves 5 miles on the route. Much of the new highway alignment was graded in 1939 and 1940, some of it passable at that time. Final paving was completed in 1941. With the new alignment, which bypasses Watersmeet to the south, all of US-2 in Michigan is finally completely paved.
1942-44 - In 1942, the M-28 designation is extended westerly along US-2 from Wakefield to the Wisconsin state line at Ironwood. By 1944, the route M-54 through downtown Ironwood is redesignated as BUS US-2.
1948 - US-2 is realigned onto a direct route between Bessemer and Wakefield in western Gogebic Co, subtracting a mile from the distance.
1951 - The concurrent M-28 designation from Wakefield to Ironwood is removed from US-2 when M-28 is scaled back to end in Wakefield at its pre-1942 terminus.
1965 - A new highway alignment between Marenisco and Watersmeet opens with the old route along Old US-2 being turned back to local control.
1998 - US-2 through Iron River is realigned onto a more direct route east of downtown. Previously, US-2 headed easterly through Iron River via Adams St, then southerly via First Ave, easterly again via Genesee St across the Iron River before curving back northeasterly to leave the city. Now, US-2 continues due easterly via Adams St across the Iron River. The former route is temporarily retained as an unmarked state trunkline.
2001 (Dec 19) - The former route of US-2 east of downtown Iron River along First Ave and Genesee St is turned back to city control. US-2 was routed onto Adams St in 1998.
