M-129 is a
state trunkline highway in the
Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
(UP) of the US state of
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. It runs from
Cedarville to
Sault Ste. Marie. South of Nine Mile Road in
Chippewa County (and in all of
Mackinac County
Mackinac County ( ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace. Formerly known as Michilimackinac County, in 1818 it was one of the first ...
), M-129 overlays the
Michigan Meridian. The section of M-129 that overlays the meridian is named Meridian Road. The highway between
M-48 and the northern terminus is a part of the larger
Lake Huron Circle Tour
The Great Lakes Circle Tour is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River, St. Lawrence River. It consists of routes for circumnavigating the lakes, either individually or collectively. It was d ...
.
Originally a part of
M-12 and
US Highway 2 (US 2), the current roadway was formerly designated
M-5 from 1930 until 1939. Two other highways were also previously designated M-129. The first was in the western UP in the late 1920s; it was replaced by
M-64. The second was in the
Keweenaw Peninsula and was replaced by M-26.
Route description
M-129 starts at an intersection between Meridian Road and
M-134 in Cedarville. This intersection is northwest of
Lake Huron and a ferry connection to the long La Salle Island, part of
Les Cheneaux Islands. The islands are a quiet tourist destination that ''Hunt's Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula'' describes as "off the beaten tourist track" and full of "low-key charm".
From here north, M-129 follows the Michigan Meridian on Meridian Road. The highway forms part of the north–south
Mackinac–
Chippewa county line as it approaches the community of
Pickford. South of Pickford, M-129 and
M-48 merge along Meridian Road at 26 Mile Road. M-129 picks up the Lake Huron Circle Tour designation and the two roads cross together over the
Munuscong River, which empties into
Munuscong Lake, a part of the
St. Marys River. These two highways run
concurrently through Pickford to 22 Mile Road.
At 22 Mile Road, M-48 turns westerly and M-129 continues north. This intersection is also the location of the Munscong Golf Club. M-129 meets the eastern termini of
M-80 and
M-28 at 17 Mile Road and 9 Mile Road, respectively. Just before meeting 9 Mile Road, M-129 jogs to the east, leaving Meridian Road to meet up with McKnight Road, which runs parallel to the Michigan Meridian. McKnight Road and
I-75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...
run roughly parallel approaching Sault Ste. Marie from the south. At 3 Mile Road, M-129 enters the city of Sault Ste. Marie east of the southern terminus of
BS I-75, and the roadway is renamed Ashmun Street. When BS I-75 meets Ashmun Street, M-129 ends and BS I-75 takes over the Ashmun Street name into downtown.
M-129 ends south of the
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University (colloquially Lake State, Lake Superior State, Soo Tech, and LSSU) is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is enrolls approximately 2,000 students. Due to its proximity to the Canadian border, and th ...
campus, home of the annual
Banished Words List.
History
The modern M-129 was originally part of
M-12 from 1919 until 1926 and
US 2
U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 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. Unlike some routes, whi ...
from 1926 to 1933.
Previous designations
The first usage of M-129 on a highway in Michigan was on a roadway connecting
Lake Gogebic State Park
Lake Gogebic State Park is a public recreation area covering in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The state park sits on the western shore of Lake Gogebic, the largest inland lake in the Upper Peninsula. The land around the park is sparsely pop ...
to
Marenisco and south to the
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
state line;
this routing was designated
M-64 in 1930.
The second usage was for a highway in the
Keweenaw Peninsula connecting
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
with
Eagle Harbor. This second designation was extended in 1933 to
Copper Harbor and replaced by
M-26 in 1935.
Current designation
M-5 was used as the designation for the former US 2 in Mackinac and Chippewa counties until 1939, when it was redesignated as M-129 on maps.
The last gravel sections of roadway were paved in 1960 south of Sault Ste. Marie,
and the highway was truncated to end at M-134 in Cedarville in 1963.
Previous to this, the highway continued south into downtown Cedarville on Merdian Road. A small realignment moved the northern terminus to a new intersection with BS I-75 in Sault Ste. Marie in late 1967.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
M-129at Michigan Highways
M-129at Michigan Highway Ends-->
{{DEFAULTSORT:M129
129
Lake Huron Circle Tour
Transportation in Mackinac County, Michigan
Transportation in Chippewa County, Michigan