M-94 (Michigan highway)
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| M-94 |
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| Maintained by MDOT | |||||||||
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| Length: | 87.31 mi[1] (140.51 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1922[1] | ||||||||
| West end: |  M-553 at K. I. Sawyer |
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| Major junctions: |
 Sawyer International Airport
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| South end: |  US 2 in Manistique |
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| Counties: | Marquette, Alger, Schoolcraft | ||||||||
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M-94 is a medium-length state trunkline in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan from K. I. Sawyer to Manistique. All of M-94 is surface road. M-94 is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour during a concurrency with M-28.
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[edit] Route description
M-94 begins at an intersection with M-553 and crosses the former K. I. Sawyer AFB. The it overlaps US 41 for a little over a mile near Skandia, and has a concurrency with M-28 from Munising to Shingleton. Until the turn at Shingleton, the route is more decidedly east-west than north-south. Between Shingleton and Manistique, M-94 is more north-south.
[edit] Siphon Bridge
In Manistique, M-94 crosses the Manistique River on the "Siphon Bridge". Built as a part of a raceway flume on the river, the water level is actually higher than the road surface. This produces a siphon effect, giving the bridge its nickname. The Michigan Works Progress Administration summarized the bridge with the following explanation:
| “ | In 1916, when the Manistique Pulp and Paper Company was organized, engineers realized that a dam at the mouth of the river large enough to supply the needs of the mill would flood a large section of the city. If the shallow river banks were diked to hold the water, bridging the river would be expensive. The problem was solved by constructing a huge concrete tank lengthwise in the river bed; the sides of the tank provide artificial banks, higher than the natural ones. Concrete bulkheads, formed by the side spans of the bridge, allow the mill to maintain the water level several feet above the roadbed.[2] | ” |
The Manistique Tourism Council stated: "At one time, the bridge itself was partially supported by the water that was atmospherically forced under it," and that the Bridge has been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! [3]
[edit] History
From its inception until 1925, M-94 connected the city of Munising with M-28. In 1925, it was rerouted to run out of Munising west to Au Train instead of east to Van Meer. It was later extended westward to Harvey by 1939. M-94 was extended eastward on M-28 to Shingleton, and then southerly to Manistique in 1926. In 1928, M-94 was returned to run along Munising-Van Meer-Shingleton Road (now H-58 and H-15) and southerly to Shingleton. This routing was abandoned on 1963-11-07.[4][1]
In 1941, the portion of M-94 west from Munising to Harvey was made a part of M-28, and M-94 was extended along its current routing from Munising to US 41. M-94 was extended for the last time in 1998 over US 41 and through the old K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base to end at a newly designated M-553.[1]
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile | Roads | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette | K. I. Sawyer | 0.00 | M-553 |
Western terminus |
| Skandia |  US 41 |
North to Marquette | ||
| US 41 |
South to Rapid River | |||
| Alger | Eben Junction |  H-01 |
South to Traunik | |
| Chatham | H-01 |
North to Deerton | ||
 M-67 |
To Trenary | |||
| Forest Lake |  H-03 |
To Au Train | ||
| Munising |  M-28 |
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| Wetmore |   H-13/Federal Forest Highway 13 |
To Nahma | ||
| Shingleton | M-28 H-15 |
M-28 to Seney H-15 to Van Meer |
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| Schoolcraft | Manistique | 87.31 | US 2 |
Southern terminus |
| Legend | |||||
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| Crossing, no access | Concurrency terminus | Deleted | Unconstructed | Closed | |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Michigan Highways: Highways 90 through 99 Christopher J. Bessert. URL accessed August 24, 2006.
- ^ Siphon Bridge and Water Tower - Michigan's Upper Peninsula "Hunt's Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula." URL accessed 15 September 2006.
- ^ Attractions in the Manistique Area of the Upper Peninsula "Manistique Tourism Council." URL cached 26 July 2006.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation. Right of Way Map for Alger County, Sheet 56 [map]. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
