M-23 (Michigan highway)

This article describes a former Michigan state trunkline highway numbered M-23. For the U.S. Highway, see U.S. Route 23 in Michigan; for other uses, see M23 (disambiguation)

M-23
Route information
Existed:	ca. July 1, 1919[1] – November 11, 1926[2][3]
Major junctions
West end:	Indiana state line in Mason Township
	M-13 in White Pigeon M-29 in Coldwater M-14 in Somerset
East end:	M-17 in Ypsilanti
Location
Counties:	Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Washtenaw
Highway system
Michigan State Trunkline Highway System Interstate • US • State ← US 23 US 24 →

M-23 was an early designation for the east–west state trunkline highway in the southern part of the US state of Michigan that became US 112 when the US Highway system came into existence in the mid-1920s. It extended from the Michigan/Indiana state line just north of Elkhart, Indiana, going due north for about two miles (3 km) and turned eastward. At Ypsilanti, Michigan it had its eastern terminus, meeting what was then M-17 (which would become U.S. Highway 12 from 1926 to 1961).

Route description

M-23 had its western terminus at the Indiana/Michigan state line near Elkhart, Indiana , crossing the state line in a north–south direction along a route later known as M-205. M-23 turned abruptly eastward about two miles north of the state line and followed a route that with some later re-alignments would become US 112 from 1926 until 1961 and in turn US 12.

At Ypsilanti, M-23 had its eastern terminus, meeting what was then M-17 (which would become US 12 from 1926 to 1961).

History

Most of M-23 became first US 112 and then what is now US 12 in southern Michigan. The designation became superfluous as the U.S. Highway system was introduced in Michigan, and the highway even crossed what would become US 23 in Saline. A bridge (now closed to vehicular traffic) west of Coldwater has a plaque indicating that the route that used that bridge was originally designated M-23. Michigan has not used markers for M-23 since the 1920s.

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
Cass	Mason Township		Indiana state line
St. Joseph	Mottville Township		M-13 south	Eastern end of M-13 concurrency
	White Pigeon		M-13 north	Western end of M-13 concurrency
Branch	Coldwater		M-29
Hillsdale	Hillsdale		M-34
	Somerset		M-14
Lenawee	Cambridge Junction		M-50
	Clinton		M-52
Washtenaw	Ypsilanti		M-17
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

Michigan Highways portal

1. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (1919). State of Michigan: Lower Peninsula (Map). Cartography by MSHD. http://maps.lib.msu.edu/miroadmaps/1919-lp.htm. Retrieved March 2, 2008. 
2. ^ Weingroff, Richard F. (January 9, 2009). "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Federal Highway Administration. http://wwwcf.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/numbers.cfm. Retrieved April 21, 2009. 
3. ^ Bureau of Public Roads (1926) (PDF). United States System of Highways (Map). http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/maps/misc-maps/1926us.pdf. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 

External links

• Michigan Highways Master List: 1918-Present
• M-17 at Michigan Highways