M-109 highlighted in red | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by MDOT | ||||
Length | 6.831 mi [1] (10.993 km) | |||
Existed | c. May 1, 1929 [2] –present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | ![]() | |||
North end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Michigan | |||
Counties | Leelanau | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
M-109 is the designation of a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan that runs between Empire and Glen Arbor. The highway is a loop connected to M-22 at both ends that allows tourists access to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive located on a section of sandy forest land between Lake Michigan and Glen Lake. The trunkline traverses an area named the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by Good Morning America , the morning show on ABC. The highway was designated by 1929 and fully paved in 1939.
M-109 starts at an intersection on M-22 north of Empire. The trunkline runs northward along Dune Highway past Maple Grove Cemetery and through woods in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. [3] [4] The area was named the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by Good Morning America in August 2011; [5] the designation came after a social media campaign to capitalize on the show's website poll. [6] Further north, the highway passes the entrance to Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive before running along the western shore of Glen Lake. Near the northwestern corner of the lake, M-109 passes the entrance to the Dune Climb in an area that's predominantly fields. The trunkline makes a 90-degree turn at the intersection with Glen Haven Road, the former M-209, south of Glen Haven, a former logging town on the shores of Lake Michigan. M-109 turns easterly at the intersection to follow Harbor Highway. It runs through another wooded area between Glen Lake and Sleeping Bear Bay. The highway passes the D.H. Day Campground and enters Glen Arbor, following Western Avenue. At the intersection with M-22 (Ray Street), M-109 terminates in the middle of town. [3] [4]
Like other state highways in Michigan, M-109 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). In 2011, the department's traffic surveys showed that on average, 783 vehicles used the highway daily along Dune Highway and 758 vehicles did so each day along Harbor Highway, the highest and lowest counts along the highway, respectively. [7] No section of M-109 is listed on the National Highway System, [8] a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. [9]
The first section of roadway to receive the M-109 designation was in place and signed on maps by May 1, 1929. The roadway was a spur from M-22 north of Empire that ended at Glen Haven, just west of the D.H. Day State Park. [2] The highway was extended east along an existing road between Glen Haven and Glen Arbor. This extension was in place by May 1, 1933, completing the modern routing of M-109. [10] The highway was fully paved in 1939. [11] [12]
The entire highway is in Leelanau County.
Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Empire Township | 0.000 | 0.000 | ![]() ![]() | |
1.260 | 2.028 | Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive | ||
Glen Haven | 4.798 | 7.722 | Glen Haven Road | Former M-209 |
Glen Arbor | 6.831 | 10.993 | ![]() ![]() | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
M-60 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Niles area at a junction with US Highway 12 (US 12) to the Jackson area where it ends at Interstate 94 (I-94). The trunkline passes through a mix of farm fields and woodlands, crosses or runs along several rivers and connects several small towns of the southern area of the state. The westernmost segment runs along divided highway while the easternmost section is a full freeway bypass of Jackson.
M-96 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs between Kalamazoo and Marshall. Its termini are both on business routes of Interstate 94 (I-94); the eastern one coincides with an intersection with I-69. Between Kalamazoo and Marshall it passes through Comstock, Galesburg, Augusta, and Battle Creek intersecting I-194/M-66 in Battle Creek and I-94 in Emmett Township.
M-3, known for most of its length as Gratiot Avenue, is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Detroit metropolitan area of the US state of Michigan. The trunkline starts in Downtown Detroit and runs through the city in a northeasterly direction along one of Detroit's five major avenues. The highway passes several historic landmarks and through a historic district. It also connects residential neighborhoods on the city's east side with suburbs in Macomb County and downtown.
M-168 was one of the shortest state trunkline highways in the US state of Michigan, extending just under a mile (1.6 km) from a junction with M-22 in downtown Elberta to the former Ann Arbor Railroad ferry docks. It followed the south shore of Lake Betsie. The highway was commissioned in 1931 and served as a connection to the car ferries until 1984. The road was reconstructed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in preparation to transfer it to village control. That transfer happened on April 24, 2012, and now the former highway is a village street.
M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is 116.7 miles (187.8 km) long and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The highway is U-shaped as it rounds the peninsula running through tourist areas in Leland and Suttons Bay in addition to the national lakeshore.
M-209 was a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It was located in Leelanau County in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Until it was decommissioned, it was Michigan's shortest state highway. M-209 started at M-109 and went just over 1⁄2 mile to Glen Haven. In 1995, M-209's designation was "abandoned", and the road was turned over to the jurisdiction of the Leelanau County Road Commission.
M-120 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the southwest Lower Peninsula. The highway runs northeast from Muskegon to Hesperia. In between, the road passes through suburban Muskegon, forests and farmland. Some 5,900–26,000 vehicles use the highway each day on average as it runs long a series of roads that follow county lines in the area.
M-119 is a 27.548-mile (44.334 km) state trunkline highway entirely within Emmet County in the US state of Michigan. The highway follows the shore of Lake Michigan and the Little Traverse Bay, with its southern terminus at US Highway 31 (US 31) near Bay View, about four miles (6.4 km) east of Petoskey; the northern terminus is at a junction with county roads C-66 and C-77 in Cross Village. North of Harbor Springs, the highway is known as the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route. This section of highway lacks a centerline and is known for its scenic beauty. On an average day, between 2,000 and 15,000 vehicles use various parts of the highway.
M-88 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan. The highway runs from US Highway 31 (US 31) in Eastport to US 131/M-66 in Mancelona, passing through the villages of Bellaire and Central Lake. The highway is entirely within Antrim County and is known by the street name of "Scenic Highway" outside of the various communities along its routing.
M-142 is an east–west state trunkline highway in The Thumb region of the US state of Michigan. It is a "trans-peninsular" highway in that it travels through an agricultural area from Bay Port on Saginaw Bay to Harbor Beach on Lake Huron. The current trunkline in Huron County was originally parts of other state highways that date back to the initial 1919 signposting of the state highway system in the state. The designation was applied in 1939, and the road has remained unchanged since it was completely paved in the 1950s. One other highway, near Lake City, carried the number in the 1930s.
M-104 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the Western Michigan region of the state. It runs from Ferrysburg to Nunica in Ottawa County, passing through Spring Lake. The highway serves as a connector between Interstate 96 (I-96) and US Highway 31 (US 31), helping connect Grand Haven with the Grand Rapids metro area. A related Connector 104 runs between the M-104 and US 31 in Ferrysburg. During the 1920s and 1930s, a different highway bore the M-104 designation. The current highway was previously a section of US 16 until 1940 when that designation was shifted to a road going from Nunica to Muskegon; the orphaned highway was redesignated M-104 at the same time. Since then, two routing changes have caused short segments to be transferred to local control and removed from the highway.
M-115 is a state trunkline highway in the northwestern part of the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway takes a generally southeast-to-northwest direction between Frankfort on Lake Michigan and Clare in the central part of the state. The northwestern end is at M-22 next to Betsie Lake; the southeastern end in downtown Clare is at an intersection with Business US Highway 127 and Bus. US 10. In between, the trunkline runs about 96+1⁄2 miles (155.3 km) through woodlands, including areas that are a part of either the Manistee National Forest or the Pere Marquette State Forest. The highway also passes agricultural areas, several lakes in the region and a state park near Cadillac.
M-72 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan, running from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan across the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. The highway connects M-22 in Empire with US Highway 23 (US 23) in Harrisville. It is one of only three Michigan state trunklines that cross the Lower Peninsula, shore to shore. In between, M-72 runs across Northern Michigan woodland, agricultural areas of the Leelanau Peninsula near Traverse City, and the Au Sable River watershed. The trunkline also provides access to Camp Grayling, a National Guard training facility near the city of the same name. Traffic levels along the highway vary from approximately 800 vehicles a day on the east end to over 32,000 vehicles near Traverse City.
M-54 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that bypasses the city of Flint. It is named Dort Highway for much of its length, in honor of Flint carriage and automobile pioneer Josiah Dallas Dort. The portion from the north end of Dort Highway to Clio Road is part of the historic Saginaw Trail, and was also part of the old Dixie Highway. The modern highway runs for 30.276 miles (48.724 km) through Genesee and Saginaw counties from connections with Interstate 75 (I-75) near Grand Blanc on the south to Birch Run on the north. The highway serves mostly suburban and urban sections of the Flint area. Outside of the city, it also passes through agricultural areas in northern Genesee County and southeastern Saginaw County. It also shares a short east–west section with M-83 near Birch Run.
M-67 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It connects with US Highway 41 (US 41) and M-94 between Trenary and Chatham. The highway has largely been unchanged during its history, although the highways that connect to M-67 on each end have changed several times.
M-203 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects McLain State Park with US 41 on each end in Hancock and Calumet. The trunkline has existed since its commission in 1933, except a period of time when it was temporarily decommissioned.
M-212 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It provides access from M-33 to the community of Aloha on Mullett Lake's eastern shore and Aloha State Park, where the highway ends. It is shorter than all other signed highways in the state, including M-143 at 0.936 miles (1.506 km) and the business route, Business M-32 in Hillman at 0.738 miles (1.188 km), which is about 32 feet (9.8 m) longer.
M-116 is a 7.018-mile-long (11.294 km) state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that begins in Ludington at an intersection with US Highway 10 (US 10) at James Street and Ludington Avenue. The road travels northward, much of it along the shore of Lake Michigan before reaching its terminus at the entrance to Ludington State Park. The roadway has been in the state highway system since the late 1920s. It has been realigned a few times, most recently in the late 1990s.
M-124 is a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan that runs on the north side of Vineyard and Wamplers lakes near Brooklyn in Jackson County near the Irish Hills area. The highway travels directly through W. J. Hayes State Park before ending in Lenawee County. The designation was created in 1929 for a road that accessed the state park, connecting it to US Highway 112. It was later extended westward to M-50 in Brooklyn in the 1930s.
M-140 is a north–south state trunkline highway in Berrien and Van Buren counties of the US state of Michigan. The highway starts in the Niles area at M-139 and runs north through Watervliet to South Haven, ending at Interstate 196/US Highway 31 (I-196/US 31). In between, it runs through farm fields and past lakes in the southwestern part of the Lower Peninsula. The trunkline is used, on average, by between 1,500 and 10,200 vehicles.