Pure Michigan Byway

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Pure Michigan Byways
Pure Michigan Byway marker
Highway marker for Pure Michigan Byways
Map of the Pure Michigan Byways
  Historic   Recreational   Scenic
System information
Maintained by MDOT
Length: 931.182 mi[2] (1,498.592 km)
Formed: June 22, 1993 (1993-06-22)[1]
Highway names
Interstates: Interstate nn (I-nn)
US Routes: US Highway nn (US nn)
State: M-nn
System links

A Pure Michigan Byway is the designation for a segment of the State Trunkline Highway System in the US state of Michigan that is a "scenic, recreational, or historic route that is representative of Michigan's natural and cultural heritage."[1] The designation was created with the name Michigan Heritage Route by the state legislature on June 22, 1993, and since then five historic, seven recreational and five scenic byways have been designated by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and another two have been proposed. These byways have been designated in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas (UP, LP) of the state. The current name was adopted on December 30, 2014, and it references the Pure Michigan tourism marketing campaign.

To be listed as a Pure Michigan Byway, a road must be a state trunkline highway, and it must be nominated through a two-stage process. Candidates are evaluated based on a set of objective criteria by MDOT in a process that can take several years to complete. The criteria include a highway's relationship to sites or districts on the National Register of Historical Places, to recreational areas, or to scenic landscapes. Each candidate must be supported by local stakeholders, including the appropriate local units of government. Each byway has a local organization that produces a management plan for the roadway and the preservation of its surrounding environment.

Program

According to MDOT, the department's Pure Michigan Byway Program works with local communities, organizations, and government agencies to identify roads that access Michigan's "unique recreational, scenic and historic cultural treasures".[3] The program also attempts to preserve the unique and irreplaceable qualities of selected corridors, improve distinct roads in a careful and considerate way, and promote a greater awareness of and appreciation for the state's scenic, recreational, historical and cultural resources, according to the Federal Highway Administration. These actions provide economic benefits by stimulating tourism.[4] Staffers for State Representative Peter Pettalia of Presque Isle said that the point of the program, in context of the 2014 change to the Pure Michigan Byway name, was to get people to drive the selected roads and spend money at local businesses.[5]

Additions to the system are made when local organizations apply to MDOT through a two-stage process. First, a local organization proposes the addition, verifying that the suggested heritage route is a state trunkline highway and noting which local governments support the designation. MDOT reviews this pre-application to determine initial eligibility. If the proposed heritage route is determined to be eligible, the organization is asked to submit a full application to the department for approval.[6] The full process can take up to seven years to complete.[7] The MDOT director compiles a report annually that is submitted to the governor, members of the Michigan Legislature and members of the State Transportation Commission; this report details any new additions in the previous year and any changes or deletions affecting the system.[8]

Types and requirements

The three types of byways are defined in Public Act 69 of 1993, the legislation that originally established the system. The Legislature defined these types to be:

Historic
significant to the history, archeology, architecture, engineering, or culture of this state.
Recreational
facilities normally associated with leisure-time activities, including, but not limited to, parks, public access sites, wildlife refuges, forest areas, marinas, swimming areas, hiking trails, and sightseeing areas.
Scenic
an area of outstanding natural beauty whose features include, but are not limited to, significant natural features such as vegetation, land form, water, and open areas with exceptional vistas and views, that singly or in combination make that area unique and distinct in character.[1]

In his annual report to the State Legislature at the end of 2014, MDOT Director Kirk Steudle described an additional three categories of byway not listed in the legislation setting up the system.

Cultural
A state highway traversing an area with unique cultural and/or ethnic heritage amenities such as art galleries, theaters, opera houses, restaurants, markets, and music venues.
Archaeological
A state highway traversing a corridor with ruins, artifacts, and structural remains.
Natural
A state highway that traverses a corridor with natural features that are relatively undisturbed, unique geological landforms, vegetation, water bodies, or conservation areas.[9]

In establishing specific objective criteria related to the selection of potential byways, MDOT has set up limitations on these classifications. Regardless of classification, all byways are supported with a management plan for the corridor designed to deal with protection, preservation, and enhancement of the roadway. All routes are given specific termini points with a reasonable length. They must also have the backing of local units of government, landowners and organizations.[10] No specific criteria have been published for cultural, archaeological or natural byways.[9]

Historic byways are assessed based on the numbers of sites listed, or eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places. These sites need to be visible from the route of the byway, or, in the case of historic districts, a "substantial portion of the district must lie adjacent to the highway".[10] Local organizations backing a proposed historic byway must also have promotional plans and demonstrate coordination with state agencies related to state history.[10]

Recreational byways must be used mainly for recreational purposes, connecting to one or more recreation sites. They can also connect multiple sites together with a common theme, and they are assessed on their scenic qualities with lower inclusion standards than scenic byways.[10]

Scenic byways must exclude commercial or industrial zones adjacent to the trunkline. These roads are also assessed on qualities such as the uniqueness, vividness, intactness, unity, and viewshed of the roadway and its surrounding environment as set up in department guidelines.[10]

History

Michigan Heritage Route signage
Historic Heritage Route marker
70px
Scenic Heritage Route marker
Before the system's name was changed in 2014, these signs were used for Historic, Recreational and Scenic Heritage Routes; new signs were unveiled in October 2015.

The Michigan Heritage Route System was created after Public Act 69 of 1993 was signed into law on June 22, 1993, going into effect immediately. The law required MDOT to set up specific criteria and procedures related to selecting and maintaining heritage routes, subject to approval of the Legislature.[1] Since the program was put into operation in 1993, 16 heritage routes have been approved by the department. The first two were approved in 1995 at opposite ends of the state: a scenic route along US Highway 41 (US 41) in the Keweenaw Peninsula region of the northern UP[11][12] and a historic route along M-125 in downtown Monroe in the southeastern corner of the LP.[13][14] The first recreational route was approved in 1998 along M-15 in the southeastern LP.[15] The newest byway of any type, the M-134 North Huron Byway along M-134 in the eastern up was dedicated in October 2015.[16] Since 2008, local groups have proposed the creation of a heritage route along the former West Michigan Pike on the western side of the LP[7] and a loop around Ontonagon County in the western UP.[8][17] As of December 22, 2014, only the US 31 proposal was active.[9]

The Legislature proposed another change to the system in 2013 to rename the Heritage Routes in the system to Pure Michigan Byways under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.[18] The bill passed in the House in March 2014,[5] and the state Senate during the lame duck session in December 2014.[19] Sponsors of the bill said that including the highways in the Pure Michigan tourism advertising campaign would provide promotional benefits, and they stated that the change "allows the state to comply with federal changes, which require the word 'route' be changed to 'byway'."[5] The bill received the governor's signature and was filed on December 30, 2014,[20] taking effect as Public Act 445 that day. MDOT had one year from that effective date to obtain a trademark license from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, owners of the Pure Michigan trademark, and to unveil the new signage bearing the updated program name.[21] They unveiled the new signage as part of the dedication of the M-134 North Huron Byway in October 2015.[16]

List

There are five historic, seven recreational and five scenic byways in Michigan, with two additional routes in various stages of proposal.

List of Pure Michigan Byways
Type Name Length (mi)[2] Length (km) Southern or western terminus Northern or eastern terminus Date Description Ref(s).
Proposed Bridge to the Clouds 82.389 132.592 Loop in Ontonagon County — Would follow US 45, M-26, M-38, M-64, and M-28 connecting Bruce Crossing, Ontonagon, Silver City and Bergland; proposal inactive as of December 22, 2014 [8][9][17]
Historic Center Avenue Heritage Route 1.474 2.372 Madison Avenue in Bay City Livingston Street in Bay City 1997 Originally named the "Bay City Historic Heritage Route"; follows M-25 through the Center Avenue Neighborhood Residential District in Bay City, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places [22][23][24]
Recreational Chief Noonday Trail Recreational Heritage Route 16.963 27.299 US 131 in Bradley M-43 near Hastings 1998 Follows M-179 in Allegan and Barry counties providing access to Gun Lake and the Yankee Springs State Recreation Area [25][26][27]
Scenic Copper Country Trail 47.617 76.632 Portage Lake Lift Bridge in Hancock M-26 in Copper Harbor 1995 Follows US 41 in the Copper Country; also designated as a National Scenic Byway by the Federal Highway Administration; first Scenic Heritage Route in the state [11][12]
Recreational Huron Shores Heritage Route 193.061 310.702 Cedar Street in Standish Nicolet Avenue in Mackinaw City 2004 Originally named the "Sunrise Side Coastal Highway"; follows US 23 along the Lake Huron shoreline [28][29]
Recreational I-69 Recreational Heritage Route 47.188 75.942 Indiana state line south of Kinderhook Calhoun–Eaton county line 2004 Follows I-69 from the Indiana state line in Branch and Calhoun counties in the southern Lower Peninsula [30][31]
Historic Iron County Heritage Trail 15.577 25.069 M-189 (4th Avenue) in Iron River 5th Street in Crystal Falls 2000 Follows US 2 through Iron County past sites such as the Iron County Courthouse and the local museums on the area's iron mining heritage [32][33]
Scenic Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route 81.007 130.368 Benzie–Leelanau county line south of Empire M-72 in Traverse City 2002 Follows M-22 (66.956 mi, 107.755 km) and M-109 (6.831 mi, 10.993 km) around the Leelanau Peninsula, along the Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay shorelines and includes M-204 (7.220 mi, 11.619 km) across the peninsula [34]
Recreational M-134 North Huron Byway 50.233 80.842 I-75 north of St. Ignace Four Corners on Drummond Island 2015 Follows M-134 along the Lake Huron shoreline across the southeastern section of the Upper Peninsula and onto Drummond Island [16][17][35][36]
Historic Marshall's Territorial Road Heritage Route 2.052 3.302 Western Marshall city limits Eastern Marshall city limits 2001 Follows Business Loop I-94 along the former Territorial Road in downtown Marshall past 30 historical markers and four museums [37][38]
Historic Monroe Historic Heritage Route 2.115 3.404 Southern Monroe city limits Northern Monroe city limits 1995 Follows M-125 through downtown Monroe and next to the East Elm–North Macomb Street Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places [13][14][39][40]
Scenic Old Mission Peninsula Scenic Heritage Route 17.304 27.848 Peninsula Drive north of Traverse City Cul-de-sac at Old Mission Lighthouse 2008 Follows M-37 along the Old Mission Peninsula north of Traverse City through vineyards and orchards bounded by the East and West arms of Grand Traverse Bay [41][42]
Recreational Pathway to Family Fun Recreational Heritage Route 72.765 117.104 Waldron Road in Clarkston M-25 in Bay City 1998 Originally named the "Miles to Smiles Recreational Heritage Route"; follows M-15 from Clarkston in Oakland County to Bay City providing access to parks and campgrounds in the area [15][43]
Scenic Tahquamenon Scenic Byway 62.505 100.592 M-28 south of Newberry M-28 near Eckerman 2007 Originally a locally designated byway in 1998 named the Tahquamenon Heritage Trail and later named the Tahquamenon Scenic Heritage Route when recognized by the state; follows M-123 in an inverted U-shape north of M-28 in Luce and Chippewa counties past the Tahquamenon Falls State Park [35][44][45][46]
Scenic Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route 21.028 33.841 Western Harbor Springs city limits C-66/C-77 (State Road) in Cross Village 2003 Follows M-119 through the "Tunnel of Trees" [47][48]
Recreational UP Hidden Coast Recreational Heritage Trail 64.451 103.724 Wisconsin state line in Menominee Mather Avenue in Gladstone 2007 Follows M-35, US 2, and US 41 proving access to recreational areas along the Green Bay and Little Bay de Noc [49][50]
Historic US 12 Heritage Trail 210.367 338.553 Indiana state line in New Buffalo Woodward Avenue in Detroit 2004 Follows US 12 parallel to the route of an original 19th-century stagecoach trail from Detroit to Chicago across the southern Lower Peninsula, including segments previously designated separately along Michigan Avenue in Saline in May 2001 and in Lenawee County in October 2002 [51][52]
Proposed West Michigan Pike 168.238 270.753 Indiana state line south of Niles Ludington — Would follow US 31 northward along the route of the former West Michigan Pike and along the Lake Michigan shoreline; application not yet submitted as of December 22, 2014 [7][9][53][54]
Recreational Woodward Avenue Recreational Heritage Route 25.475 40.998 Jefferson Avenue in Detroit Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard in Pontiac 1999 Follows M-1 and BL I-75/Bus. US 24 (Woodward Avenue) connecting to museums, theaters and parks in Metro Detroit; also designated the Automotive Heritage Trail All-American Road by the Federal Highway Administration and a part of the MotorCity National Heritage Area [55][56][57]

  • Center Avenue Heritage Route in Bay City

  • Covered trail section of US 41 south of Copper Harbor, part of the Copper Country Trail

  • US 23 running next to Lake Huron

  • Fall color along M-22, part of the Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route

  • SS Drummond Islander IV carring M-134 between DeTour Village and Drummond Island

  • Michigan Avenue downtown Marshall, part of the Territorial Road

  • MonroeDowtown.jpg

    Monroe Street (M-125) downtown Monroe

  • A pastoral farm scene on the Old Mission Peninsula near M-37

  • 2009-0618-TahquamenonFalls.jpg

    Tahquamenon Falls near M-123 in Luce County

  • M-119's Tunnel of Trees without a centerline

  • M-35 in Menominee County, dubbed the UP's Hidden Coast

  • Woodward Avenue during the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2007

See also

Michigan has three National Forest Scenic Byways that run along county roads, which are ineligible to be Pure Michigan Byways:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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