M-76 (Michigan highway)
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| M-76 |
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| Decommissioned Trunkline | |||||||||
| Formed: | ca. 1920[1] | ||||||||
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| Decomd.: | 1973 | ||||||||
| South end: |  US 23 in Standish |
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| North end: |  M-22 in Empire at greatest extent |
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| Counties: | Arenac, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Crawford (Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Leelanau before truncation) | ||||||||
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M-76 is a decommissioned state highway route designation in the U.S. state of Michigan.
Circa 1920, the initial routing of M-76 connected Standish with Roscommon via a circuitous path through Sterling, Maple Ridge, Prescott, Selkirk, West Branch, and St. Helen. In 1923, M-76 moved to a less roundabout routing between Standish and West Branch. In 1925, M-76 was extended north to Grayling and west to Kalkaska. In 1934, a short non-contiguous segment of M-76 opened near Empire, extending eastward to Co.Rd. 669 (corner called Dewings). In 1940, M-76 was shortened so that Roscommon became the northern terminus. All of M-76 from Grayling to Kalkaska and the segment near Empire was redesignated as M-72.
Beginning in 1958, I-75 in Michigan was constructed in several discontinuous segments. M-76 was to become one of the portions incorporated into the route of I-75. Although other portions of I-75 were completed and designated in noncontiguous segments, the portion from Standish to Roscommon was first signed as M-76 and the entire stretch rebuilt as freeway before it was redesignated as I-75. This was likely done to avoid confusion, since a temporary connecting TO-75 designation between Bay City to Grayling followed a different path along what is now US 10 and US 127.
From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, M-76 was rebuilt to Interstate standards in stages. The first freeway segment completed was a 17-mile stretch in Arenac County from US 23 just southwest of Standish to Alger. In 1970, two more segments of the M-76 freeway were completed: from Alger to just south of West Branch and about 5 miles of freeway from the southern end of a completed segment of I-75 south of Grayling to just west of Roscommon.
In 1971, both the northern and southern sections of the M-76 freeway were extended: on the south, around the west side of West Branch to M-55, or from present-day exits 212 to 215; and on the north, on the west side of Roscommon, from present-day exits 244 to 239. In 1973, the final 25-mile segment of M-76 freeway was completed. However, the entire M-76 designation is decommissioned and that segment of freeway opens as I-75. This was the final segment of I-75 to be completed in the State of Michigan.
As segments of the freeway were completed, the former portions of M-76 were turned over to local control. There are several places where these old portions are referred to as "Old 76".
On most GPS systems, the M-76 marker remains on the entire routing.
[edit] Sources
- Michigan Master Highways List: 1918 to Present
- History of I-75 on Michigan Highways
- Photo of "Old 76" in Roscommon County
