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." 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. 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. The full process can take up to seven years to complete. 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.
History
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. and the West Michigan Pike was dedicated on July 25, 2016. The bill passed in the House in March 2014, and the state Senate during the lame duck session in December 2014. 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'." 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. They unveiled the new signage as part of the dedication of the M-134 North Huron Byway in October 2015.
List
There are six historic, seven recreational and six scenic byways in Michigan, with one additional route proposed.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+List of Pure Michigan Byways
|-
!scope="col" | Type
!scope="col" | Name
!scope="col" | Length (mi)
!scope="col" | Length (km)
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Southern or western terminus
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Northern or eastern terminus
!scope="col" | Date
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Description
!scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
| bgcolor= ffdead align=center | Proposed
!scope="row"| Bridge to the Clouds
|
|colspan=2 align=center |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
|
|-
| bgcolor= DEB887 align= center | Recreational
!scope="row" | Chief Noonday Trail Recreational Heritage Route
|
|US 131 in Bradley
|M-43 near Hastings
|
| Follows M-179 in Allegan and Barry counties providing access to Gun Lake and the Yankee Springs State Recreation Area
|
|-
| bgcolor= 87CEEB align= center | Scenic
!scope="row" | Copper Country Trail
|
|Portage Lake Lift Bridge in Hancock
|M-26 in Copper Harbor
|
| 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
|
|-
| bgcolor= DEB887 align= center | Recreational
!scope="row" | Huron Shores Heritage Route
|
| Cedar Street in Standish
|Nicolet Avenue in Mackinaw City
|
| Originally named the "Sunrise Side Coastal Highway"; follows US 23 along the Lake Huron shoreline
|
|-
| bgcolor= DEB887 align= center | Recreational
!scope="row" | I-69 Recreational Heritage Route
|
|Indiana state line south of Kinderhook
|Calhoun–Eaton county line
|
|Follows I-69 from the Indiana state line in Branch and Calhoun counties in the southern Lower Peninsula
|
|-
| bgcolor= AFEEEE align= center | Historic
!scope="row" | Iron County Heritage Trail
|
|M-189 (4th Avenue) in Iron River
|5th Street in Crystal Falls
|
| 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
|
|-
| bgcolor= 87CEEB align= center | Scenic
!scope="row" | Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route
|
|Benzie–Leelanau county line south of Empire
|M-72 in Traverse City
|
| Follows M-22 () and M-109 () around the Leelanau Peninsula, along the Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay shorelines and includes M-204 () across the peninsula
|
|-
| bgcolor= 87CEEB align= center | Scenic
!scope="row" | M-22 Pure Michigan Byway
|
|US 31 north of Manistee
|Benzie–Leelanau county line south of Empire
|
| Follows M-22
|
|-
| bgcolor= DEB887 align= center | Recreational
!scope="row"| M-134 North Huron Byway
|
|I-75 north of St. Ignace
|Four Corners on Drummond Island
|
| Follows M-134 along the Lake Huron shoreline across the southeastern section of the Upper Peninsula and onto Drummond Island
|
|-
| bgcolor= AFEEEE align= center | Historic
!scope="row" | Marshall's Territorial Road Heritage Route
|
|Western Marshall city limits
|Eastern Marshall city limits
|
| Follows Business Loop I-94 along the former Territorial Road in downtown Marshall past 30 historical markers and four museums
|
|-
| bgcolor= AFEEEE align= center | Historic
!scope="row" | Monroe Historic Heritage Route
|
|Southern Monroe city limits
|Northern Monroe city limits
|
| 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
|
|-
| bgcolor= 87CEEB align= center | Scenic
!scope="row" | Old Mission Peninsula Scenic Heritage Route
|
|Peninsula Drive north of Traverse City
|Cul-de-sac at Old Mission Lighthouse
|
| 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
|
|-
| bgcolor= DEB887 align= center | Recreational
!scope="row" | Pathway to Family Fun Recreational Heritage Route
|
| Waldron Road in Clarkston
|M-25 in Bay City
|
|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
|
|-
| bgcolor= 87CEEB align= center | Scenic
!scope="row" | Tahquamenon Scenic Byway
|
|M-28 south of Newberry
|M-28 near Eckerman
|
| 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
|<!--the Tahquamenon Heritage Trail created in 1997 was not an MDOT-designated Heritage Route until it was expanded in 2007-->
|-
| bgcolor= 87CEEB align= center | Scenic
!scope="row" | Top of the Lake Scenic Byway
|
|M-149 at Thompson
|I-75 in St. Ignace
|
|Follows US 2 along the northern shoreline of Lake Michigan
|
|-
| bgcolor= 87CEEB align= center | Scenic
!scope="row" | Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route
|
| Western Harbor Springs city limits
|C-66/C-77 (State Road) in Cross Village
|
| Follows M-119 through the "Tunnel of Trees"
|
|-
| bgcolor= DEB887 align= center | Recreational
!scope="row" | UP Hidden Coast Recreational Heritage Trail
|
|Wisconsin state line in Menominee
|Mather Avenue in Gladstone
|
| Follows M-35, US 2, and US 41 proving access to recreational areas along the Green Bay and Little Bay de Noc
|
|-
| bgcolor= AFEEEE align= center | Historic
!scope="row" | US 12 Heritage Trail
|
|Indiana state line in New Buffalo
|Woodward Avenue in Detroit
|
| 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
|
|-
| bgcolor= AFEEEE align= center | Historic
!scope="row" | West Michigan Pike Pure Michigan Byway
|
|Indiana state line south of New Buffalo
|Ludington
|
| Follows I-94; M-63; I-196; US 31; the BL I-196 routings for South Haven and Holland; the Bus. US 31 routings for Muskegon, Whitehall–Montague, Pentwater and Ludington; and US 10 parallel to the route of the former West Michigan Pike and along the Lake Michigan shoreline
|
|-
| bgcolor= DEB887 align= center | Recreational
!scope="row" | Woodward Avenue Recreational Heritage Route
|
|Jefferson Avenue in Detroit
|Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard in Pontiac
|
|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
|
|}
<gallery mode=packed widths="180px" heights="120px" >
File:Center Avenue Neighborhood Residential District Bay City MI A.JPG|Center Avenue Heritage Route in Bay City
File:CoveredTrailUS41.jpg|Covered trail section of US 41 south of Copper Harbor, part of the Copper Country Trail
File:US 23 and Lake Huron 2.jpg|US 23 running next to Lake Huron
File:M-22 fall color.jpg|Fall color along M-22, part of the Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route
File:Drummond Island Ferry.jpg|SS Drummond Islander IV carrying M-134 between DeTour Village and Drummond Island
File:MarshallMIDowntown2.jpg|Michigan Avenue downtown Marshall, part of the Territorial Road
File:MonroeDowntown.jpg|Monroe Street (M-125) downtown Monroe
File:Pastoral-barn.jpg|A pastoral farm scene on the Old Mission Peninsula near M-37
File:2009-0618-TahquamenonFalls.jpg|Tahquamenon Falls near M-123 in Luce County
File:US2 Along Lake Michigan.jpg|US 2 along Lake Michigan, the Top of the Lake Scenic Byway
File:2009-0619-UP022-TunnelofTrees.jpg|M-119's Tunnel of Trees without a centerline
File:M35G12Forest.jpg|M-35 in Menominee County, dubbed the UP's Hidden Coast
File:Iron Brigade Memorial Highway Sign.JPG|US 12 in Pittsfield Township
File:US Route 31 Oceana Drive (Michigan).jpg|US 31 in Oceana County
File:2007 Dream Cruise photo.jpg|Woodward Avenue during the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2007
</gallery>
See also
Michigan has three National Forest Scenic Byways that run along county roads and a National Park Service-maintained scenic drive, which are ineligible to be Pure Michigan Byways:
- Black River National Forest Scenic Byway
- River Road National Forest Scenic Byway (also a National Scenic Byway)
- Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway
- Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
References
External links
- Pure Michigan Byways (Michigan Heritage Routes) at Michigan Highways