:M-22 (Michigan highway)

{{Infobox road

|state=MI

|type=M

|route=22

|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=290|type=line|from= M-22 (Michigan highway).map}}

|map_custom=yes

|map_notes=M-22 highlighted in red

|length_mi= 116.651

|length_ref={{cite MDOT PRFA |link = yes | access-date =July 26, 2009 }}

|established={{circa|July 1, 1919}}{{cite MDOT map |date = 1919-07-01L |link = yes }}

|tourist=

File:Lake Michigan Circle Tour.svg Lake Michigan Circle Tour
File:Michigan Scenic Heritage Route.svg Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route
File:Pure Michigan Byway.svg M-22 Pure Michigan Byway

|direction_a=South

|terminus_a={{jct|state=MI|US|31}} near Manistee

|junction={{plainlist|1=

{{jct|state=MI|M|115}} at Frankfort
{{jct|state=MI|M|72}} at Empire
{{jct|state=MI|M|204}} near Lake Leelanau
{{jct|state=MI|M|201}} at Northport
{{jct|state=MI|M|204}} at Suttons Bay
{{jct|state=MI|M|72}} in Greilickville }}

|direction_b=North

|terminus_b={{jct|state=MI|US|31|M|37|M|72}} in Traverse City

|counties=Manistee, Benzie, Leelanau, Grand Traverse

|previous_type=M 1926

|previous_route=21A

|next_type=US

|next_route=23

}}

M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is {{convert|116.7|mi|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-22 is an original trunkline designation dating back to the 1919 designation of the system. Reroutings have moved the highway closer to the water between Suttons Bay and Traverse City. A section of the highway was used temporarily for another highway, M-109. Two sections of the highway have been designated as separate Pure Michigan Byways. The highway marker is used in marketing by a local business as a symbol of the region, a trademark for which has been the subject of legal controversies. A popular roadway in the area with tourists, the highway's marker has also been the subject of sign theft.

Route description

File:M-22.jpg

The southern terminus is at US Highway 31 (US 31) {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} northeast of Manistee and the northern terminus is in Traverse City. In between the trunkline loops north along Lake Michigan to Northport before turning south along the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. The road itself comprises numerous turns and hills, making it a very popular drive for tourists visiting the area from areas such as Chicago and Detroit, especially during autumn. The road runs north to the village of Onekama running east and north of Portage Lake before returning north to Arcadia. M-22 turns northeasterly to curve around the north shore of Crystal Lake after passing through Elberta and Frankfort. South of the Platte River, the highway crosses into the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. East of Platte Lake, M-22 turns northward again toward Empire, headquarters of the national park. M-22 takes the inland route between Little and Big Glen lakes, losing the Lake Michigan Circle Tour designation to M-109 until the two meet again in Glen Arbor. The roadway follows the shoreline of Pyramid Point and passes east out of the national park before turning north to Leland.

File:Traverse City Michigan Sign M-22.jpg

Continuing northward, M-22 reaches its northernmost extent in Northport before turning south. It passes through the reservation of the Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians in Peshawbestown, home to one of the tribe's two casinos. Further south is the community of Suttons Bay located on the small bay of the same name. From here south, the highway runs just off the shore of the Grand Traverse Bay south to Greilickville. Just south of Greilickville, M-22 enters a section of the city of Traverse City that is located in Leelanau County, Michigan formed by an acquisition of a neighborhood of Greilickville. Here is the eastern junction between M-22 and M-72. The two highways run concurrently along Grandview Parkway to Division Street. There they meet US 31/M-37 and M-22 ends.{{cite MDOT map |year = 2008 |section = F8–H9 }} A portion of this road has been designated a what is now called a Pure Michigan Scenic Byway by the state of Michigan.{{cite web |author = Michigan Department of Transportation |url = http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11041_11209-22895--,00.html |title = Scenic Heritage Routes |work = Michigan Heritage Routes |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |date = November 8, 2007 |access-date = September 11, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081209131450/http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0%2C1607%2C7-151-9621_11041_11209-22895--%2C00.html |archive-date = December 9, 2008 |url-status = dead }}

Cultural references

Broneah Kiteboarding, a company based in Traverse City, has adopted the M-22 marker as a logo and sells merchandise such as clothing and bumper stickers featuring it.{{cite web |author = M22 LLC |date = n.d. |title = M22 Collection |publisher = M22 LLC |url = http://www.m22.com/m22-clothing/ |access-date = November 25, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141016150304/http://www.m22.com/m22-clothing |archive-date = October 16, 2014 }} As such, the logo has become a popular symbol for the company as well as a cultural symbol for the western Grand Traverse Bay area.{{cite news |first = Vanessa |last = Mccray |date = June 7, 2012 |title = Attorney General Opinion: Anyone May Use Route Marker |url = http://record-eagle.com/local/x1380012440/Attorney-General-opinion-Anyone-may-use-route-marker/print |work = Traverse City Record-Eagle |access-date = July 14, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120712104633/http://record-eagle.com/local/x1380012440/Attorney-General-opinion-Anyone-may-use-route-marker/print |archive-date = July 12, 2012 |url-status = live }} The private corporation has attempted to trademark the road sign, which has been legally opposed by the Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette;{{cite news |first = Rick |last = Pluta |url = https://www.npr.org/2016/11/01/499802608/in-michigan-a-highway-sign-is-at-center-of-an-unusual-trademark-dispute |title = U.S.: In Michigan, a Highway Sign Is at Center of an Unusual Trademark Dispute |work = Morning Edition |publisher = NPR |date = November 1, 2016 |access-date = November 1, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161102155805/http://www.npr.org/2016/11/01/499802608/in-michigan-a-highway-sign-is-at-center-of-an-unusual-trademark-dispute |archive-date = November 2, 2016 |url-status = live }} that formal opposition was removed by his successor Dana Nessel in 2019.{{cite press release |author = M22 LLC |date = March 5, 2019 |title = M22 Keeps Trademark Protection After Agreement with State of Michigan |url = https://m22.com/pages/trademarks |publisher = M22 LLC |access-date = June 16, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190427151340/https://m22.com/pages/trademarks |archive-date = April 27, 2019 |url-status = live }}

File:Fall colors on M-22 (22435890821).jpg

In 2015, the readers of USA Today voted M-22 the "best scenic autumn drive" in the nation,{{cite news |first = John |last = Tunison |date = October 3, 2015 |title = Michigan Highway Voted Best Scenic Autumn Drive in the Nation |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/10/whats_the_best_scenic_autumn_d.html#incart_river_home |work = MLive |publisher = Booth Newspapers |access-date = October 10, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151009010811/http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/10/whats_the_best_scenic_autumn_d.html#incart_river_home |archive-date = October 9, 2015 |url-status = live }} noting that it offers "{{convert|116|mi|km|disp=sqbr}} of stellar autumn leaf-peeping".{{cite news |title = 10Best Readers' Choice: Best of Fall Travel |author = ((10Best Editors)) |work = USA Today |date = October 2, 2015 |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/events/2015/10/02/10best-readers-choice-fall-travel-winners/73165658/ |access-date = October 10, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151006233855/http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/events/2015/10/02/10best-readers-choice-fall-travel-winners/73165658/ |archive-date = October 6, 2015 |url-status = live }}

Due to the popularity of the roadway, sign theft along parts of M-22 has become an issue for MDOT. The department announced in 2016 that it was removing the "M" from the top of some of the M-22 markers to combat the issue. The state had replaced about 90 signs in the previous three years,{{cite news |first = Benjamin |last = Raven |date = August 24, 2016 |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2016/08/mdot.html |title = Michigan Dropping 'M' from M-22 Signs to Deter Thieves |work = MLive |publisher = Booth Newspapers |access-date = August 25, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160827103857/http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2016/08/mdot.html |archive-date = August 27, 2016 |url-status = live }} and a department spokesman said the popularity of the highway from merchandise sales and scenic travelers factored into those thefts. The new signs cost between $325 and $350 apiece to manufacture, no different from what the standard M-22 signs cost, and MDOT hoped that the modified signs will prove less popular with thieves.{{cite news |first = Mark |last = Johnson |date = August 23, 2016 |title = Modifying M-22: MDOT Changing Signs to Discourage Theft |url = http://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/modifying-m/article_57f04059-0bb4-56f8-b9f1-8daa4e976cca.html |work = Traverse City Record-Eagle |access-date = August 25, 2016 }} The new signs will be installed as replacements in the areas with the most thefts, like Leelanau County,{{cite news |title = To Prevent Theft, MDOT to Change Signs for M-22 |url = http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/08/24/m-22-mdot/89249160/ |work = Detroit Free Press |agency = Associated Press |date = August 24, 2016 |access-date = August 25, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160827013742/http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/08/24/m-22-mdot/89249160/ |archive-date = August 27, 2016 |url-status = live }} while the rest of the highway will still receive the standard M-22 marker. A year later, sign theft was still an issue. The department started testing pavement markings because the other efforts had failed. The markings cost $175, but they last only three years compared to the ten-year lifespan of a sign.{{cite news |first = Raphael |last = Pires |date = July 11, 2017 |title = MDOT Using New M-22 Markings to Deter Thefts |url = http://upnorthlive.com/news/local/mdot-using-new-m-22-markings-to-deter-thefts |work = UpNorthLive |location = Traverse City, MI |publisher = WPBN-TV |access-date = July 11, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170714032144/http://upnorthlive.com/news/local/mdot-using-new-m-22-markings-to-deter-thefts |archive-date = July 14, 2017 |url-status = live }}

History

M-22 is an original trunkline, dating to the July 1, 1919 designation of the system. In 1929, the highway was rerouted along the west side of Little Glen Lake, using the modern M-109 around the lake.{{cite MDOT map |date = 1929-05-01 }} M-22 would be rerouted back around to the present routing the next year, and M-109 was designated on the west side of the lake in its place.{{cite MDOT map |date = 1930-01-01 |c-link = yes }}

File:45th parallel Suttons Bay Township MI.jpg

Until 1936, M-22's route was on Cherry Bend and Center roads in Leelanau County to Suttons Bay. At that time, M-22 was relocated along the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay onto Center Road up to Crain Hill Road{{cite MDOT map |date = 1936-06-01 |c-link = yes |sections = F9–G9 }}{{cite MDOT map |date = 1936-12-15 |sections = F9–G9 }} In 1949, M-22 was relocated the rest of the way to Suttons Bay, and the former M-22 on Cherry Bend and Center roads became County Road 633.{{cite MDOT map |date = 1949-07-01 |sections = F9–G9 }}{{cite MDOT map |date = 1950-04-15 |sections = F9-G9 }} and in 1945, the last gravel stretch of M-22 from Leland to Northport was paved.{{cite MDOT map |date = 1945-10-01 |section = F9 }}

In Traverse City, M-22 originally started at Front and Union streets going west on Front to Elmwood, turning north onto Elmwood, then west on Bay Street to Greilickville. It was relocated onto the newly built Grand View Parkway in 1952, from Greilickville to Division Street (relocated US 31).{{cite MDOT map |date = 1952-04-15 |section = G9 }} In 2002, the route of M-22 from the Benzie–Leelanau county line northward to Northport and then south to Traverse City was designated as part of a Michigan Heritage Route along with M-109 and M-204 as the Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route;{{cite web |author = Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route Committee |date = n.d. |title = The Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route |url = http://www.nwm.org/userfiles/filemanager/923/ |format = PDF |page = 6 |publisher = Northwest Michigan Council of Governments |access-date = July 14, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141231204847/http://www.networksnorthwest.org/userfiles/filemanager/923/ |archive-date = December 31, 2014 |url-status = live }} this moniker was renamed Pure Michigan Byway at the end of 2014.{{cite press release |first1 = Sara |last1 = Wurfel |first2 = Dave |last2 = Murray |name-list-style = amp |url = http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277-57577-344557--,00.html |title = Gov. Rick Snyder Signs Bills Focused on Creating Good Government Practices: Also Signs Memorial Highway, 'Pure Michigan Byways' Bills |date = December 31, 2014 |publisher = Office of the Governor |access-date = January 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150103071754/http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0%2C4668%2C7-277-57577-344557--%2C00.html |archive-date = January 3, 2015 |url-status = dead }} The remainder of the highway was designated as a separate byway in October 2016.{{cite web |date = October 6, 2016 |title = M-22 Designated Pure Michigan Byway |url = http://www.manisteecountypress.com/2016/10/06/m-22-designated-pure-michigan-byway/ |work = Manistee County Press |access-date = January 6, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170206212150/http://www.manisteecountypress.com/2016/10/06/m-22-designated-pure-michigan-byway/ |archive-date = February 6, 2017 |url-status = live }}

Major intersections

{{MIint

|county=Manistee

|location=Manistee Township

|type=concur

|mile=0.000

|road={{jct|state=MI|US|31|Tour|LMCT|dir2=south|city1=Manistee|city2=Traverse City}}

|notes=Southern end of LMCT concurrency}}

{{MIint

|county=Benzie

|cspan=2

|location=Elberta

|mile=27.793

|road=Frankfort Avenue

|notes=Eastern terminus of the former M-168}}

{{MIint

|location=Frankfort

|mile=20.006

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|115|dir1=east|city1=Benzonia}}

|notes=Western terminus of M-115}}

{{MIint

|county=Leelanau

|cspan=6

|location=Empire

|mile=51.849

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|72|dir1=east|city1=Traverse City}}

|notes=Western terminus of M-72}}

{{MIint

|location=Empire Township

|mile=53.911

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|109|dir1=north|city1=Glen Haven}}

|notes=Southern terminus of M-109}}

{{MIint

|location=Glen Arbor

|mile=59.576

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|109|dir1=south|city1=Glen Haven}}

|notes=Eastern terminus of M-109}}

{{MIint

|location=Leland Township

|mile=76.021

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|204|dir1=east|city1=Lake Leelanau|city2=Suttons Bay}}

|notes=Western terminus of M-204}}

{{MIint

|location=Northport

|mile=89.283

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|201|dir1=north}}

|notes=Southern terminus of M-201}}

{{MIint

|location=Suttons Bay

|mile=100.765

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|204|dir1=west|city1=Lake Leelanau|city2=Leland}}

|notes=Eastern terminus of M-204}}

{{MIint

|county_special=Leelanau–Grand Traverse county line

|location=Traverse City

|lspan=2

|mile=116.071

|type=concur

|road={{jct|state=MI|MI|72|dir1=west|city1=Empire}}

|notes=Northern end of M-72 concurrency}}

{{MIint

|county=Grand Traverse

|mile=116.651

|type=concur

|road={{jct|state=MI|US|31|MI|37|MI|72|Tour|LMCT|dir3=east|dir4=north|city1=Manistee|city2=Baldwin|city3=Charlevoix|city4=Grayling}}

|notes=Southern end of M-72 concurrency; northern end of LMCT concurrency}}

References

External links

[http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/M-022.html M-22] at Michigan Highways
[http://www.m22colortour.com/ M-22 Autumn Color Tour]

022

Category:Lake Michigan Circle Tour

Category:Transportation in Manistee County, Michigan

Category:Transportation in Benzie County, Michigan

Category:Transportation in Leelanau County, Michigan

Category:Transportation in Grand Traverse County, Michigan

:M-22 (Michigan highway)

Route description

Cultural references

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links