:M-94 (Michigan highway)

Image:Hiawatha National Forest.jpg road sign on M-28/M-94 in Alger County west of Shingleton]]

M-94 begins at an intersection with M-553 and crosses the former K. I. Sawyer AFB. Then it overlaps US 41 for a little over a mile near Skandia. East of Skandia, M-94 runs through forest lands and serves the communities of Sundell and Rumely before entering Eben Junction. There M-94 intersects the southern section of H-01. Further east is Chatham where there are junctions with the northern section of H-01 and M-67. M-94 turns southerly briefly before returning to an east–west direction to head to the community of Forest Lake and ultimately Munising. There M-94 joins a concurrency with M-28 and the Lake Superior Circle Tour from Munising to Shingleton. Until the turn at Shingleton, the route is more decidedly east–west than north–south. Between Shingleton and Manistique, M-94 is more north–south.{{cite MDOT map |year= 2008 |sections= C6–C7, C7–D8 }}

South of Shingleton, M-94 runs through forest lands as a part of the Great Manistique Swamp. Along the way are national forest campgrounds located near Steuben. South of Crooked Lake, M-94 curves to the east before turning almost due south to the Manistique area. In Manistique, M-94 enters town on North 5th St before turning to follow Deer Street and River Street. On River Street, the trunkline uses the Siphon Bridge to cross the Manistique River and then uses Elk and Maple streets before terminating at US 2 at Lakeshore Drive.{{Google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=manistique,+mi&ie=UTF8&z=13 |title= Overview Map of M-94|access-date=August 4, 2008}}

In Manistique, M-94 crosses the Manistique River on the "Siphon Bridge". Built as a part of a raceway flume on the river, the water level actually used to be higher than the road surface. This produced a siphon effect, giving the bridge its nickname. The Manistique Pulp and Paper Company was organized in 1916 and needed a dam on the Manistique River to supply their mill. This dam would have needed to flood a large section of the city. The shallow river banks meant difficulties in any bridge construction. Instead of expensive dikes, a concrete tank was built lengthwise in the river bed. The sides of this tank provided man-made banks higher than the natural banks. The Michigan Works Progress Administration described the bridge as having, "concrete bulkheads, formed by the side spans of the bridge, [that] allow the mill to maintain the water level several feet above the roadbed."{{cite book |last1= Hunt |first1= Mary |last2= Hunt |first2= Don |name-list-style= amp |chapter=Manistique: Siphon Bridge and Water Tower |year=2007 |title=Hunt's Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula |publisher= Midwestern Guides |location= Albion, MI |url=http://hunts-upguide.com/ |chapter-url= http://hunts-upguide.com/manistique_siphon_bridge_and_water_tower.html |access-date=September 15, 2006}} The bridge acted as a siphon because the water level was above the roadway,{{cite book |last= Hyde |first= Charles K. |year= 1993 |title= Historic Highway Bridges of Michigan |location= Detroit |publisher= Wayne State University Press |page= 132 |isbn= 0-8143-2448-7 |oclc= 27011079 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/historichighwayb0000hyde/page/132 |access-date= September 7, 2019 |via= Archive.org }} and the structure has been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!{{cite web |author= Staff |url=http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9620_11154-129683--,00.html |title= Road & Highway Facts |publisher=Michigan Department of Transportation |date=February 13, 2007 |access-date=August 28, 2008}}

File:M-94 bridge over East Branch Chocolay River.jpg

The December 1927 Michigan State Highway Department Official Highway Service Map shows M-94 routed from Au Train west to Munising and further along its current routing to Manistique.{{cite MDOT map |date=1927-12-01 |link= yes}} In 1928 or 1929, M-94 was rerouted to run along Munising-Van Meer-Shingleton Road (now H-58 and H-15) and southerly to Shingleton.{{cite MDOT map |date=1929-05-01}} This routing was abandoned on November 7, 1963.{{cite map |publisher=Michigan Department of Transportation |date= n.d. |map-url= http://mdotwas1.mdot.state.mi.us/public/ROWFiles/files/Alger/Sheet056.pdf |map-format= PDF |map= Alger County |title= Right-of-Way File Application |scale= Scale not given |author= Michigan Department of Transportation |location= Lansing |at= Sheet 56 |access-date=May 8, 2008 }} It was later extended westward to Harvey in 1939.{{cite MDOT map |date=1939-04-15 |c-link= yes |section=B6}}{{cite MDOT map |date=1939-12-01 |section=B6}} In 1941, the portion of M-94 west from Munising to Harvey was made a part of M-28, and M-94 was extended along its current routing from Munising to US 41.{{cite MDOT map |date=1941-03-21 |sections=B1–B11 }}{{cite MDOT map |date=1941-12-01 |sections=B1–B11 }} M-94 was extended for the last time in 1998 over US 41 and through the old K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base to end at a newly designated M-553.{{cite press release|title=MDOT Accepts Responsibility for 120 Miles of Local Roads |publisher=Michigan Department of Transportation |date=September 24, 1998 |url=http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9620_11057-94859--,00.html |access-date=August 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315030216/http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0%2C1607%2C7-151-9620_11057-94859--%2C00.html |archive-date=March 15, 2007 |first=John |last=Truscott |url-status = dead }}{{cite MDOT map |year=1999 |section= C6 }} In October 2016, heavy rainfall cause the culverts directing the Chocolay River under M-94 in West Branch Township to fail. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) started construction of a {{convert|129|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}}, concrete, single-span bridge at a cost of $1.8 million on March 6, 2017, and opened the structure to traffic on June 28 of the same year.{{cite news |last = Jarvi |first = Ryan |date = June 28, 2017 |title = M-94 Bridge Open Ahead of Schedule |url = http://www.miningjournal.net/news/front-page-news/2017/06/m-94-bridge-open-ahead-of-schedule/ |work = The Mining Journal |location = Marquette, MI |page = 8A |issn= 0898-4964 |access-date = June 28, 2017 }}

{{MIinttop|ref={{cite MDOT PRFA |access-date=April 14, 2010}}}}

{{MIint

|county=Marquette

|cspan=6

|location_special=K. I. Sawyer

|lspan=1

|mile=0.000

|type=

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|553|city1=Gwinn|city2=Marquette}}

|notes=}}

{{MIint

|location=West Branch Township

|ctdab=Marquette

|lspan=2

|mile=8.037

|road={{jct|state=MI|CR|545|county1=Marquette|dir1=north}}

|notes=Southern terminus of northern segment of CR 545}}

{{MIint

|mile=8.534

|road={{jct|state=MI|CR|545|county1=Marquette|dir1=south}}

|notes=Northern terminus of southern segment of CR 545}}

{{MIint

|location=Skandia Township

|lspan=2

|mile=10.792

|type=concur

|road= {{jct|state=MI|US|41|city1=Marquette|dir1=north}}

|notes=Northern end of US 41 concurrency}}

{{MIint

|mile=11.858

|type=concur

|road={{jct|state=MI|US|41|city1=Escanaba|dir1=south}}
{{jct|state=MI|CR|541|county1=Marquette|dir1=south}}

|notes=Southern end of US 41 concurrency; northern terminus of CR 541}}

{{MIint

|location= Dukes

|mile=14.731

|road={{jct|state=MI|CR|533|county1=Marquette|dir1=south}}

|notes=Northern terminus of CR 533}}

{{MIint

|county=Alger

|cspan=8

|location=Eben Junction

|mile=23.747

|road={{jct|state=MI|CDH|H-01|county1=Alger|city1=Traunik|dir1=south}}

|notes=Northern terminus of southern segment of H-01}}

{{MIint

|location=Chatham

|lspan=2

|mile=25.950

|road={{jct|state=MI|CDH|H-01|county1=Alger|city1=Deerton|dir1=north}}

|notes= Southern terminus of northern segment of H-01}}

{{MIint

|mile=26.947

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|67|dir1=south|city1=Trenary}}

|notes=Northern terminus of M-67}}

{{MIint

|location=Forest Lake

|mile=30.510

|road={{jct|state=MI|CDH|H-03|county1=Alger|dir1=north|city1=Au Train}}

|notes=Southern terminus of H-03}}

{{MIint

|location=Stillman

|mile=33.943

|road={{jct|state=MI|CDH|H-05|county1=Alger|dir1=south}}

|notes=Northern terminus of H-05}}

{{MIint

|location=Munising

|mile=42.509

|type=concur

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|28|Tour|LSCT|city1=Munising|dir1=west|dir2=west}}

|notes=Western end of M-28/LSCT concurrency}}

{{MIint

|location=Wetmore

|mile=44.419

|road={{jct|state=MI|CDH|H-13|FFH|13|county1=Alger|city1=Nahma|dir2=south}}

|notes=}}

{{MIint

|location=Shingleton

|mile=51.979

|type=concur

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|28|Tour|LSCT|city1=Seney|city2=Newberry|dir1=east|dir2=east}}
{{jct|state=MI|CDH|H-15|county1=Alger|city1=Van Meer|dir1=north}}

|notes=Eastern end of M-28/LSCT concurrency}}

{{MIint

|county=Schoolcraft

|cspan=5

|location_special=Inwood–Thompson township line

|mile=63.970

|road={{jct|state=MI|CR|437|county1=Schoolcraft|dir1=south|city1=Steuben}}

|notes=Northern terminus of CR 437}}

{{MIint

|location= Thompson Township

|mile=67.241

|road={{jct|state=MI|CR|449|county1=Schoolcraft|dir1=south}}

|notes=Northern terminus of CR 449}}

{{MIint

|location=Manistique

|lspan=3

|mile=85.230

|road={{jct|state=MI|CR|440|county1=Schoolcraft|dir1=west|name1=State Street}}

|notes=Eastern terminus of CR 440}}

{{MIint

|mile=85.490

|road={{jct|state=MI|CR|442|county1=Schoolcraft|dir1=west|city1=Cooks|name1= Deer Street}}

|notes=Eastern terminus of CR 442}}

{{MIint

|mile=86.983

|road={{jct|state=MI|US|2|Tour|LMCT|city1=Escanaba|city2=St. Ignace}}

|notes=}}

{{jctbtm|keys=concur}}

• {{portal-inline|Michigan Highways}}

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• [http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/M-094.html M-94] at Michigan Highways
• [http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9620_11154_11188-29035--,00.html Siphon Bridge] at MDOT

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Category:Lake Superior Circle Tour

Category:Transportation in Marquette County, Michigan

Category:Transportation in Alger County, Michigan

Category:Transportation in Schoolcraft County, Michigan