M-73 marker

M-73

M-73 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length8.171 mi[1] (13.150 km)
Existedc. July 1, 1919[2]–present
Major junctions
South end WIS 55 near Iron River
North end US 2 in Iron River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesIron
Highway system
← M-72→ M-74

M-73 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects with US Highway 2 (US 2) and Highway 55 (WIS 55) at the state line near Iron River. Running through forest, the highway was first designated along with the rest of the state highway system in 1919. Unchanged since its inception, M-73 was completely paved by the mid-1930s.

Route description

M-73 in rural Iron County

M-73 starts on its southwestern end on a bridge over the Brule River that connects across the state line to WIS 55 in Forest County, Wisconsin. On the Michigan side of the border, the highway runs north away from the river. It runs along the western edge of a section of farm fields for a half mile before turning eastward with a sharp 90-degree bend to run through them, passing Ahlberg Road. M-73 passes to the south of Hagerman, Little Hagerman, and Bass lakes, after which it turns northeasterly running north of Stanley Lake. The northern terminus is at US 2 west of downtown Iron River. All of M-73 is two-lane rural highway through wooded terrain except the section immediately north of the state line which runs along the aforementioned farm.[3][4]

No part of M-73 is listed on the National Highway System.[5] In 2009, the Michigan Department of Transportation conducted a survey to determine the traffic volume along the highway, reported using a metric called average annual daily traffic. The department determined that 890 vehicles a day used the southern half of the highway while 1,100 vehicles used the northern section closest to US 2.[6] In the same surveys, MDOT calculated that, on average, 30 trucks used the roadway daily.[7]

History

M-73 was designated by July 1, 1919,[2] along with the rest of the initial state trunkline highway system.[8] In 1937, the highway was completely hard-surfaced for the first time.[9][10] Its routing has been largely unchanged since designation.[3] The original bridge over the Brule River was built in 1922. In a joint project with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), MDOT funded a replacement in 2003. WisDOT supervised construction of the new span in a project that ran between July 14 and November 4, 2003.[11]

Major intersections

The entire highway is in Iron County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Stambaugh Township0.0000.000
 WIS 55 south		Wisconsin state line
Iron River Township8.17113.150 US 2 – Ironwood, Iron River, Crystal Falls
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Michigan State Highway Department (July 1, 1919). State of Michigan (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Upper Peninsula sheet. OCLC 15607244. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Michigan State University Libraries.
  3. 1 2 Michigan Department of Transportation (2010). Uniquely Michigan: Official Department of Transportation Map (Map). c. 1:975,000. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. § D3. OCLC 42778335, 639960603.
  4. ↑ Google (February 28, 2011). "Overview Map of M-73" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ Michigan Department of Transportation (April 23, 2006). National Highway System, Michigan (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  6. ↑ Michigan Department of Transportation (2009). Statewide AADT Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ Michigan Department of Transportation (2009). Commercial Statewide AADT Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Michigan May Do Well Following Wisconsin's Road Marking System". The Grand Rapids Press. September 20, 1919. p. 10.
  9. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (May 15, 1937). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map) (Summer ed.). [c. 1:850,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § D3. OCLC 12701143. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  10. ↑ Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (December 1, 1937). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map) (Winter ed.). [c. 1:850,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § D3. OCLC 12701143. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  11. ↑ Garner, Dawn (November 3, 2003). "New M-73 Bridge Opens to Motorists" (Press release). Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
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