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Southern Terminus: | M-46 at the intersection of Midland Rd & Gratiot Rd near Shields, 4 miles west of downtown Saginaw |
Northern Terminus: | ![]() |
Length: | ![]() |
Maps: | Route Map of M-47 |
Notes: | M-47 has had a somewhat interesting history despite it being a rather unremarkable highway. Today, the only portion of this highway following its original path is the short, 1½ mile segment from M-46 to M-58 west of Saginaw. In the past, however, M-47 was once more than 80 miles in length, reaching as far south as US-16 and later I-96 at Williamston and Webberville and as far north as present-day Bay City State State Park north of Bay City. Major truncations and extensions in the 1960s completely changed the face of this highway, with all of M-47 south of M-46 becoming part of M-52 and the portion north of M-58 taking overa former routing of US-10. |
![]() The proposed changes to M-47 from US-16 near Webberville southerly included:
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History: | c.1920 – The original routing of M-47 begins at the Shiawassee/Ingham Co line 3½ miles south of Perry and proceeds northerly through Perry, Owosso, Oakley, Chesaning and Saint Charles to M-46, then turns due easterly via M-46 to end in downtown Saginaw. As for why M-47 begins at the Shiawassee/Ingham Co line and not at another highway is because a connection into Ingham Co had not been transferred to state control at the time. |
c.1924–25 – M-47 is extended southerly from its southern terminus at the Shiawassee/Ingham Co line for 4½ miles via Perry Rd, then westerly via Moyer Rd into Williamston, and southerly for a short distance via Williamston Rd-Putnam St to terminate at M-16/Grand River Ave (later US-16) downtown. The portion along Moyer & Williamston Rds is considered a temporary alignment by the MSHD until a more appropriate permanent routing is built. | |
c.1930 – M-47 is extended northerly from Saginaw via the former M-10 routing (present-day M-84/Bay Rd) for 17 miles to end in Bay City. | |
1933 – The route of M-47 is extended northerly from the six-route confluence of US-23, M-15, M-20, M-24, M-25 & M-47 on the west side of Bay City (cnr of Euclid Ave & Midland Rd) northerly via US-23 for two miles, then northerly to end at M-111 at the Bay City State Park (cnr of Beaver Rd & Euclid Ave). | |
1937 – The M-47 routing between Oakley and St Charles is transferred to a more direct, and paved, alignment the west of Chesaning, shaving 3 miles from the route with the former route transferred to local control. | |
1938 – The M-47 designation replaces all of M-111 between Bay City State Park and US-23/Midland St in Bay City, creating a highway which heads northerly from Bay City via Euclid Ave, completes a mile long "U-Turn" at Bay City State Park, then heads southerly back into Bay City along State Park Rd. Now, not only does M-47 run concurrently with US-23 for two miles west of Bay City, but it also now terminates at US-23 about a mile east of its first meeting with that highway! | |
1940 – Just in time for wartime neglect, the final 13 miles of gravel-surfaced M-47, from Perry to Williamston, are paved. | |
1950 – In 1950, sources indicate all of M-47 south of Perry reverts to gravel-surfaced (it had been paved since 1940). This is likely due to rough use during wartime as well as little maintenance due to construction shortages. | |
1951–52 – The southern terminus of the highway is moved east four miles to end at US-16/Grand River Ave four miles east of Williamston (two miles west of Webberville). The route of M-47 is shortened by 3 miles and the former (temporary) route is turned back to local control. With the realignment, the highway between Perry and Sherwood Rd east of Williamston is re-paved. The final few miles are hard-surfaced by 1952. | |
1960 – With the opening of the I-75/US-10/US-23 freeway between Saginaw and Bay City, US-10 is rerouted northerly to Bay City, then westerly (via the M-20 freeway) to Midland. The former route of US-10 north of the Midland Rd & State St intersection west of Saginaw is redesignated as an extension of M-47 to north of Freeland. Approximately one mile north of Freeland, a new two-lane, limited-access expressway running due northerly to the US-10 (formerly M-20) freeway is completed and designated M-47. What had been designated US-10/M-47 via State St becomes a westerly extension of M-81, while the former route of M-47 from Saginaw to Bay City is redesignated as M-84. The formerly concurrent US-23/M-47 along the west side of Bay City becomes part of an M-13 extension (US-23 moves to the new freeway to the west), while the portion from M-13 (formerly US-23) to Bay City State Park is redesignated as M-247, in reference to its former designation. What had been part of M-47 from Bay City State Park southerly back into Bay City (the former M-111 from before 1938) is turned back to local control. | |
1962 – With the completion of I-96 in mid-Michigan, the US-16 designation is replaced east of Lansing by M-43. From the fomer southern terminus of M-47 at M-43/Grand River Ave west of Webberville, both M-43 and M-47 extend easterly via Grand River to Stockbridge Rd approximately one mile west of Webberville, then southerly for less than a mile where both highways terminate at I-96 (Exit 122). | |
1969 – The majority of the route of M-47 is redesignated as a northerly extension of M-52. From the western junction of M-46 & M-47 five miles east of Hemlock southerly to I-96 near Webberville, M-47 becomes M-52, meeting the newly completed M-46 between Webberville and M-36. The former M-46/M-47 west of Saginaw becomes just M-46. | |
1970 (or 1966?) – The two-lane, limited-access M-47 expressway is upgraded to full freeway standards (four-lane, divided, full access control) from US-10 southerly to Midland Rd north of Freeland, coinciding with the completion of an interchange at Salzburg Rd. | |
Controlled Access: | Freeway: From Midland Rd approximately one mile north of Freeland to US-10 between Auburn and Midland. (4.1 miles) |
Expressway: No portion of M-47 is expressway. | |
NHS: | The entire route of M-47 is on the National Highway System (NHS). |
Memorial Highway: | At present, no portion of M-47 has been designated as part of a Memorial Highway. |
Photographs: | |
Weblinks: |
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