| Southern Terminus: |
End of Green Rd (beginning of Bates Hwy) on Harsens Island, 3.6 miles south of Sans Souci |
| Northern Terminus: |
Harsens Island Ferry landing on North Channel Drive on Harsens Island |
| Length: |
6.207 miles |
| Maps: |
 Route Maps of M-154 |
| Notes: |
M-154 is one of only three Michigan state highways on islands; the others are M-134 on Drummond Island and M-185 on Mackinac Island. |
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Even though the island and M-154 are only connected to the mainland via Champion's Auto Ferry plying the North Channel waters, the auto ferry does run year 'round, as long as the ice does not become too thick to cut through. In February 2004, a cold snap froze the North Channel more solidly than usual, cutting off island residents from the mainland. In times such as these, the U.S. Coast Guard sends in a cutter to break through the ice and reopen the ferry lanes. Because of these occasional situations, some island residents and developers have been attempting to garner support to have a bridge built between the island and the mainland, although others are very much against it and the changes such a structure would bring to the island. |
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 Fares for Champion's Auto Ferry went up effective January 1, 2022 and are (as of Fall 2025) per round-trip:
- Automobiles and Other Single Wheel Vehicles:
- Car (Including Passengers) and Side by Side ATVs with two or more rows of seats: $15.00
- 1-Axle trailer with 1 wheel on each side of the axle: $10.00
- Each Additional Axle: $10.00
- Motorcycles, Snowmobiles, Mopeds, Motorized Bikes, Golf Carts, Riding Lawnmowers: $7.00
- Discount Ticket Book (20 Tickets): $200.00
- Trucks, Busses, Trailers with Dual Wheels, and Large Wheeled Construction Equipment:
- First Rear Axle In Addition to Front Axle: $30.00
- Gas Truck (1 Axle): $40.00
- Each Additional Rear Axle: $30.00
- Dual Wheel Pickup Trucks: $15.00
- There is No Charge for Pedestrians and Bicycles.
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An MDOT source notes that around the year 2000, the department decided to truncate the route of M-154 to Ferry Dock Rd near its intersection with North Channel Rd at the "Y" intersection on the north end of Harsens Island. The remainder of what is signed as M-154 along North Channel Dr from the "Y" at Ferry Dock Rd westerly approximately ½ mile was then designated OLD M-154 and earmarked for a future jurisdictional transfer back to local control. It was also noted, though, that no corresponding changes were initially made to the signage along the route, so OLD M-154 remained signed as if it was still part of M-154 for some time after that. Sometime after 2003 and by the early 2020s, though, M-154 was signed only heading westerly from Ferry Dock Rd with all route markers removed from the OLD M-154 segment, possibly done when the existing square (24" x 24") M-157 route markers along the entire route were replaced with new wide/rectangular (24" x 36") route markers. |
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Interestingly, two stream crossings on M-154 on Harsens Island actually predate the existence of the route by more than three decades! The Harsens Island Drain crossing 1.3 miles north of Sans Souci and a canal crossing 2.5 miles north of Sans Souci both date from 1900—or from years ago! |
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In "State Trunkline Needs, 1960–1980," a set of maps prepared by the State Highway Dept's Office of Planning, Programming Division in 1960 showing possible additions, upgrades and improvements to the state trunkline system over the ensuing twenty years, MSHD staff recommended absolutely no changes to the route of M-154... which is exactly what happened. |
| History: |
1931 (Jan 22) – The first state trunkline highway to be designated on an island occurs when M-154 is established as a 5.0-mile route on Harsens Island in southern St Clair Co. It begins in the Grand Pointe area on the northeastern tip of Harsens Island and proceeds westerly via North Channel Rd to Little Rd, then southwesterly via Little Rd (a portion of which no longer exists today) to La Croix Rd, southeasterly via La Croix to Green Rd, then southwesterly via Green Rd to a terminus at Clays Landing. While the rest of the roadway, known as Bates Hwy, to the southwestern tip of the island is not included in the trunkline routing, the State Highway Dept does improve the road the next year. |
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1932 (Oct 29) – M-154 is realigned on Harsens Island to continue northwesterly via La Croix Rd (instead of turning northeasterly onto Little Rd) to Columbine Rd, then northeasterly via Columbine to North Channel Rd and westerly via North Channel to the Algonac-Harsens Island ferry dock. A very short connection on the "mainland" takes ferry users to M-29/Point Tremble Rd. Much of the former route is turned back to local control, while a portion of Little Rd is abandoned as a public roadway. |
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1933 (July 10) – The state highway committee, in its first meeting since the election of Murray D. Van Wagoner as Highway Commissioner, rejects a dozen projects that had been planned during the administration of the previous commissioner, Grover C. Dillman. One of those cancelled projects is the cancellation of the entirety of M-154 on Harsens Island. Van Wagoner and the committee rescind that order, allowing M-154 to remain a state trunkline route. |
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1938 – The entire 7.5-mile length of M-154 on Harsens Island is supposedly paved with an "oil aggregate" (now known better as "chip seal" or "chip-and-tar") surface, although official State Highway Dept records state only the 3.1-mile stretch from the intersection of Green Dr & LaCroix Rd northerly to the end of the route is surfaced. Two small timber bridges are also constructed as part of this project. Also late in the year, a 3.35-mile long southerly extension from the southern end of M-154 via Bates Hwy (also sometimes known as South Channel Dr) to The Old Club, an exclusive, private yacht club and resort dating back to 1872. This extension, which includes a waterbound macadam surface and the construction of eight timber bridges, is a Federal Aid Secondary project constructed by the County and not an actual extension of M-154, although it was done "under the supervision of the State Highway Department." |
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1939 (July 13) – A slight realignment is established "cutting the corner" from La Croix Rd onto Columbine Rd, shaving ⅒ mile from the route. The former route is cancelled as a state trunkline highway and turned back to local control. This official establishment and cancellation action likely makes official the changes actually constructed during the previous year. |
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1947 (Late Apr), 1949 – The paved surface of the 3.1-mile stretch of M-154 from Raymond's Ferry dock southerly disintegrates and the highway becomes impassable because of "severe frost action and adverse spring weather conditions." St Clair Co Road Commission workers remove the remaining chunks of blacktop, add additional gravel, mixing it with salt and chloride, to bring the section back to a condition where it is again driveable in Late April 1949. This stretch is then re-paved with asphalt in early 1949. |
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1953 – A 2.733-mile section of M-154 which "disintegrated" during the spring breakup in 1947 is repaired more throughly and given a new asphalt surface. The section runs from Champion's Auto Ferry dock southerly to the cnr of Green Dr & LaCroix Rd. |
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c.2000 – As noted in the Notes section above, MDOT officially truncates M-154 to Ferry Dock Rd & North Channel Dr, with the portion of North Channel west of the Ferry Dock "Y" intersection being designated as a turnback candidate, OLD M-154. No signage changes are immediately made, however, and all of the new OLD M-154 route remains signed as M-154 until sometime after 2003. |
| Controlled Access: |
No portion of M-154 exists as freeway or expressway. |
| NHS: |
No portion of M-154 is on the National Highway System (NHS). |
| Photographs: |
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| Weblinks: |
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