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M-22 & M-109 junction route signage in Glen Arbor, Michigan
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OLD-27
OLD-76 Crawford County Route MarkerOLD-76 Crawford County Route Marker Return to:
Intercounty Highways
Southern Terminus:    OLD M-55/West Branch Rd at cnr Saint Helen Rd, four miles south of "downtown" Saint Helen (and approx ½ mile south of I-75/M-55 Exit 222)
Northern Terminus:    OLD-27, 2¼ miles south of Four Mile Rd south of Grayling
Length (Total): 23.410 miles
Segment Lengths: 1. 17.504 miles – OLD M-55/West Branch Rd south of Saint Helen to Jct BL I-75 & M-18 in downtown Roscommon
2. 5.906 miles – I-75 at Exit 244 west of Roscommon to OLD-27 2¼ miles south of Four Mile Rd south of Grayling
Map: Route Map of OLD-76
Notes: While it is not technically an official part of the Michigan Intercounty Highway system, especially since it doesn't adhere to the letter-number/number (x-nn) route designation convention, OLD-27 and its companion route OLD-76 in Crawford, Roscommon—and, to an extent Ogemaw—Counties can be grouped into the system for several reasons. First, OLD-27, as signed by Roscommon, Crawford and Otsego Counties, uses the same yellow-on-blue county route markers that the Intercounty Highway system uses and is signed in a very similar manner to those routes. Second, one may argue the reason OLD-27 and OLD-76, which are both definitely deserving of inclusion within the Intercounty Highway system, haven't been assigned Intercounty route numbers of their own are their unique circumstances: OLD-27 being the dividing line between Intercounty Zones "C" and "F" and OLD-76 being a meandering route which would defy easy numbering under the Intercounty Highway numbering scheme.
  OLD-76, in its "Intercounty-esqe" incarnation—other portions of the former route of Old M-76 are named "Old M-76" or "Old 76" but not signed with the route designation "OLD-76"—exists in two distinct segments:
  1. The portion of Old M-76 in Roscommon Co from OLD M-55/West Branch Rd approx ½ mile south of I-75/M-55 Exit 222 northerly through Saint Helen, then northwesterly via Old M-76 to jct BL I-75 & M-18 in downtown Roscommon (at cnr 5th St & Lake St)
  2. From the northern terminus of BL I-75 west of Roscommon at I-75 Exit 244 westerly along Federal Rd to S Grayling Hwy, then northerly via S Grayling Hwy to OLD-27, 2¼ miles south of Four Mile Rd south of Grayling
  OLD M-76 route marker used in Ogemaw County.There are actually two additional segments of "Old M-76," of which bears "OLD M-76" route markers, but they are not included here. First, the portion of Alger Rd in Ogemaw Co from the Alcona Co line northwesterly to BL I-75 southeast of West Branch, while bearing a few "OLD M-76" route markers (see example at right), is not included in this "Intercounty-esque" route listing since it does not use the "NACO-standard" yellow-on-blue pentagon-shaped route markers and it is separated from Segment No.1 by nearly 11 miles. Since Ogemaw Co does have four other Intercounty Highway routes, if it signed "OLD-76" with the yellow-on-blue pentagon-shaped route markers, it would be easier to include it as part of this route listing. Second, the segment of the former M-55/M-76 route from West Branch westerly to the cnr of West Branch Rd & Saint Helen Rd four miles south of "downtown" Saint Helen is also a former part of the route of M-76 (and, thus, known as "Old M-76" along with "Old M-55"), but it was never turned back to county control after the completion of the parallel route of I-75 (and the subsequent transfer of M-55 to the new freeway as well). Thus, Old M-55/M-76 is still a state trunkline highway route, albeit an unsigned one, so Ogemaw and Roscommon Cos would not be posting county route markers along that segment of roadway.
  OLD-76 route marker in Roscommon County used until 2015.For decades, OLD-76 in Roscommon Co was signed as part of its "regular" numbered county route system, albeit as "OLD-76" instead of fitting into the countywide route numbering scheme of CR-100, CR-101, CR-102 and so on through CR-603. Roscommon Co Rd OLD-76 used the same small black-on-white county route markers as the rest of the county route system instead of the yellow-on-blue Intercounty Route markers. An example of the former style of Roscommon County OLD-76 route marker is included at right. In 2015, however, the Roscommon Co Road Commission conducted a major, systemwide effort to replace their entire inventory of square, black-on-white county route markers with the "NACO-standard" yellow-on-blue pentagon-shaped route markers, like those used on the Intercounty Highway system. Since 2015, OLD-76 in Roscommon Co is signed similarly to the portions in Crawford and Otsego Cos.
History: 1983 – The Intercounty Highways in Crawford Co appear for the first time on the 1983 Michigan Official Highway Map, meaning they were likely first signed in 1982 or early 1983. It could be that OLD-76 was first signed in Crawford Co during this timeframe, although since OLD-76 has never been indicated on the official maps as such, it is difficult to pinpoint precisely when it debuted as a signed route.
  1986 (Oct 31) Updated 2022-11 – The 17.471-mile long segment of OLD M-76 from OLD M-55/West Branch Rd south of St Helen northerly to St Helen then northwesterly into downtown Roscommon is cancelled as an (unsigned) state trunkline route and turned back to local control. The 0.719-mile segment from jct BL I-75 & M-18 downtown Roscommon southeasterly via Fifth St to the eastern village limit is turned back to village control, while the remaining 16.752-mile segment between Roscommon and OLD M-55/West Branch Rd south of St Helen becomes a county road. Outside the village, the entire route remains designated as Roscommon CR OLD-76 and bears the anme "Old 76." Roscommon Co "OLD-76" route markers go up on this stretch at this time.
  2015 – The Roscommon Co Road Commission conducts a major, systemwide effort replacing their entire inventory of square, black-on-white county route markers with the "NACO-standard" yellow-on-blue pentagon-shaped route markers, like those used on the Intercounty Highway system. (See note above)
  1986 (Apr 10) – Likely at the request of local civic leaders, a new BL I-75 routing is commissioned at Gaylord. Beginning at I-75 at Exit 279 south of the city, the new loop routing continues northerly via Old 27 South into Gaylord, where it continues via Otsego Ave to M-32/Main St downtown. There, BL I-75 then turns westerly via M-32/Main St, terminating at I-75 at Exit 282 on the western edge of the city. If Old US-27 from downtown Gaylord south to I-75 Exit 279 had been signed as part of OLD-27, those markers are removed as it is now a state trunkline highway route.
  2015 – The Roscommon Co Road Commission conducts a major, systemwide effort replacing their entire inventory of square, black-on-white county route markers with the "NACO-standard" yellow-on-blue pentagon-shaped route markers, like those used on the Intercounty Highway system. (See note above)
Counties: Roscommon | Crawford
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