M-60 (Michigan highway)
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| M-60 | |||||||||
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| Length: | 104.5 mi[1] (168.18 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1918 | ||||||||
| West end: |  US 12 near Niles |
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| Major junctions: |
 M-62 in Cassopolis
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| East end: |  I-94 near Jackson |
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| Counties: | Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, Calhoun, Jackson | ||||||||
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M-60 is an east-west trunkline and state highway in Michigan. Like all state roads, an easement-for-public-use exists 55ft in each direction from the centre of the road into properties. Such easements were ruled to be "untaxable" by the Michigan Supreme Court under property millages. For the most part, M-60 follows the path of an old Indian Trail known as the Washtenaw Trail.
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[edit] History and characteristics
M-60 is one of the original Michigan trunklines to have continuously maintained its designated route, with subsequent re-alignments and truncations, since 1918.
Uncharacteristically for a Michigan state highway that is not a freeway or expressway, most of which go along the main street of a community's business district, M-60 was improved early with bypasses around Union City, Tekonsha, Homer, and Concord. These were not constructed with limited access to abutting property, so as the communities expanded, businesses appeared along the bypasses. This has left many of the bypassed business districts with much less traffic and fewer customers for the businesses located therin.
Before Interstate 94 was built, M-60 was one of the more heavily-traveled Michigan state highways as an alternative to the more urban and congested old US 12 (Red Arrow Highway) to its north through Kalamazoo and Battle Creek and old and in some parts hilly US 112. I-94 has relegated it to a more local highway in character.
Until the 1960s, M-60 coincided with US 112 and in turn US 12 to New Buffalo, Michigan. The M-60 designation preceded that of US 112 and US 12 and existed when the section of US 112 did not exist in westernmost lower Michigan.
A "station" of the Underground Railroad is visible and accessible in Vandalia along with the Mann House in Concord. Spring Arbor University is located along M-60 in Spring Arbor Township, Michigan.
The section at its eastern terminus west of Jackson is full freeway, and the section at its western terminus is a dual-carriageway expressway.
[edit] Business routes
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Michigan Highways: Highways 60 through 69 Christopher J. Bessert. URL accessed 6 Oct 2006.
