US 223 in Michigan
US 223 | |||
Get started | Sylvania | ||
End | Somerset | ||
Length | 47 mi | ||
Length | 76 km | ||
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According to bestitude, US 223 is a US Highway in the United States, located almost entirely in the state of Michigan. The road forms an east-west route, although the track should actually follow a north-south route. The road runs from US 23 just over the border in Ohio to US 12 near the village of Somerset. The road is 76 kilometers long.
Travel directions
The road begins in Sylvania, double-numbered with US 23 in Ohio, the highway from Toledo to Flint. The road then heads north and immediately crosses the Michigan border. A little further north, the road turns off and heads west, later northwest through Adrian to the intersection with US 12 at Somerset. It also crosses the US 127, the road to Jackson and Lansing.
History
US 223 was added to the US Highways network in 1930 and always ended in Somerset, but it originally started in downtown Toledo, Ohio, later I-280 at Toledo, and since 1987 in Sylvania, putting the route on a a few miles later came to rest entirely in Michigan. US 223 has never been a major thoroughfare for through traffic.
Adrian’s bypass has been constructed in two phases. The southern part opened to traffic in 1942. Construction of the rest was delayed by World War II and the western bypass finally opened in 1955.
Traffic intensities
The road still handles quite a bit of traffic, with 16,000 vehicles on the busiest section. 5,000 vehicles drive further west.
US 23 in Michigan
US 23 | |||
Get started | Ottawa Lake | ||
End | Mackinaw City | ||
Length | 364 mi | ||
Length | 596 km | ||
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According to biotionary, US 23 is a US Highway in the US state of Michigan. The road is part freeway, and that portion runs from the Ohio border at Toledo to Flint, forming a long-haul bypass of the Detroit metropolitan area. Between Flint and Standish, the road is double-numbered with Interstate 75. North of it, US 23 follows a winding route along the shore of the immense Lake Huron. The entire route is 586 kilometers long.
Travel directions
Detroit Bypass
Just north of the Ohio city of Toledo, US 23 crosses the Michigan border in Ohio. The road here is already a motorway and runs through agricultural areas due north. Through traffic to areas north of Detroit can choose at Toledo to follow Interstate 75 through Detroit, or the quieter US 23 through Ann Arbor. Just north of the border, at Ottawa Lake, US 223 exits toward Adrian. The highway has 2×2 lanes with a wide median strip. There are no larger towns on the route up to Ann Arbor. On the southeast side of Ann Arbor, US 23 intersects with Interstate 94. Then US 23 passes along the east side of Ann Arbor, a college town of over 100,000 residents. On the north side of Ann Arbor, US 23 temporarily curves west and merges with State Route 14, the highway from Ann Arbor to Livonia, a suburb of Detroit. This double numbering also has 2×3 lanes.
US 23 then turns north again, continuing its route some distance from Detroit. At Brighton follow the interchange with Interstate 96. Not far from the highway is a large General Motors test site. After 145 kilometers you reach the town of Flint, where US 23 merges with Interstate 75.
Lake Huron Shore
The US 23 is double numbered with I-75 for 120 kilometers and turns off again at Standish. The road here is a single-lane main road and leads along the shore of Lake Huron. The shore is fairly flat and on the route are a few towns such as Au Gres, Tawas City and Au Sable. A somewhat larger town on the route is Alpena. The distances on the route are quite large, the US 23 follows the shore of Lake Huron for 315 kilometers. On the north side of the Michigan Peninsula, the road turns west, passing towns like Rogers City and Cheboygan. In Mackinaw City, US 23 ends at Interstate 75, which continues to Sault Ste. Marie at the Canadian border.
History
US 23 at Standish.
The first section of highway opened in 1957, a 10-mile stretch from Ann Arbor to the north. In 1958 the highway route between Fenton and Flint opened to traffic. In early 1958, the first 5 miles between the Ohio and Dundee borders also opened to traffic. In 1960, a stretch of highway opened between Whitmore Lake and Brighton. In 1961, a 10-mile stretch between Dundee and Milan to the south opened, as did the conversion of US 23 between Ann Arbor and Whitemore Lake to a freewaystandard. The interchange with I-96 also opened in Brighton. In 1962, the link between Milan and Ann Arbor opened, as well as the route from Brighton to Hartland, completing US 23 as a freeway between the Ohio and Flint border, completing the Detroit bypass even before I-75 through I-75. Detroit itself.
US 23 ‘Flex Route’
In 2017, a 14-kilometer stretch between Ann Arbor and Hamburg was widened from 2×2 to 2×3 lanes. The third lane is laid out as a plus lane, which is called a ‘flex route’. The third lane is on the left hard shoulder and is only open during rush hours. The project cost $92 million and opened on November 15, 2017.
Traffic intensities
On the highway section south of Ann Arbor, the intensities are quite low at 35,000. North of Ann Arbor it is a bit busier at 60,000. Towards Flint, this drops again to 40,000 pieces.
US 23 along the shores of Lake Huron usually has less than 5,000 and sometimes less than 1,000 vehicles per day, making it very quiet.