Michigan Highway Ends | Michigan Route 553

State-Ends.com > Michigan Highway Ends > Michigan Route 553

Michigan Route 553

Southern Terminus: M-35, E of Gwinn, Marquette County.
Northern Terminus: US 41/M-28, Marquette, Marquette County.

M-553 was designated in 1999 along the path of Marquette Co. Rd. 553, after being uploaded to the state highway system as a part of M.D.O.T.'s short-lived Rationalization program. (For more information on the program, please visit the Rationalization section of Chris Bessert's Michigan Highways website.) M-553 is now the highest numbered state ("M") highway in Michigan. As is shown in the photos below, excepting the newly-erected M-553 markers that stand at the intersection of M-553 and US 41/M-28, the M-553 shields in place along the route are wider than the normal three-digit sized "M" shield. M.D.O.T. erects two-digit sized "M" shields with a thinner font for its three-digit routes.

Southern Terminus

Current

The Southern Terminus of M-553 is at M-35 east of Gwinn.
PHOTO # 1: Robert Halonen, 6/30/2002.

Northern Terminus

Historic: 1999-2005

When first designated, the Northern Terminus of M-553 was in the southern end of Marquette at the intersection of M-554 (now Division St.) and McClellan Ave. At the time, the City of Marquette was not ready to just give away a roadway in McClellan Ave. that they invested a great sum of money building during the 1990s. Anticipating a future extension, the portion of the former Co. Rd. 553 from McClellan Ave. to the point where Co. Rd. 553 became Division St. was not made a part of M-553. Instead that was given a "secret" designation of M-554. M.D.O.T. never erected any M-554 shields along this one-mile long stub route. However, that does not mean that is was not signed...
PHOTO # 1: Robert Halonen, 6/30/2002.

...in fact, in the early 2000s, the City of Marquette erected this blade sign at the intersection of what was M-553, M-554 and McClellan Ave., along with a bunch of other blade signs along the route of M-554, that identified the highway as such. As is noted below, M-554 was downloaded onto the City of Marquette in 2005, which, in turn, made the former M-554 an extension of Division St. All M-554 blade signs have been replaced one-for-one with blade signs for Division St.
PHOTO # 2: Robert Halonen, 8/26/2003.

Current

In 2005, a series of jurisdictional transfers took place. M.D.O.T. downloaded BUS US 41 and M-554 onto the City of Marquette, along with paying a $2.5 million lump sum to the county seat of Marquette County. In exchange, Marquette turned over control of McClellan Ave. from Division St. to US 41/M-28 to the State. As a result, M-553 was extended north along McClellan Ave. Now, its Northern Terminus is at US 41/M-28 west of downtown Marquette. No left turn is allowed onto US 41 North/M-28 West, meaning a Michigan Left maneuver is required to access that particular direction of US 41/M-28 from the northern end of M-553.
PHOTO # 1: Pat Allen, 9/18/2006.

Links

M-553 @ Michigan Highways -- Chris Bessert