The county-designated highways in Michigan comprise a 1,241.6-mile-long (1,998.2 km) system of primary county roads across the US state of Michigan. Unlike the State Trunkline Highway System, these highways have alphanumeric designations with letters that correspond to one of eight lettered zones in the state. The County-Designated Highway System (CDH System) was created in 1970 in response to the business concerns of a woman from Saugatuck. Her one-woman crusade in the 1960s started after the highway in front of her motel was turned over to local control as a county road and removed from state highway maps when the nearby freeway opened. After nearly a decade of efforts, the first two test highways were designated, one each in the Lower and Upper peninsulas of the state and included on the 1970 state highway map. The system was created and expanded in scope c. October 5, 1970, after it was approved by the County Road Association of Michigan and the State Highway Commission.
County-Designated Highway System | |
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Highway markers for A-2 in Allegan County and H-58 in Alger County
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Current highways highlighted in red, former highways in gray, FFH-16 in brown
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System information | |
Maintained by various county road commissions | |
Length | 1,241.614 mi[2] (1,998.184 km) |
Formed | October 1970 (1970-10)[1] |
Highway names | |
County-Designated | A-nn through H-nn |
County Road | County Road nn (CR nn, Co. Rd. nn) |
System links | |
The system uses eight lettered zones which are divided by major state highways. Each county road in the system is designated with the zone letter followed by a number. Six of the zones, A–F, are in the Lower Peninsula while the Upper Peninsula is divided into the remaining two, G and H. There have been a total of 66 different highways designated in seven of the zones; as of 2021 no E highways have been named. Participation by the county road commissions is optional, and not all counties use the system. One additional highway, Forest Highway 16 (marked as "H-16"), has appeared on state maps since the 1980s although it is not a part of the system. Of the highways designated, two were removed from the system and later partially restored.
When the Interstate 196 (I-196) freeway was built in the Saugatuck area in the 1960s, US Highway 31 (US 31) was shifted to the new freeway. The former route along Blue Star Highway was returned to county jurisdiction, which removed the various state highway markings from the roadway and displaced Blue Star Highway from the state highway maps of the time. At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Howard "Gene" Temple owned a motel along the roadway in Saugatuck, and they were dismayed over the number of canceled reservations they were receiving because guests could not find their business. Mrs. Temple approached the Village of Saugatuck and the local chamber of commerce to get better highway markings for the area. She even contacted state legislators and members of the State Highway Commission. No changes were made, even though businesses along Blue Star Highway were suffering from a lack of traffic.[3]
Mrs. Temple contacted officials at the Allegan County Road Commission and the County Road Association of Michigan in August 1968. State Senator Gary Byker of Hudsonville was also contacted, and he convened meetings with representatives on the state, county and local levels in search of a solution. These meetings resulted in a test program for the 1970 state highway map that marked Blue Star Highway as A-2; the Allegan County Road Commission spent $2,000 (equivalent to $12,100 in 2023[4]) to erect about 50 markers along the road in their county.[3] A second road in the Upper Peninsula was designated B-1 between Engadine and RudyardinMackinac and Chippewa counties.[5] Both county roads on the state highway map contained the caption "Experimental Program for Identifying Key County Roads". The markers used were the blue and yellow pentagon shields developed by the National Association of County Engineers. Mrs. Temple earned an honor as the first woman in "Michigan to obtain a highway designation from the State Highway Commission".[3]
The program was implemented by October 5, 1970, and expanded in scope. Instead of using designations beginning with an A for county roads in the Lower Peninsula and with a B for those in the Upper Peninsula, the system was divided into eight zones. The first of these revised assignments were shown on the 1971 state highway map; A-2 retained its number but B-1 was renumbered to H-40 in the Upper Peninsula.[6] Earl Rogers, the engineer-director of the County Road Association of Michigan stated at the time that the county road commissions would gradually phase in signage over the coming years. Participation in the system was made optional, but all counties had agreed to the system.[1] As of 2015[update], no counties in the E zone have assigned roads to the system, and many counties in the other zones have yet to participate.[7] The system comprises 1,241.614 miles (1,998.184 km) of roadways.[2]
As implemented in October 1970, the CDH System is divided into eight zones: six in the Lower Peninsula and two in the Upper Peninsula. This contrasts to the state highway system that makes no attempt to group designations by geography in the state. The boundaries for each zone are determined by major state trunkline highways on each peninsula. Each highway is given a designation composed of the zone letter followed by a two-digit number. Within the zone, numbers are assigned on a grid system: north–south highways use odd numbers and east–west highways have even numbers. Lower numbers are used to the south or west sides of the zones.[1]
The Lower Peninsula is divided into six zones, A-F:
The Upper Peninsula is divided into the G and H zones. The dividing line between the two zones is US 41, between Lakes Michigan and Superior with zone G to the west of US 41 and zone H to the east of it.[1]
Number | Length (mi)[2] | Length (km) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Counties | Formed | Removed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A-2 | 41.609 | 66.963 | M-63inLake Michigan Beach | BL I-196/US 31inHolland | Berrien, Van Buren, Allegan | 01970-01-011970[8] | current | Was part of US 31 until 1963[9] |
A-37 | 23.154 | 37.263 | M-222inAllegan | I-196inHudsonville | Allegan, Ottawa | 01977-01-011977[10] | current | |
A-42 | 16.441 | 26.459 | M-40inHeath Township | US 131 & M-179inHopkins Township | Allegan | 01982-01-011982[11] | current | Eastern half became M-179 in 1998[12] |
A-45 | 41.870 | 67.383 | Bus. US 131inKalamazoo | M-11inGrand Rapids | Kalamazoo, Allegan, Kent | 01972-01-011972[13] | current | Was part of US 131 until segments were bypassed between 1957[14] and 1963[15] |
B-15 | 34.069 | 54.829 | US 31, Bus. US 31 & B-86inMontague Township | Old Bus. US 31 (Monroe Road) in Pentwater Township | Muskegon, Oceana | 01970-01-011970[16] | current | |
B-23 | 10.574 | 17.017 | US 31inDalton Township | B-86inBlue Lake Township | Muskegon | 01971-01-011971[17] | current | |
B-31 | 25.178 | 40.520 | I-96inNunica | M-120inBrunswick | Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo | 01970-01-011970[18] | current | Was M-213 from the mid-1930s[19] until the end of the 1950s[20] |
B-35 | 31.004 | 49.896 | I-96inCoopersville | M-82inSheridan Township | Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo | 01970-01-011970[18] | current | |
B-72 | 41.283 | 66.439 | US 31inMuskegon | US 131 & M-57inAlgoma Township | Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent | 01970-01-011970[21] | current | |
B-86 | 17.059 | 27.454 | US 31 & Bus. US 31/B-15inMontague Township | M-82 & M-120 at the Holton–Greenwood– Dayton–Sheridan township quadri-point | Muskegon, Oceana | 01970-01-011970[22] | current | |
B-88 | 15.416 | 24.810 | M-37inWhite Cloud | US 131inMecosta Township | Newaygo, Mecosta | 01984-01-011984[23] | 01998-01-011998[12] | Became part of M-20[24] |
B-96 | 16.231 | 26.121 | M-37inLilley Township | US 131 & Bus. US 131inBig Rapids Township | Newaygo, Mecosta | 01984-01-011984[23] | current | |
C-38 | 18.738 | 30.156 | US 131 & M-88inMancelona | Old 27 & F-38inOtsego Lake Township | Antrim, Otsego | 01970-01-011970[25] | current | |
C-42 | 13.039 | 20.984 | US 131inAlba | M-32 on the Elmira–Hayes township line | Antrim, Otsego | 01970-01-011970[26] | current | |
C-48 | 36.665 | 59.007 | US 31inAtwood | Old 27inCorwith Township | Antrim, Charlevoix, Otsego | 01970-01-011970[27] | current | |
C-56 | 15.801 | 25.429 | US 31inCharlevoix Township | M-75inBoyne City | Charlevoix | 01972-01-011972[28] | current | |
C-58 | 21.722 | 34.958 | C-81inBear Creek Township | I-75inWolverine | Emmet, Cheboygan | 01984-01-011984[29] | current | |
C-64 | 16.304 | 26.239 | US 31inPellston | M-27inInverness Township | Emmet, Cheboygan | 01970-01-011970[30] | current | |
C-65 | 18.028 | 29.013 | M-88inCentral Lake Township | US 31inCharlevoix | Antrim, Charlevoix | 01972-01-011972[31] | current | |
C-66 | 28.047 | 45.137 | M-119 & C-77inCross Village | US 23 & M-27inCheboygan | Emmet, Cheboygan | 01970-01-011970[30] | current | |
C-71 | 5.031 | 8.097 | C-56inHorton Bay | US 31inBay Shore | Charlevoix, Emmet | 01972-01-011972[32] | current | |
C-73 | 8.118 | 13.065 | M-32 on the Jordan–Warner township line | M-75inBoyne City | Emmet, Charlevoix | 01972-01-011972[32] | current | |
C-77 | 15.970 | 25.701 | M-119inHarbor Springs | M-119 & C-66inCross Village | Emmet | 01970-01-011970[33] | current | |
C-81 | 10.028 | 16.139 | US 131 & M-75inWalloon Lake | US 31inBay View | Charlevoix, Emmet | 01982-01-011982[34] | current | Southern segment |
C-81 | 32.658 | 52.558 | M-119inLittle Traverse Township | Nicolet Avenue in Mackinaw City | Emmet | 01970-01-011970[35] | current | Northern segment |
D-19 | 11.172 | 17.980 | D-32inPinckney | I-96inMarion Township | Livingston | 01970-01-011970[36] | current | |
D-32 | 8.371 | 13.472 | M-106inGregory | D-19inPinckney | Livingston | 01970-01-011970[37] | current | Also called the "Highway to Hell"[38] |
F-01 | 9.934 | 15.987 | F-38 on the Charlton–Vienna township line | F-44 on the Charlton–Vienna township line | Otsego, Montmorency | 01970-01-011970[39] | current | Follows the Otsego–Montmorency county line[40] |
F-05 | 24.499 | 39.427 | M-68inForest Township | US 23 on the Cheboygan–Benton Township line | Cheboygan | 01970-01-011970[41] | current | |
F-18 | 28.761 | 46.286 | F-97inNester Township | F-19inPrescott | Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco | 01979-01-011979[42] | 01984-01-011984[43] | |
F-18 | 18.111 | 29.147 | F-97inNester Township | M-33 on the Horton–Mills township line | Roscommon, Ogemaw | 02003-01-012003[44] | current | |
F-19 | 13.058 | 21.015 | Mason–Richland township line | Sage Lake & Laird Lake roads in Hill Township | Ogemaw | 01977-01-011977[45] | 01984-01-011984[46] | |
F-20 | 25.120 | 40.427 | Henderson Lake Road on the Mills–Richland township line | US 23 on the Tawas City–Alabaster Township line | Ogemaw, Iosco | 01977-01-011977[47] | 01984-01-011984[43] | |
F-21 | 27.252 | 43.858 | M-32 near Hillman | US 23inRogers City | Montmorency, Presque Isle | 01984-01-011984[48] | current | |
F-26 | 20.871 | 33.589 | Siegrist Road on the Hill–Plainfield township line | M-55inTawas Township | Iosco County | 01977-01-011977[49] | 01984-01-011984[50] | |
F-28 | 31.905 | 51.346 | F-97atSt. Helen | M-65inPlainfield Township | Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco | 01977-01-011977[51] | 01984-01-011984[52] | |
F-28 | 2.010 | 3.235 | F-97inRichfield Township | Richfield–Foster township line | Roscommon | 02003-01-012003[53] | current | |
F-30 | 21.920 | 35.277 | M-65inGlennie | US 23inGreenbush | Alcona | 01973-01-011973[54] | current | |
F-32 | 55.866 | 89.908 | BL I-75/M-93inGrayling | M-65/M-72inCurran | Crawford, Oscoda, Alcona | 01982-01-011982[55] | current | |
F-38 | 15.834 | 25.482 | Old 27 & C-38inOtsego Lake Township | F-01 on the Charlton–Vienna township line | Otsego | 01970-01-011970[56] | current | |
F-41 | 31.803 | 51.182 | US 23inOscoda | US 23 in Caledonia Township | Iosco, Alcona | 01973-01-011973[57] | current | Was M-171 from 1936[58] until 1960[59] |
F-42 | 7.252 | 11.671 | BL I-75inGaylord | M-32 | Otsego | 01970-01-011970[60] | current | |
F-44 | 15.649 | 25.185 | M-32 on the Bagley–Livingston township line | F-01 on the Charlton–Vienna township line | Otsego | 01970-01-011970[61] | current | |
F-97 | 72.164 | 116.137 | M-18 on the Sage–Sherman township line | M-32inCharlton Township | Gladwin, Roscommon, Crawford, Otsego | 01971-01-011971[62] | current | |
G-08 | 2.335 | 3.758 | CTH-JJ at the Wisconsin state line in Mellen Township | US 41inWallace | Menominee | 01970-01-011970[63] | current | |
G-12 | 23.547 | 37.895 | CR 352 & Z-1 Road in Lake Township | M-35inCedar River | Menominee | 01970-01-011970[64] | current | |
G-18 | 11.850 | 19.071 | CTH-Z at the Wisconsin state line in Holmes Township | US 41inCarney | Menominee | 01972-01-011972[65] | current | |
G-30 | 46.470 | 74.786 | M-95inRandville | US 2/US 41inBark River Township | Dickinson, Menominee Delta | 01972-01-011972[66] | 01991-01-011991[67] | Became part of M-69[67] |
G-38 | 9.632 | 15.501 | G-67inRalph | US 2/US 41/M-35inEscanaba | Dickinson, Marquette, Delta | 01972-01-011972[68] | 02002-01-012002[69] | |
G-67 | 9.460 | 15.224 | M-69inFelch | G-38inRalph | Dickinson | 01972-01-011972[70] | 02002-01-012002[71] | |
G-69 | 16.669 | 26.826 | US 2inWaucedah | M-69inFoster City | Dickinson | 01972-01-011972[72] | current | |
H-01 | 11.038 | 17.764 | M-67inTrenary | M-94inEben Junction | Alger | 01972-01-011972[73] | current | Southern segment |
H-01 | 8.789 | 14.145 | M-94inChatham | M-28inOnota Township | Alger | 01972-01-011972[74] | current | Northern segment |
H-03 | 7.702 | 12.395 | M-94inForest Lake | M-28inAu Train | Alger | 01972-01-011972[75] | current | |
H-05 | 13.570 | 21.839 | Alger–Delta county line | M-94inAu Train Township | Alger | 01973-01-011973[76] | current | |
H-11 | 3.504 | 5.639 | H-58inMunising Township | Miners Castle in Munising Township | Alger | 02004-01-012004[77] | current | Was part of H-13[77] |
H-13 | 36.192 | 58.245 | US 2inNahma Junction | H-58inMunising Township | Delta, Alger, Schoolcraft | 01972-01-011972[79] | current | Runs along Federal Forest Highway 13 (FFH 13)[78] |
H-15 | 4.940 | 7.950 | M-28/M-94inShingleton | H-58inVan Meer | Alger | 01972-01-011972[75] | current | |
FFH 16 | 50.504 | 81.278 | CR 436 in Stambaugh Township | M-38inLaird Township | Iron, Houghton, Ontonagon | — | — | Mis-marked as "H-16" on state maps in 1983–85[80] and again since 1992[81] |
H-33 | 18.222 | 29.325 | US 2inNewton Township | M-28inLakefield Township | Mackinac, Luce | 01970-01-011970[82] | current | Was M-135 from 1929[83] until 1960[84] |
H-37 | 22.852 | 36.777 | M-123inMcMillan Township | H-58inDeer Park | Luce | 01970-01-011970[85] | current | |
H-40 | 52.680 | 84.780 | M-117inEngadine | M-48inRudyard | Mackinac, Chippewa | 01970-01-011970[86] | current | Was part of M-48 from 1927[87] until 1960,[88] and then B-1 in the test phase[6] |
H-42 | 10.225 | 16.456 | M-77inGermfask Township | H-33inCurtis | Schoolcraft, Mackinac | 01970-01-011970[89] | current | |
H-44 | 8.162 | 13.135 | US 41inKiva | M-67inLimestone | Alger | 01972-01-011972[74] | current | Western segment |
H-44 | 11.594 | 18.659 | M-77inGermfask | H-33inHelmer | Mackinac, Luce | 01970-01-011970[89] | current | Eastern segment; was part of M-98 from 1919[90] until 1960[91] |
H-52 | 12.631 | 20.328 | M-28inHiawatha Township | H-58inMelstrand | Alger, Schoolcraft | 01972-01-011972[75] | 02004-01-012004[77] | |
H-57 | 7.635 | 12.287 | US 2inMoran Township | M-123inBrevort Township | Mackinac | 01970-01-011970[92] | current | |
H-58 | 68.985 | 111.021 | M-28inMunising | H-37inDeer Park | Alger, Schoolcraft | 01970-01-011970[93] | current | Western paved section runs through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore[94] |
H-63 | 45.276 | 72.865 | BL I-75inSt. Ignace Township | BS I-75inSault Ste. Marie | Mackinac, Chippewa | 01970-01-011970[95] | current | Was part of US 2 from 1933[96] until 1962–63[97] |
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