M-185 (Michigan highway)

M-185 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Michigan. It circles Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island is a popular tourist place on the Lake Huron side of the Straits of Mackinac. The highway is along the island's coast. The highway is a thin paved road that is 8.004 miles (12.881 km) long. There are scenic views of the straits that divide the Upper and the Lower peninsulas of Michigan. It also has views of Lakes Huron and Michigan. It doesn't connect to any other Michigan state highways. This is because it is on an island. People can only get to it by passenger ferry.

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Route information
Length8.004 mi[2] (12.881 km)
ExistedJuly 12, 1933 (1933-07-12)[1]–present
RestrictionsPedestrians, bicycles or horses only
Major junctions
Loop around Mackinac Island
Major intersectionsFort Street
British Landing Road
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Highway system
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The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) says that the M-185 is "the only state highway in the nation where motor vehicles are banned".[3] Traffic on it is by foot, on horse, by horse-drawn vehicle, or by bicycle. Cars have been banned on the island since the 1890s. Only a few vehicles have been allowed on the island other than the city's emergency vehicles. The highway was built during the first decade of the 20th century by the state. It was designated as a state highway in 1933. The highway was paved in the 1950s. Parts were rebuilt to deal with coastal erosion in the 1980s. Until an accident in 2005, it was the only state highway without any car accidents.

Major intersections

 
Newer milemarker sign erected along the highway in 2011

The highway is on Mackinac Island. That island is in Mackinac County. Milemarkers are posted in a counterclockwise way.[4]

mi[2]kmDestinationsNotes
0.0000.000Fort StreetEndpoint used for milemarkers
4.5527.326British Landing RoadLeads to interior of the island; British Landing
7.60712.242Market StreetLeads to many signposted historic sites in the downtown area
8.00412.881Fort StreetEndpoint used for milemarkers
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

M-185 (Michigan Highway) Media

References

  1. Michigan Department of Transportation. Right-of-Way File Application [map], Scale not given.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite MDOT PRFA
  3. Michigan Department of Transportation (November 3, 2005). "Road & Highway Facts". History and Culture. Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
  4. Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau. Tourism Bureau Map of Mackinac Island [map], 1:8,600 and 1:4,100. Cartography by Christopher J. Bessert. (2009)