M-47 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs near Saginaw and Midland in the Tri-Cities area of the Lower Peninsula. The highway runs through suburban and agricultural areas to connect the two cities with the airport in the area. The northernmost section of M-47 runs along a freeway to the terminus at US Highway 10 (US 10). M-47 runs for , all of which has been listed as a part of the National Highway System.
First designated by July 1, 1919, along a different routing, M-47 was extended several times in both directions through the 1920s and 1930s. Two of these extensions replaced sections of M-111 in the Bay City area. At the apex of its length in the 1950s, M-47 stretched from Webberville in the south to Bay City State Park in the north. Since Interstate 75 (I-75) opened in the Tri-Cities area, the northern section of M-47 was rerouted and truncated as a result of related changes to other highways. The southern end was moved after I-96 opened in the Lansing area. Further changes into the 1970s shortened M-47 more, producing the routing in use today.
Route description
M-47 starts at M-46 (Gratiot Road) east of Shields next to the Oakwood Cemetery. M-47 is known as Midland Road as it runs slightly northwest to intersect with M-58 (State Road) in Saginaw Charter Township running parallel to the Tittabawassee River. This area is the western edge of Saginaw's suburbs. Along the road towards Freeland, there are periodic small farms in between small residential subdivisions. In the community of Freeland, M-47 runs near the MBS International Airport off Freeland Road. North of town, M-47 leaves Midland Road and becomes a freeway near Tittabawassee Park. The freeway section of M-47 runs through rural farm land. There is a diamond interchange with Salzburg Road before the terminal interchange at US 10.
As part of its maintenance duties, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) tracks the volume of traffic on the highways it maintains. This number is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), a calculation of the average traffic for a segment of roadway on any average day of the year. In 2009, the department measured a peak of 19,719 vehicles daily on the stretch north of Tittabawassee Road. The section south of the US 10 interchange had the lowest traffic level at 9,315 vehicles AADT. Additionally, the entire route of M-47 has been listed on the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.
History
The original designation of M-47 was routed from the Shiawassee–Ingham county line north to St. Charles and then east along M-46 into Saginaw. A southern extension into Ingham County to end at M-16 in Williamston was transferred and completed in 1924. A northern extension to Bay City replaced a section of M-111 in 1929, and extended farther to Bay City State Park in 1933. M-47 replaced the remainder of M-111 and extended southward from the park to Bay City in 1938, creating a "U-turn" in the routing. The southern terminus was moved again in late 1951 or early 1952 to Webberville, although still ending on US 16.
At its greatest extent in the 1950s, the highway extended north from Webberville through Owosso and St. Charles to a junction with M-46 between Hemlock and Shields. M-47 turned east along M-46, running concurrently with that highway to Saginaw Township. There M-47 turned north independently to a junction with US 10, and then ran concurrently with US 10 into Saginaw. Once in the city, M-47 turned north along Bay Street out of town toward Bay City. M-47 joined US 23 and followed it north of town. M-47 then ran separately to the state park before turning south and back into downtown Bay City, ending at the US 23 business loop.