M-137 was a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that served as a spur route to the Interlochen Center for the Arts and Interlochen State Park. It started south of the park and ran north between two lakes in the area and through the community of Interlochen to US Highway 31 (US 31) in Grand Traverse County. The highway was first shown without a number label on maps in 1930 and labeled after an extension the next year. The highway's current routing was established in the 1950s. Jurisdiction of the roadway was transferred from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to the Grand Traverse County Road Commission in June 2020, and the highway designation was decommissioned in the process; signage was removed by August 2020 to reflect the changeover.
Route description
M-137 began at the southern end of Interlochen State Park at an intersection with Vagabond Lane. Farther south, the roadway continues toward Green Lake Airport as County Road 137 (CR 137), also known as Karlin Road. The state highway was a two-lane road that meandered north, passing the entrance to the state park and near the Interlochen Center for the Arts. The road continued along the isthmus between Green and Duck lakes. North of the school, the highway passed through a wooded section before entering the community of Interlochen itself near the Green Lake Township Hall. There M-137 ran almost due north before terminating at its connection with the rest of the state trunkline system at US 31 at Interlochen Corners. The roadway continues north of US 31 as South Long Lake Road after the M-137 designation ended.[5][6]
M-137 was maintained by MDOT like other state highways in Michigan. According to the department in 2010, 4,868 vehicles used the highway daily on average.[7] No section of M-137 had been listed on the National Highway System,[8] a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[9]
History
M-137 reassurance marker near Diamond Park Road and the entrance to Interlochen Center for the Arts, May 2018
A highway along the route of M-137 connecting US 31 south to the state park was added to the state highway system during the first half of 1930, initially lacking a designation label on the state maps of the time.[2][3]
This routing was extended by 0.9 miles (1.4 km) and labelled as M-137 on maps in 1931.[10][11] The former route through the campus of the Interlochen Center for the Arts was abandoned as a roadway on March 26, 1956, after M-137 was realigned to pass to the east of the school and extended further south through the state park area.[12][13]
On April 30, 2020, the GTCRC was to vote on a resolution to accept jurisdiction over M-137 from MDOT,[14] effective June 1, 2020;[15] the board approved the resolution.[16] MDOT announced on August 6, 2020, that jurisdiction had been transferred at the beginning of June and that all M-137 signage had since been removed.[4]
^ abMichigan State Highway Department & H.M. Gousha (July 1, 1930). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC12701195, 79754957.
^Michigan Department of Transportation (2012). Pure Michigan: State Transportation Map (Map). c. 1:975,000. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. § G8. OCLC42778335, 794857350.
^Michigan Department of Transportation (April 23, 2006). National Highway System, Michigan(PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
^Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (July 1, 1931). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:840,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § G8. OCLC12701053. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Archives of Michigan.
^Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (October 1, 1931). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:840,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § G8. OCLC12701053.
^Michigan Department of Transportation & V3 Consultants (August 31, 2001). "Grand Traverse County"(PDF) (Map). Right-of-Way File Application. Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Sheet 24. Retrieved June 25, 2012.{{cite map}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Michigan Department of Transportation & V3 Consultants (August 31, 2001). "Grand Traverse County"(PDF) (Map). Right-of-Way File Application. Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Sheet 25. Retrieved June 25, 2012.{{cite map}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
