M-60 (Michigan Highway) - History

History

M-60 was designated with the rest of the original state highway system by July 1, 1919, on a series of roads running between Niles and Jackson by way of Cassopolis, Three Rivers and Tekonsha. By the end of 1927, the western end was extended to terminate at US 12 at New Buffalo. In the early to mid 1930s, the Michigan State Highway Department (MSHD) realigned the New Buffalo – Niles section to bypass Galien and Buchanan. The former M-60 that ran into Buchanan was renumbered M-174 at the time, and the department extended US 112 concurrently along M-60 to New Buffalo. M-60 was rerouted around Concord in 1933, Tekonsha was bypassed by the MSHD in late 1936, and the highway was routed around Union City in 1937. The MSHD continued to improve the highway through the end of the 1930s. The last segment between Tekonsha and Homer was paved in 1940, making all of M-60 a hard-surfaced roadway.

In late 1949 or early 1950, the MSHD shifted M-60 through the Jones area to straighten the roadway. The US 131 bypass of Three Rivers opened in 1953; the US 131/M-60 concurrency became a BUS US 131/M-60 concurrency through town as a result. On December 1, 1956, the highway department opened the first 6.6 miles (10.6 km) of a new four-lane divided highway around the south side of Niles, with the final 1.6 miles (2.6 km) of the bypass opening early the next year. Consequently, they converted the former route through town into a business loop. BUS M-60 connected the bypass into downtown where it continued along BUS US 112 back to US 112/M-60. At the end of the 1950s, M-60 was moved to a freeway bypass along the west side of Jackson; the final mile was also designated BUS US 12 as both highways connected to the I-94/US 12 freeway north of the city. The western end was redesignated as a part of US 12 in the late 1961, and the M-60 designation was truncated off this roadway in 1966. M-60's routing has remained unchanged since.