U.S. Route 127 in Michigan - Route Description

Route Description

US 127 enters Michigan as a two-lane highway south of Hudson following the course (with minor deviations) of the Michigan Meridian used to survey Michigan in the early 19th century. That stretch is called Meridian Road north to Jackson. From the state line north, US 127 follows the Hillsdale–Lenawee county line north to Hudson and curves east into Addison. North of Addison is the intersection with US 223 at the northern/western terminus of US 223, and about a mile (1.6 km) farther north, US 12 in rural northwest Lenawee County, east of Somerset. US 127 continues northward to the Jackson area where it becomes a full freeway along the east side of Jackson. When US 127 and I-94 meet on the city's northeast side, they join together westward before US 127 splits off northward. The US 127 freeway continues northward through Leslie and Mason to the Lansing area.

In the Lansing area, US 127 follows the I-496/Ransom E. Olds Freeway around the city's east side north of I-96. Right near the Red Cedar River, just west of the Michigan State University campus, I-496 and US 127 separate as US 127 continues north and I-496 turns west. US 127 meets I-69 at the 1998–2002 terminus of the highway. From here north, US 127 follows the former US 27 north to Grayling.

The freeway ends just north of St. Johns. For a 16-mile (26 km) stretch north to just south of Ithaca, US 127 is a four-lane highway with cross-street traffic and driveway access to adjacent homes and businesses. While there are no immediate plans to convert this section to freeway, MDOT continues to purchase parcels for right-of-way to be used for future upgrades.

MDOT has made several improvements to this stretch of roadway recently to improve safety and traffic flow. This includes the construction of an interchange at M-57 in 2000 in southern Gratiot County, replacing an accident-prone intersection. In 2009, MDOT constructed median u-turn crossovers (also known as a "Michigan Left") at several intersections in northern Clinton County to remove cross-street traffic. In April 2010, the MDOT raised speed limits for passenger cars on this non-freeway stretch to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) from the previous 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).

South of Ithaca, the highway becomes a freeway again for the remainder of its routing. US 127 crosses the Pine River in Alma and runs near the campus of Central Michigan University, crossing the Chippewa River in Mt. Pleasant. Mt. Pleasant is also home to the Saginaw Band of Chippewa Indians and their tribal reservation.

There is a welcome center in the median of US 127/US 10 in Clare. US 127 continues north through the community of Harrison, county seat of Clare County. The freeway serves the resort areas of Houghton Lake and Higgins Lake in Roscommon County before ending 4 miles (6 km) south of Grayling at a partial interchange with I-75. Traffic along US 127 northbound has access to northbound I-75 and southbound traffic on I-75 can access US 127 southbound.