M-132 (Michigan highway)

M-132 was the designation of a former state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan near Ann Arbor. The highway, approved in 1928, connected Ann Arbor and Dexter to the northwest along present-day Dexter–Ann Arbor Road. It would have connected to a proposed "super highway" running across the state and bypassing city centers. The roadway first appeared on maps in 1930 and was turned back to local control in 1959.

M-132
M-132 highlighted in red on a modern map
Route information
Maintained by MSHD
Length	7.766 mi^[3] (12.498 km)
Existed	October 1928^[1]–December 1959^[2]
Major junctions
West end	Main Street in Dexter
East end	US 12 in Ann Arbor
Location
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Counties	Washtenaw
Highway system
Michigan State Trunkline Highway System Interstate US State Byways
← M-131 → M-134

Route description

Starting at the western village limits of Dexter at a railroad crossing, M-132 ran east-southeasterly along Main Street and across Mill Creek in the village. The highway passed through the downtown and turned more southeasterly. At the intersection with Baker Road, the street name changed to Ann Arbor Street, and then upon reaching the eastern village limits, the highway became Dexter–Ann Arbor Road. It ran southeast across rural Washtenaw County through undeveloped areas before entering the southwest side of the city of Ann Arbor where it followed Dexter Avenue and terminated at US Highway 12 (US 12, Huron Street/Jackson Avenue).^[4][5][6]

History

M-132 was commissioned in October 1928 between Dexter and Ann Arbor as part of a group of new state highways recommended by the Michigan State Highway Department (MSHD) Advisory Board^[a] to the State Administrative Board.^[1] The highway was being surfaced the following year,^[8] and at the time it was added to state maps, it was marked as fully paved.^[9][10] Later in 1930, cities and counties along the route of a proposed "super-highway" to connect Chicago with Detroit approved a routing in consultation with the state highway commissioner; this upgraded US 12 would have connected to M-132 in Dexter and bypassed Ann Arbor to the north to avoid busy city centers.^[11][b]

Two parcels of property in the village of Dexter were deeded to the MSHD in 1933 by Henry Ford adjacent to the highway's right-of-way.^[14][15] In 1957, M-132 was included as part of one of the approved routes for Michigan State Spartans football fans looking to travel from Lansing to Ann Arbor to watch the game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State.^[16]

M-132 remained in the same basic configuration until it was removed from the state trunkline system in December 1959, after the freeway carrying Interstate 94 and US 12 was completed near Ann Arbor.^[2] The year before it was decommissioned, the state took bids to resurface the roadway.^[17] After removal from the state highway system, much of the former highway is now simply known as Dexter–Ann Arbor Road;^[18] the modern roadway is two lanes throughout with a center turn lane within the village of Dexter.^[18]

Major intersections

 

Looking northwesterly along Main Street in Dexter in 2010

The entire highway was in Washtenaw County.

Location	mi^[3]	km	Destinations	Notes
Dexter	0.000	0.000	Main Street Island Lake Road	Western terminus at western village limits; roadway continues as Island Lake Road
Ann Arbor	7.766	12.498	US 12 (Huron Street/Jackson Avenue)	Now Business Loop I-94
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

•   Michigan Highways portal

Notes

1. The five-member advisory board was created in 1919 to make recommendations to the state highway commissioner on highway planning and programs,^[2] including the drafting of an annual 500-mile (800 km) trunkline program.^[7]
2. This project had been proposed since 1928 by local chambers of commerce along the route of US 12 to alleviate what was called at the time "the most heavily congested road in the state".^[12] Later in the mid-1930s, this route was described as continuing farther northeast to connection to Port Huron to provide a connect to the Canadian border.^[13]

References

1. "B.H.–Dowagiac State Road Approval Sure". The Herald-Palladium. Benton Harbor, Michigan. October 19, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Highway Advisory Board OKs X-Way Bond Issue". The State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. December 15, 1959. p. 17. Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
4. Michigan State Highway Department (1958). Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § M12. OCLC 12701120, 51856742. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1958)
5. United States Geological Survey (1954). Detroit (Topographic map). 1:250,000. Reston, Virginia: United States Geological Survey. T2S R5E.
6. Michigan Department of Transportation (April 2005). "Washtenaw County" (Map). MDOT Right-of-Way Map Files. Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Sheets 143, 143a, 144, 145. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
7. "State Highway Department Advisory Board Complete". The Herald-Press. St. Joseph, Michigan. May 11, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Construction Work Makes Many Changes in Highway Listing". The State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. June 29, 1929. Automotive section. p. 2. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Michigan State Highway Department (May 1, 1929). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
10. Michigan State Highway Department & H.M. Gousha (January 1, 1930). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
11. "Cities Approve Detroit–Chicago Super-Trunk Line: Thoroughfare to Take Place of US 12; to Avoid Congested Business Centers". Ludington Daily News. August 27, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Twin City Men Move to Back 40-Foot Road: Would Widen US 12 from Chicago to Detroit; Big Project". The Herald Press. St. Joseph, Michigan. November 8, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Michigan State Highway Department (June 30, 1936). "Three New Diagonal Highways" (Map). Sixteenth Biennial Report of the State Highway Commissioner. Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Michigan Highways.
14. Michigan Department of Transportation (April 2005). "Washtenaw County" (PDF) (Map). MDOT Right-of-Way Map Files. Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Sheet 143. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
15. Cummings, John S. (May 13, 1933). "Quit Claim Deed: Henry Ford & Wife to Michigan State Highway Department". Liber 309. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Washtenaw County Register of Deeds. p. 73. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
16. Frazier, Dick (October 11, 1957). "Big Game Will Pack M Stadium: Spartan Fans Are Advised to Leave Early for Ann Arbor". The State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1–2. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "5 Highway Jobs Added to Letting". The State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. May 15, 1959. p. 27. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
18. Google (January 24, 2024). "Overview Map of Former M-132" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 24, 2024.

External links

Template:Attached KML/M-132 (Michigan highway)

KML is from Wikidata

• Former M-132 at Michigan Highways