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[JREwing78]

If they're going to lay new asphalt on M-30 this season, they're going to have to move quickly. It doesn't look like it'll need a ground up rebuild simply to repave to similar standards as that of M-30 north of M-20.

North into Midland County it actually looks like it's in decent shape and will be fine as is for a while.

SM-G991U

[bulldog1979]

^  So no BEGIN tabs on M-46 like there used to be on M-20.

Well, Photo Nos.1 & 2 show the current assemblies at that location and, alas, the rather unique "BEGIN" treatment didn't transfer from the M-20 terminus down to the new M-46 terminus. But, OTOH, you can see MDOT kept the M-20-using-FHWA-C-while-M-30-uses-FHWA-D situation on the route markers at that intersection. I'm curious to know why you can fit "30" on using FHWA-B but you CANNOT fit "20" on with it? Both have zeros and both have a first digit that are essentially the same width. Curious...

I wondered why the marker for M-22 specifically calls for Series C, while the other two-digit numbers are done in Series D. I think it's because of the digits 0 through 9, only the 2 has a full width at the bottom of the character.

[Flint1979]

They use a begin sign for M-84 at it's southern terminus at M-58.

[jzn110]

^  So no BEGIN tabs on M-46 like there used to be on M-20.

Well, Photo Nos.1 & 2 show the current assemblies at that location and, alas, the rather unique "BEGIN" treatment didn't transfer from the M-20 terminus down to the new M-46 terminus. But, OTOH, you can see MDOT kept the M-20-using-FHWA-C-while-M-30-uses-FHWA-D situation on the route markers at that intersection. I'm curious to know why you can fit "30" on using FHWA-B but you CANNOT fit "20" on with it? Both have zeros and both have a first digit that are essentially the same width. Curious...

At the same exact size, proportion, and position, a "20" in size D would probably result in the bottom left corner of the '2' going off the edge of the diamond.

But that said, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of size-D M-20 signs over here on the west side of the state.

[paulthemapguy]

Pretty sure these are series D.


MI-020-US31ER by Paul Across America, on Flickr


MI-020-US131NS by Paul Across America, on Flickr

I struggle to think of a reason why MDOT can't use Series D for any 2-digit number.  (These 20s are cutting it close.) But that's what I tend to see, anyway, besides the occasional Series C oddball.

[JREwing78]

^  So no BEGIN tabs on M-46 like there used to be on M-20.

Well, Photo Nos.1 & 2 show the current assemblies at that location and, alas, the rather unique "BEGIN" treatment didn't transfer from the M-20 terminus down to the new M-46 terminus. But, OTOH, you can see MDOT kept the M-20-using-FHWA-C-while-M-30-uses-FHWA-D situation on the route markers at that intersection. I'm curious to know why you can fit "30" on using FHWA-B but you CANNOT fit "20" on with it? Both have zeros and both have a first digit that are essentially the same width. Curious...

I'm going to guess that MDOT's sign shop (or their supplier) whipped off a batch of the Series C markers some time ago, and just pulled some out of inventory when it came time to sign the new routing. It's not like they needed a large number of them - clearly not enough to make a full batch. 

Obviously, with the number of M-30 markers needed, that probably merited MDOT ordering up a full batch, which was dutifully done to Series B.

Totally a guess. I can't pretend to know how MDOT's signage operations work, but it's a plausible explanation.

[bessertc]

If they're going to lay new asphalt on M-30 this season, they're going to have to move quickly. It doesn't look like it'll need a ground up rebuild simply to repave to similar standards as that of M-30 north of M-20.

North into Midland County it actually looks like it's in decent shape and will be fine as is for a while.

While I wasn't around in 1962 when M-30 south of US-10 was handed back to county control, I would assume the Midland and Saginaw Co segments were of similar construction and in a similar condition. Both segments feature the typical "state highway"-type shoulders left over from when this was a trunkline prior to 1962, but Midland Co added 3-foot paved shoulders to the overall 7–8-foot shoulder. According to the Saginaw Co Road Commission, Meridian Rd between M-40 and South County Line Rd/Midland–Gratiot County Line Rd was an "All-Season Road" under their control, assumedly due to the "trunkline-quality" of the construction from c.1953–54. The best I can come up with is the 1953–54 paving of Meridian Rd may still be underneath the present-day surface of M-30 in Saginaw Co, while the late-1961 paving may still form the base of today's M-30 in Midland Co, resulting in a better surface in Midland versus Saginaw.

[Flint1979]

I went down Meridan Road from M-20 to M-46 yesterday and only noticed a few signs. One just south of M-20, one just south of Freeland Road and one just south of Tittabawassee/Redstone Road. Outside of that I didn't see any signs on Meridan itself or maybe I missed a few.

[wanderer2575]

just got back from a Trip to Monroe it was a cluster going into Mi what are they doing to the 75 north side ?

Reconstruction between Erie Road and South Otter Creek Road.  Northbound side this year, southbound side next year.  It's phase three of the five-phase reconstruction between the OH/MI state line and I-275.

[bessertc]

I went down Meridan Road from M-20 to M-46 yesterday and only noticed a few signs. One just south of M-20, one just south of Freeland Road and one just south of Tittabawassee/Redstone Road. Outside of that I didn't see any signs on Meridan itself or maybe I missed a few.

Here are the new M-30 reassurance markers I saw (and got photos of many of them) on Saturday:

• M-46/Monroe Rd–Gratiot Rd – nbd only
• Tittabawassee Rd – both directions
• Freeland Rd – both directions
• Pine River/Gordonville Rds – both directions
• Chippewa River Rd – both directions
• M-20/Isabella Rd – sbd (new); nbd (existing)

Yes, there could be more reassurance markers, but maybe Bay Region only puts them after County Primary Roads (which all of the above are). I think some different MDOT Regions have slightly different reassurance route marker policies.

[The Ghostbuster]

Google Maps has been updated to include M-30's re-extension to M-46. At least they didn't drag their feet on that!

[bessertc]

Google Maps has been updated to include M-30's re-extension to M-46. At least they didn't drag their feet on that!

Yeah, I saw Google had updated that back in mid-July. That's when I asked a contact at MDOT what the plan was for actually signing the new extension. She's the one that said the Midland section would be done by mid-August and the Saginaw portion would wait until the "scheduled maintenance project" was completed "hopefully this fall." Obviously, at least some of the signs were placed south of the Midland Co line anyway.
 

[afguy]

MDOT has published their final version of the PEL study for I-475 in Flint. Some of the highlights of the study includes the following:

• The overall cost will more than double from $300 million to $700 million, due to the additional improvements along the corridor.
  
• The preferred alternative is the reduced footprint with the urban retaining walls
• A potential freeway cap may be added

Here's a link to the final PEL report: https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Projects-Studies/Studies/Planning-and-Environmental-Linkages-Studies/I-475/PEL-Report.pdf?rev=63f4edd73d58419dac97ebce8a571b02&hash=1E4CF29F1F4A8A0F623DFF64F9717243