M-28 Business (Ishpeming–Negaunee, Michigan)

Bus. M-28 begins at a signalized intersection on US 41/M-28 and the Lake Superior Circle Tour (LSCT) with Lakeshore Drive in the city of Ishpeming. The trunkline runs south along Lakeshore Drive under the tracks of the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I) and southeasterly towards Lake Bancroft. South of the lake, Bus. M-28 turns east on Division Street.[11] Traffic along the highway here can view the towers of the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum; the museum is dedicated to telling the story of underground iron ore mining in the region.[12][13]

Tower of the Cliffs Shaft Mine in Ishpeming

Division Street carries the Bus. M-28 designation into the central business district of Ishpeming, where it runs past local businesses, Ishpeming High School and the original Ishpeming City Hall. On the east side of downtown, both the central machine shops and the research labs for Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company are located on Division Street. Continuing east, the trunkline follows Ready Street over hills and through a residential area to the Ishpeming–Negaunee city line.[4][11]

In Negaunee, the routing uses a street named County Road east from the city line. County Road passes Jackson Park, location of the first iron ore discovery in the area. The iron mined from the region supplied half of the nation's supply between 1850 and 1900.[14] South of downtown Negaunee, Bus. M-28 turns north along the west fork of Silver Street. The street runs north under an overpass that carries Rail Street,[4][11] a former rail line into downtown Negaunee.[15] The trunkline turns east on Jackson Street, running next to the Negaunee City Hall,[4][11] which was built in 1914–1915 when the city's population was increasing and iron production was peaking. The building still houses the city's offices, police station and library.[16]

Negaunee City Hall located on the corner of Silver and Jackson streets, next to Bus. M-28

The business loop follows Jackson Street east to Division Street, where the street curves slightly and becomes Main Street. Bus. M-28 follows Main Street one block to the intersection with Teal Lake Avenue. Turning north, the trunkline follows Teal Lake Avenue through residential areas of town past the Negaunee Middle School and up over a hill. On the opposite side of the hill next to Teal Lake Bluff, the business loop intersects Arch Street, which carries traffic to Negaunee High School to the west or the football field complex to the east.[4][11] Negaunee High School was the site of the former Mather B Mine Complex. The administration building for the mine was converted to its present educational use in 1986.[17] Bus. M-28 continues along Teal Lake Avenue past the football field and under the LS&I tracks where it ends at another signalized intersection with US 41/M-28/LSCT by Teal Lake.[4][11] The total length of Bus. M-28 is 4.873 miles (7.842 km).[1]

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) publishes traffic data for the highways it maintains. On Lakeshore Drive in Ishpeming, MDOT stated that 5,619 vehicles on average used the roadway daily in 2019. Along Division Street, traffic drops to 2,711 vehicles before increasing to 3,254 vehicles along the section on Silver Street in Negaunee. Traffic decreases along Jackson and Main streets to 1,762 vehicles on an average day. Traffic is heaviest along Teal Lake Avenue, at 6,810 vehicles.[18]