There’s a U.S. Highway in Michigan That Actually Crosses Lake Michigan

You might be thinking to yourself, "well, that's dumb, of course I-75 crosses the Mackinac Straits, and joins the Upper and Lower Peninsula, that has to be it, right?"

Well, there's a difference between an Interstate and a U.S. Highway. There's also a BIG difference between a Great Lake, and one of the Straits that connects them. No, this U.S. Highway touches four different states, including Michigan's lower Peninsula, and doesn't go through Indiana, or Illinois.

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For decades, U.S. Highway 10 was one of the first long-haul highways of the country. It claimed to connect from Detroit to Seattle, but had to be broken into two segments when it came to Lake Michigan. At that time, you would catch a ferry - not affiliated with the highway - to cross the Lake, or you simply drove around through Indiana and Illinois to meet up with it again in Wisconsin.

But over time, U.S. 10 lost its longevity due to the Interstate system, and now ends in North Dakota, and there's that little thing of Lake Michigan right in the middle of it as well.

Fear not, for in 2015, that would be remedied, and the ferry often used to cross Lake Michigan - the SS Badger - would officially become part of U.S. Route 10, making it the ONLY U.S. Highway to fully stay connected, and cross a Great Lake.

The SS Badger has been running between Luddington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin since 1953, and is the LAST coal-fired passenger ship operating on the Great Lakes. It was also the final missing piece to connect U.S. Route 10, end-to-end from West Fargo, North Dakota, to Bay City, Michigan, all 713.18 miles now linked, with 62 miles over water.

No other State Highway, or Great Lake can say the same.