The Rudyard 5-Way Stop May Be the Most Dangerous Intersection in Northern Michigan

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is well known for its wide open spaces and very distinct lack of traffic lights. But there's one location where, perhaps, there needs to be a bit more control of the comings and goings of cars.

In the tiny hamlet of Rudyard in the Eastern Upper Peninsula there is an infamous 5-Way Stop intersection.

Deconstructing the Rudyard 5-Way: A Map-Based Analysis

Here's what happens. Mackinac Trail, a main road paralleling I-75 runs north-south through town. At the 5-Way, Main Street/English Street meet going east-west. On the north end of the intersection, Mackinac Trail and another north-south street, Tilson Road, come together at the same point.

Here's what the map looks like:

Each leg of the intersecting streets needs to stop. It may cause a bit of an odd issue with driving heading north as the roadways split and would need to watch for drivers from either branch coming south,.

So to would those southbound drivers oddly finding themselves paired with another motorist going in the same direction on the other road.

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The intersection is controlled by an all-way flashing red light. Although that flasher is doing double-duty with one light for both southbound streets.

The topic of the intersection does come up on social media.

Today I watched a red van coming down Mack trail from Kinross direction blow right through the 5 way stop in Rudyard. Crazy ! Didn’t even slow down. On her phone of course

I see it happen daily

You really have to watch that intersection they don't stop coming down Mack trail.

Rudyard's Other Oddity: The H-40 and Kipling Drive Conundrum

Incredibly that's not the only odd intersection in the tiny township of just 1200 people. To the east of the 5-Way, country highway H-40 curves right though the intersection of two other streets.

On the map below, H-40 is the sightly wider road running east-west and then curving north-south. The angled road cutting through is Kipling Drive. Running north from this intersection is Albert Street.

Here, unlike the busier 5-Way, only the cross streets stop. A driver making the curve on H-40 is not required to stop as they make the curve.

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Should your travels ever take you to Rudyard, the Snowy Owl Capital of Michigan, be sure to look both ways before you cross those streets.