U.S. Route 51 in Wisconsin
US Highway 51 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by WisDOT | ||||
Length: | 316.59 mi[1] (509.50 km) | |||
Existed: | November 11, 1926 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end: | US 51 in Beloit | |||
North end: | US 2 in Hurley | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Rock, Dane, Columbia, Marquette, Waushara, Portage, Marathon, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas, Iron | |||
Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) in the U.S. state of Wisconsin runs north–south down the central part of the state. It enters from Illinois at Beloit, and runs north to its northern terminus in Hurley where it junctions with US 2. Much of the route of US 51 runs concurrently with Interstate 39 (I-39).
Route description
From Beloit, US 51 passes through Janesville and Edgerton. US 51 joins with I-39 and I-90 for about five miles (8.0 km) before splitting off and heading west to Stoughton. US 51 then passes through the east side of Madison as a side route, known locally as Stoughton Road, paralleling to the west of I-39/I-90. North of Madison, US 51 parallels the Interstates on the east side passing through De Forest, Leeds, North Leeds, Poynette and Portage. In North Leeds, US 51 has a major junction with Wisconsin Highway 22 (WIS 22) and WIS 60 where US 51 heads west a bit with WIS 60 before splitting back north toward Poynette. The route joins I-39 north of Portage. There is a short concurrency with WIS 23 from Endeavor to WIS 82 near Oxford. They stay joined until I-39 ends at WIS 29. Along the way, the route bypasses the small communities of Endeavor, Packwaukee, Westfield, Coloma, Hancock, Plainfield, Plover, and Whiting prior to arriving at Stevens Point. Proceeding north from Stevens Point, the highway bypasses Knowlton, Mosinee, and Rothschild where I-39 terminates at the WIS 29 east interchange. US 51 continues on with WIS 29 for five miles (8.0 km) bypassing Schofield, then proceeding into Wausau where WIS 29 splits to the west. US 51 continues as a freeway to Merrill, passing Brokaw along the way.
The section of US 51 from Portage at its junction with I-39 to Merrill, as well as from County Trunk Highway S (CTH-S) to US 8 in Tomahawk, is built to Interstate Highway standards. In between these freeway segments exists an expressway from Lincoln Drive north of Merrill further north to CTH-S south of Tomahawk with five grade-level intersections. This will eventually be converted to a freeway, making US 51 a continuous freeway from Portage to Tomahawk.[2]
The highway becomes a two-lane road just north of US 8 at the Oneida County line. The highway passes through Minocqua, Manitowish Waters, and Mercer on its northwest trek toward Hurley and its terminus at a junction with US 2.[3]
History
Prior to 1926, what is now US 51 was State Trunk Highway 10.[4]
US 51 was upgraded to a full freeway over a period of 25 years from Merrill to Portage. The freeway continues around Portage to the west as I-39 (originally as WIS 78) to connect with I-90 and I-94 while US 51 continues along surface roads into and through Portage. In the 1990s, US 51 was designated as I-39 from its junction with WIS 29 eastbound in Wausau to where it left the freeway at exit 92 in Portage. US 51 remained cosigned with I-39 along this entire stretch of road. Further expansion of the highway northward took place in 2000, when the highway was upgraded to an expressway up to CTH-S. In addition, a super-two freeway from CTH-S to US 8 was upgraded to a four-lane freeway.[4]
The Wisconsin mileage of US 51 is designated by the state as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway.[5]
Exit list
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
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Rock | Beloit | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 51 south – Rockford | Continuation into Illinois | |
1.49– 1.50 | 2.40– 2.41 | WIS 81 | ||||
Town of Rock | 10.69– 10.70 | 17.20– 17.22 | WIS 11 | |||
Janesville | 14.36 | 23.11 | WIS 26 north | Southern terminus of WIS 26 | ||
13.39 | 21.55 | Bus. US 14 east | Southern end of Bus. US 14 concurrency | |||
13.75 | 22.13 | Bus. US 14 west | Northern end of BUs. US 14 concurrency | |||
Town of Janesville | 17.49 | 28.15 | US 14 | |||
Edgerton | 25.39 | 40.86 | WIS 59 | |||
Dane | Town of Albion | 28.20– 28.61 | 45.38– 46.04 | 160 | I-39 south / I-90 east – Chicago WIS 73 north | Southern end of I-39/I-90 concurrency |
32.07 | 51.61 | 156 | I-39 north / I-90 west – Madison | Northern end of I-39/I-90 concurrency | ||
Stoughton | 39.86 | 64.15 | WIS 138 south | Eastern end of WIS 138 concurrency | ||
Town of Dunkirk | 40.83 | 65.71 | WIS 138 north | Western end of WIS 138 concurrency | ||
McFarland | 49.67 | 79.94 | — | Siggelkow Road | Interchange | |
Madison | 51.22– 51.23 | 82.43– 82.45 | — | US 12 / US 18 | Exit 266 on US 12/US 18 | |
Town of Blooming Grove | 53.75 | 86.50 | — | CTH-BB (Cottage Grove Road) | Interchange | |
54.93 | 88.40 | — | Milwaukee Street | Interchange | ||
55.40 | 89.16 | — | WIS 30 | Interchange | ||
Madison | 56.28– 56.29 | 90.57– 90.59 | US 151 (Washington Avenue) | |||
Town of Burke | 60.61– 60.63 | 97.54– 97.57 | — | I-39 / I-90 / I-94 – Madison, Wisconsin Dells | Exit 132 on I-39/I-90/I-94 | |
61.70– 61.74 | 99.30– 99.36 | 61 | WIS 19 – Sun Prairie, Waunakee | |||
Town of Windsor | 63.25 | 101.79 | 63 | Windsor Road | Dumbbell interchange | |
DeForest | 65 | CTH-V | ||||
Columbia | Town of Leeds | 71.10 | 114.42 | WIS 22 north | Southern terminus of WIS 22 | |
71.54 | 115.13 | WIS 60 east | Eastern end of WIS 60 concurrency | |||
Town of Arlington | 73.48 | 118.25 | WIS 60 west | Western end of WIS 60 concurrency | ||
Town of Dekorra | 84.76– 84.84 | 136.41– 136.54 | WIS 16 | Southern end of WIS 16 concurrency | ||
Portage | 88.98 | 143.20 | WIS 16 west (Wisconsin Street) | Northern end of WIS 16 concurrency | ||
89.10 | 143.39 | WIS 33 (Cook Street) | ||||
Town of Fort Winnebago | 91.94 | 147.96 | 92 | I-39 south – Madison | Southern end of I-39 concurrency | |
Marquette | Town of Moundville | 100.38 | 161.55 | 100 | WIS 23 west / CTH-P – Wisconsin Dells, Endeavor | South end of WIS 23 overlap |
Town of Oxford | 104.56 | 168.27 | 104 | CTH-D – Packwaukee | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
106.72 | 171.75 | 106 | WIS 23 east / WIS 82 west – Oxford, Montello | North end of WIS 23 overlap | ||
Westfield | 113.27 | 182.29 | 113 | CTH-E / CTH-J – Westfield | ||
Waushara | Coloma | 124.24 | 199.94 | 124 | WIS 21 – Coloma, Necedah | |
Town of Hancock | 131.30 | 211.31 | 131 | CTH-V – Hancock | ||
Town of Plainfield | 136.85 | 220.24 | 136 | WIS 73 – Plainfield, Wisconsin Rapids | ||
Portage | Town of Pine Grove | 140.02 | 225.34 | 139 | CTH-D – Almond | |
143.51 | 230.96 | 143 | CTH-W – Bancroft, Wisconsin Rapids | |||
Town of Plover | 150.85 | 242.77 | 151 | WIS 54 / Bus. US 51 – Wisconsin Rapids, Plover, Waupaca | ||
153.45 | 246.95 | 153 | CTH-B – Wisconsin Rapids, Plover, Amherst | |||
156.48 | 251.83 | 156 | CTH-HH – Whiting | |||
Stevens Point | 158.66 | 255.34 | 158 | US 10 east – Stevens Point, Waupaca, Appleton, Marshfield | Signed as exits 158A (east) and 158B (west) northbound; south end of US 10 overlap | |
Town of Hull | 169.84 | 273.33 | 159 | WIS 66 – Stevens Point, Rosholt | ||
Stevens Point | 161.71 | 260.25 | 161 | Bus. US 51 – Stevens Point | ||
Town of Hull | 163.58 | 263.26 | 163 | Casimir Road | ||
165.70 | 266.67 | 165 | US 10 west – Marshfield | North end of US 10 overlap | ||
Town of Dewey | 171.34 | 275.75 | 171 | CTH-DB – Knowlton, Lake DuBay | ||
Marathon | Town of Knowlton | 175.79 | 282.91 | 175 | WIS 34 – Knowlton, Wisconsin Rapids | |
Mosinee | 179.52 | 288.91 | 179 | WIS 153 – Mosinee, Elderon | ||
Town of Kronenwetter | 181.34 | 291.84 | 181 | Maple Ridge Road | ||
Rothschild | 185.47 | 298.49 | 185 | Bus. US 51 – Rothschild, Wausau, Schofield | ||
Town of Rib Mountain | 188.09 | 302.70 | 187 | WIS 29 east – Weston, Green Bay I-39 south – Madison | Northern end of I-39 immediately before interchange | |
189.03 | 304.21 | 188 | CTH-N (Rib Mountain Drive) | |||
190.64 | 306.81 | 190 | CTH-NN (North Mountain Road) | |||
Town of Stettin | 191.95 | 308.91 | 191B | Sherman Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance only | |
Wausau | 192.49 | 309.78 | 191A | WIS 29 west – Abbotsford, Chippewa Falls | Northern end of WIS 29 concurrency; northbound ramp exits freeway south of Sherman Street | |
192.60 | 309.96 | 192 | WIS 52 (Stewart Avenue) | |||
193.40 | 311.25 | 193 | Bridge Street | |||
Wausau–Maine city/village line | 194.52– 194.73 | 313.05– 313.39 | 194 | Bus. US 51 / CTH-U / CTH-K – Wausau | Northern terminus of Bus. US 51 | |
Maine | 196.43 | 316.12 | 197 | CTH-WW – Brokaw | ||
Lincoln | Town of Scott | 205.19 | 330.22 | 205 | CTH-Q – Merrill | |
Town of Pine River | 208.39– 208.43 | 335.37– 335.44 | 208 | WIS 64 / WIS 17 – Merrill, Antigo | ||
Town of Bradley | 211.13 | 339.78 | 211 | CTH-K – Merrill | ||
214.96 | 345.94 | Lincoln Drive | At-grade intersection | |||
220.36 | 354.64 | CTH-K (Nelson Drive) | At-grade intersection | |||
221.39 | 356.29 | CTH-J – Irma | At-grade intersection | |||
222.40 | 357.92 | CTH-V | At-grade intersection | |||
223.49 | 359.67 | Tamarack Lane | At-grade intersection | |||
225.99 | 363.70 | 225 | CTH-S – Tomahawk | |||
229.86 | 369.92 | 229 | WIS 86 / CTH-D – Tomahawk | |||
231.65 | 372.80 | 231 | CTH-A – Tomahawk | |||
Town of King | 234.22 | 376.94 | 234 | US 8 – Prentice, Rhinelander | ||
Oneida | Town of Nokomis | 236.16 | 380.06 | Northern end of freeway | ||
Town of Minocqua | 260.71 | 419.57 | WIS 70 west – Fifield | Southern end of WIS 70 concurrency | ||
Town of Woodruff | 261.39 | 420.67 | WIS 47 – Lac du Flambeau, Rhinelander | |||
Vilas | Town of Arbor Vitae | 263.09 | 423.40 | WIS 70 east – Eagle River | Northern end of WIS 70 concurrency | |
Iron | Town of Mercer | 288.96 | 465.04 | WIS 47 south / WIS 182 west – Lac du Flambeau, Park Falls | Northern terminus of WIS 47; Eastern terminus of WIS 182 | |
Hurley | 315.07 | 507.06 | WIS 77 west (Silver Street) | Signed western terminus of WIS 11; Silver Street continues eastward as a state trunk highway to Bus. US 2 at the state line | ||
Town of Kimball | 316.44– 316.59 | 509.26– 509.50 | — | US 2 / LSCT – Ashland, Ironwood | Interchange | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- Wisconsin portal
References
- 1 2 Wisconsin State Trunk Highway Logs:
- Southwest Region Staff (December 31, 2008). State Trunk Highway Log for Southwest Region (XLS). Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Transportation. 051N.
- North Central Region Staff (December 31, 2008). State Trunk Highway Log for North Central Region (XLS). Rhinelander, WI: Wisconsin Department of Transportation. 051N.
- ↑ "Wisconsin Connections 2030: Wausau to Ironwood, Michigan" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ↑ Google (June 25, 2014). "Overview Map of U.S. Highway 51 in Wisconsin" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- 1 2 Bessert, Christopher J. "Highways 50-59 (U.S. Highway 51)". Wisconsin Highways. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
- ↑ "Special Roads". Wisconsin History Explorer. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
U.S. Route 51 | ||
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