Highways 200 through 399

STH-213 | STH-241 | STH-243 | STH-253 | STH-310 | STH-312 | Former STH-341 | Former STH-351 | Jump to Bottom

Southern Terminus:

Illinois State line (connection w/IL SR-2) in Beloit

Northern Terminus:

US-14 in Evansville at cnr N Madison St & Union St

Length:

27.21 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-213

Notes:

STH-213 occupies a former portion of the route of STH-13 in the southernmost part of the state. See the "History" section below for details.

History:

Originally, STH-13 ran the entire length of the state, and then some! The highway began at the Illinois state line in Beloit and travelled all the way north to the Apostle Islands area, before turning westerly toward Duluth. In 1961, STH-13 was truncated to its present terminus in Wisconsin Dells. From Wis Dells southerly through Madison to Evansville, STH-13 had been concurrently designated with other routes, primarily US-12 and US-14. From Evansville to Beloit, what had formerly been STH-13 was redesignated STH-213—the second "two-hundred series" state trunk highway designation in Wisconsin. In 1961, STH-213 ended on the west side of Beloit at STH-81, but the next year STH-213 was extended easterly along STH-81 into Beloit, then southerly along 4th St to end at STH-15/State St. When STH-15 was replaced by the I-43 designation in 1988, STH-213 was extended south along State St to the Illinois state line.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

NHS:

From the west jct of STH-81 on the west side of Beloit to jct SPUR US-51 at Broad St in downtown Beloit.

Continue on:

IL SR-2 south into Illinois - via Rich Carlson's Illinois Highways Page.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Southern Terminus:

I-94/US-41 at Exit 325 at the Milwaukee/Racine Co line

Northern Terminus:

STH-24 at cnr S 27th St—S Layton Blvd & Forest Home Ave in southwestern Milwaukee

Length:

11.21 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-241

Notes:

STH-241 runs along S 27th St in southern Milwaukee Co in its entirety.

History:

STH-241 was commissioned in 1999 along a former routing of US-41 in the southern half of Milwaukee Co. In late-1998, US-41 was rerouted to remain with I-94 from the Milwaukee/Racine Co line through downtown to the Stadium Frwy interchange. Previously, US-41 split from I-94 at Exit 325 and continued northerly via S 27th St and S Layton Blvd, turned westerly on STH-59/National Ave, then northerly again via the Stadium Frwy. Only the portion of S 27th St south of Forest Home Ave was redesignated as STH-241. S Layton Blvd from STH-24/Forest Home Blvd north to National Ave no longer carries a state highway designation. The August 2, 1999 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel carried an article about the change, stating:

The renumbering follows a successful battle by south side residents and city officials to block the widening of Layton Blvd. between National Ave. and W. Lincoln Ave., a plan that would have sacrificed 280 trees. DOT officials relented and agreed to let the city rebuild the street within its current width. But they said the rebuilt street would not meet highway standards and could not retain its designation.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• WIS 241 study - from WisDOT: "WisDOT is studying WIS 241 (South 27th Street) from the County Line to County ZZ (College Avenue) in Milwaukee County. The six-mile corridor will be studied to develop an access management plan for new developments that emerge along WIS 241."

• Change in route for U.S. 41 means new numbers for some state highways - August 3, 1999 article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Western Terminus:

Minnesota state line (connection w/MN TH-243) on the Saint Croix River Bridge in Osceola

Eastern Terminus:

STH-35/Cascade St in Osceola

Length:

0.30 mile (approximately 1,600 feet)

Map:

Route Map of STH-243

Notes:

STH-243 is the third-shortest state trunk highway in Wisconsin and the shortest "regular" trunk highway as the two other highways shorter than STH-243 are designated "SPUR" routes off of other highways. This highway serves only as a connection from STH-35 to the interstate bridge into Minnesota.

History:

In addition to being one of the shortest—even the shortest, depending on how you define it—state trunk highway, STH-243 was also the first "two-hundred series" state highway designation in Wisconsin, coming about a decade before STH-213. Since STH-243 is such a short highway, it can be difficult to determine exactly when it was commissioned, but both Wisconsin and Minnesota sources show it likely debuted in 1949. It's also a coin-toss as to which state came up with the "243" route designation and which adopted it secondly to preserve route number continuity. Nevertheless, the 3/10th mile of STH-243 in Wisconsin has remained unchanged since it was first designated.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Continue on:

MN TH-243 west into Minnesota - via Steve Riner's Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• Highway 243 Bridge - from John Weeks' The Bridges Of Minneapolis And St. Paul website.

Southern Terminus:

US-53 expressway just north of Sarona

Northern Terminus:

US-63/River St on the southern edge of Spooner

Length:

7.61 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-253

Notes:

In late 1999, the 1931 era bridge spanning a now-abandoned railroad line on STH-253 near Sarona was closed to traffic. As stated in a WisDOT press release from that time:

The bridge that carries WIS 253 over the abandoned railroad tracks just west of US 53 at Sarona in Washburn County [was] closed to all traffic on Oct. 22, 1999, according to Del Laughlin, Systems Operations Engineer for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's (WisDOT) Superior office. He added that the bridge will remain closed until it is permanently removed, which is currently scheduled to be done in 2001. "On June 3, 1998, WisDOT posted the bridge for five-ton limit because of the deterioration. That eliminated school buses and trucks from using the structure," he added, "and now, it is no longer safe for snow plows to use." Closing the overhead bridge essentially closes WIS 253 south of County B except for local traffic.

History:

As the route number may suggest and a quick look at a highway map will confirm, STH-253 was a portion of the former routing of US-53 through Spooner before the expressway bypass was completed in 1988. When the bypass was completed and the US-53 designation applied to it, the stretch of what had been US-53 from Sarona to US-63 on the south side of Spooner was designated STH-253. The former US-53/US-63 from the south side of Spooner to the new expressway interchange retained the US-63 designation.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Western Terminus:

Jct US-10 & I-43 at Exit 154 northwest of Manitowoc

Eastern Terminus:

STH-42 in downtown Two Rivers at cnr of 16th St & Washington St

Length:

8.72 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-310

Notes:

STH-310 is a spur route off US-10 and, with the exception of its westernmost one mile, is not a former routing of US-10 as may be inferred from looking at a highway map.

History:

In late-1978, a segment of the I-43/US-141 freeway was completed from Manitowoc northerly, and US-10 was realigned from its routing along present-day CTH-P onto what had previously been CTH-D from the community of Branch easterly to US-141 (now CTH-R), then southerly into Manitowoc. In c.1984, when US-10 was rerouted to run southerly via I-43 for three miles before turning easterly into Manitowoc, the former US-10 from I-43 to CTH-R (old US-141) was redesignated STH-310, and the seven miles of CTH-D from that point into downtown Two Rivers was transferred to state control and designated STH-310 as well. The route of this highway has remained constant ever since.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• Prospects Brighten for Highway 310 Upgrade - from the City of Two Rivers website.

Western Terminus:

I-94 at Exit 59 northwest of Eau Claire

Eastern Terminus:

US-53 at the North Crossing interchange along the Eau Claire bypass

Length:

7.9 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-312
Map of Greater Eau Claire & Chippewa Falls Area

Notes:

STH-312 runs along Eau Claire's "North Crossing" highway in its entirety from I-94 on the west to US-53/Eau Claire Bypass on the east. With the completion of the remainder of the US-53 freeway bypass of Eau Claire on August 21, 2006, the STH-312 designation became the sole route designation extending easterly from Hastings Way along the North Crossing extension (formerly signed as BYP US-53/STH-312) and the BYP US-53 designation has been retired. See Map of Greater Eau Claire & Chippewa Falls Area.

In late November 2005, the length of STH-124 was nearly halved as part of the route designation change fallout due to the US-53 "Eau Claire Bypass" construction. When the entire bypass freeway was completed and opened to traffic on August 21, 2006, US-53 was removed from its former route along Hastings Way and WisDOT will turn that highway over to local control between US-12 and CTH-OO. Since STH-124 dualled with US-53 from CTH-OO southerly to the North Crossing interchange and since there is no direct connection between the new US-53 freeway and STH-124 south of Chippewa Falls, WisDOT had little choice but to truncate STH-124 back to CTH-OO and to give the North Crossing at Eau Claire a new designation. The STH-312 route markers along the North Crossing replaced the STH-124 ones in late November 2005 and were added to the North Crossing easterly extension to supplement the BYP US-53 designation on that stretch as well.

The STH-312 designation is the newest highway designation in Wisconsin, debuting in November 2005.

History:

In 1994 when Eau Claire's "North Crossing" was completed and WisDOT needed a state highway designation for the new highway, STH-124 was extended southwesterly from Chippewa Falls via US-53/Hastings Way to the new facility where it turned westerly along the North Crossing to US-12, continuing with that highway to a terminus at I-94. However, just over a decade later with the first portions of the US-53 "Eau Claire bypass" freeway opening to traffic, STH-124 was truncated back to Lake Hallie in late November 2005 in preparation for the eventual turnback of Hastings Way from Eau Claire into Lake Hallie to local control. The North Crossing at Eau Claire from I-94 on the west to jct US-53 & BYP US-53 at Hastings Way was redesignated as STH-312.

Freeway:

None.

Expressway:

Entire route. While not officlally designated as such by WisDOT, the entire length of STH-312 along the North Crossing is a controlled access facility with no private intersecting drives.

NHS:

Entire route.

Photographs:

•BYPASS US-53 Photos, November 4, 2005 - a set of 23 photos on two pages.

Weblinks:

• State highway route changes in fall 2005 - map from WisDOT.

• North Crossing to get new highway number in Eau Claire - WisDOT press release from August 26, 2005.

Fmr. Southern Terminus:

STH-59/National Ave in the City of West Milwaukee, near the Zablocki V.A. Medical Center, south of the Miller Park area

Fmr. Northern Terminus:

Jct I-94 & US-41 at the Stadium Interchange in Milwaukee, adjacent to Miller Park

Former Length:

1.04 miles

Map:

Route Map of Former STH-341

Notes:

STH-341 is no longer an active state trunk highway designation. (See "History" section below for details.)

As a part of the construction of Miller Park—the baseball park which replaced the former Milwaukee County Stadium—it was determined the Stadium Freeway South would need to be moved out of the way of the new stadium and its ancillary construction. As a part of the state's $36-million commitment to the project, the former Stadium South was closed and the entire freeway removed. In its place, a new "arterial highway" was built bowing to the east to avoid the new stadium. While the highway may not officially be designated a freeway, as evidenced by its 45 mph speed limit, it closely resembles a freeway, with full control of access, no traffic signals and an interchange at the stadium. When initally opened to traffic on August 6, 1998, it was designated as part of US-41, the designation the former Stadium Frwy South carried before it was removed. A year later, though, the new Stadium South Arterial (now Miller Park Way) was redesignated STH-341, as explained in the "History" section below.

Along with SPUR STH-794 (Howard Ave) in southeastern Milwaukee, STH-341 was also an unsigned state trunkline highway. When the Stadium South Arterial was redesignated as STH-341 in 1999, WisDOT chose to not erect route markers along its length or along intersecting highways, rather simply labelling it as "Miller Park Way" on all signage.

Until 2015, STH-341 was the sixth-shortest state trunk highway in Wisconsin and the second-shortest "regular" trunk highway as four of the other highways shorter than STH-341 were designated "SPUR" or Business routes off of other highways.

History:

STH-341 was commissioned in 1999 along the former routing of US-41 past Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee. In the last half of 1998, US-41 was rerouted to remain with I-94 from the Milwaukee/Racine Co line through downtown to the Stadium Interchange. Previously, US-41 split from I-94 at Exit 325 and continued northerly via S 27th St and S Layton Blvd, turned westerly via STH-59/National Ave, then northerly along the Stadium Freeway. The Stadium South from STH-59/National Ave to I-94/US-41 was redesignated as STH-341. The August 2, 1999 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel carried an article about the change, stating:

The renumbering follows a successful battle by south side residents and city officials to block the widening of Layton Blvd. between National Ave. and W. Lincoln Ave., a plan that would have sacrificed 280 trees. DOT officials relented and agreed to let the city rebuild the street within its current width. But they said the rebuilt street would not meet highway standards and could not retain its designation.

On April 7, 2015, the designation of I-41 in Wisconsin is made official, while actual route signage is erected later in the year. The routing of US-41 in the greater Milwaukee area is removed from the I-94/I-43/North-South Frwy to I-94/East-West Frwy to Stadium Frwy to Lisbon Ave to Appleton Ave route and instead transferred to run concurrently with I-43/I-894 (and I-41) along the Airport Frwy and I-894/US-45 (and I-41) along the Zoo Frwy. The former route of US-41 where it ran by itself along the Stadium Frwy, Lisbon Ave and Appleton Ave is redesignated as an extension of STH-175. The route of STH-175 is then extended southerly from I-94 at the Stadium Interchange to completely supplant STH-341 in its entirety, thereby releating that designation to history.

Freeway:

Entire route. (See first Note above.)

NHS:

Entire route.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• Stadium Freeway - from the Milwaukee Freeways section of this website.

Fmr. West Terminus:

US-51 south of Janesville, just north of the Rock Co Airport

Fmr. East Terminus:

I-90/I-39 at Exit 177 southeast of Janesville

Former Length:

2.64 miles

Map:

Route Map of Former STH-351

Notes:

STH-351 is no longer an active state trunk highway designation. (See "History" section below for details.)

History:

STH-351, designated in c.1988 in conjunction with a new I-90 interchange constructed at Avalon Rd south of Janesville, was commissioned to provide convenient freeway access to the south side of Janesville, specifically the General Motors Janesville truck plant on the city's south side. Interestingly, the STH-351 designation lasted only a little over twenty years when it was replaced by the Janesville bypass.

A new STH-11 southern bypass of Janesville was completed and opened to traffic on November 11, 2002, completely supplanting STH-351 in its entirety. Right-of-way acquisition began in 1999 with actual construction on the 6-mile, $21 million project beginning in 2001. The following was taken from a WisDOT press release:

The DOT selected the bypass route favored by local officials as the preferred alternative to address deficiencies on existing Highway 11 and provide the best long-term east-west transportation link to Interstate 90 for the Rock County region and the Janesville community.

Labeled Bypass Alternative 3 in the DOT's FEIS, the route uses existing Highway 11 from Rockport Road to Hayner Road. It then heads south along Hayner Road and at Rockport Road the alignment shifts to property lines east of Hayner Road. This alternative heads east on new alignment, crossing County Highway D (Afton Road) and then the Rock River just north of Janesville's wastewater treatment plant. It joins Avalon Road near Highway 51 and continues along Highway 351 to I-90.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• WIS 11 Janesville Bypass project report - from WisDOT, 2002.

STH-213 | STH-241 | STH-243 | STH-253 | STH-310 | STH-312 | Former STH-341 | Former STH-351 | Up to Top