Highways 1 through 9

US-2 WEST | US-2 EAST | US-8 | Jump to Bottom

Western Entrance:

Minnesota state line on the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge in Superior

Eastern Entrance:

Michigan state line (Montreal River bridge) on the north side of Hurley

Length:

104.59 miles

Map:

Route Map of US-2

Notes:

This is the longer of two segments of US-2 in Wisconsin. The other is more than 100 miles east-southeast near Florence. In between, US-2 runs for 109.5 miles in the Michigan counties of Gogebic and Iron before dipping back into Wisconsin.

Total length of US-2 in Wisconsin (two segments added together) is 119.08 miles.

Until c.2002, the "Bi-state Business Connection" of BUS US-2 at Hurley/Ironwood continued westerly from the Michigan/Wisconsin state line through downtown Hurley via Silver St and northerly via US-51 to terminate at US-2. (Although Wisconsin's "business connections" are generally locally-maintained, BUS US-2 through Hurley was effectively under state control since it was concurrently designated with STH-77 and US-51 for its entire length.) At some time around 2002, WisDOT removed all BUS US-2 signage, meaning Michigan's BUS US-2 now terminates at the state line. While Silver St (formerly part of BUS US-2 & STH-77) in Hurley from the Michigan state line to US-51/Second Ave is still technically a state trunkline highway, it bears no trunkline signage—not even that of STH-77.

History:

The original state trunkline designation of what is today the western segment of US-2 was numbered SR-10 in 1918, except the very short portion between present-day US-51 at Hurley and the Michigan state line, which didn't exist as a state trunkline until Michigan began posting their trunkline system a year later.

Freeway:

Two segments of US-2 (West Segment) exist as freeway:

1. On the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge between Duluth, Minn and Superior (1 mile).
2. US-2/US-53 from southern edge of Superior to US-2 & US-53 jct southeast of Superior (6.8 miles).

Expressway:

None.

NHS:

Entire route.

Circle Tour :

Lake Superior Circle Tour: two segments:

1. From jct US-2 & US-53 in Superior to jct US-2/US-53 & STH-13 southeast of Superior.
2. From the western jct of STH-13 just west of Ashland to the Michigan state line at Hurley.
   

Business Connections:

Formerly a BUS US-2 existed at Hurley—see note above.

Continue on:

US-2 west into Minnesota - via Steve Riner's Unofficial Minnesota Highways website.
US-2 east into Michigan

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• US-2 Across Wisconsin - a travel guide of sorts from RoadtripUSA.com.

• Richard Ira Bong: Ace of Aces - information on the namesake of the Richard I Bong Bridge, which US-2 traverses between Superior and Duluth.

• Dick Bong: The Pilot - a biography of Richard I Bong from the Richard I Bong World War II Heritage Center.

Western Entrance:

Michigan state line approximately 3 miles northwest of Florence

Eastern Entrance:

Michigan state line approximately 3 miles east of Spread Eagle

Length:

14.49 miles

Map:

Route Map of US-2

Notes:

The shorter of two segments of US-2 in Wisconsin. This segment, which re-emerges into Wisconsin after travelling 109.5 miles in Michigan, is concurrently designated with US-141 for all 14.5 miles in Wisconsin.

Total length of US-2 in Wisconsin (two segments added together) is 119.08 miles.

History:

The original state trunkline designation of what is today the eastern segment of US-2 was numbered STH-69 in 1918. The segments of the highway across the state line in Michigan in both directions were similarly numbered M-69 at that time as well.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

NHS:

Entire route.

Continue on:

US-2 into Michigan

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• US-2 Across Wisconsin - a travel guide of sorts from RoadtripUSA.com.

Western Entrance:

Minnesota state line at Saint Croix Falls

Eastern Entrance:

Michigan state line, 6 miles east of Niagara and 2 miles south of Norway, Mich

Length:

255.59 miles

Maps:

Route Map of US-8
Maps of Proposed US-8 (Pembine-Hermansville)

Notes:

US-8 is very much a "Wisconsin highway" as all but about 24 miles of it are in Wisconsin—22 miles in Minnesota and 2 miles in Michigan.

US-8 is a major two-lane east-west route across the northern half of the state, serving especially through traffic between the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

As noted at Robert Droz' U.S. Highways: From U.S. 1 to U.S. 830 website, US-8 was originally designated to begin at Powers, Michigan and head westerly into Wisconsin. Many early official Wisconsin Highway Commission and Michigan Dept of State Highways sources show the agencies had intended to route US-8 easterly from Pembine, over the Menominee River via a crossing at Faithorn in Menominee Co, Michigan, then run generally easterly to a junction with US-2 at Hermansville. While a 1927 Rand McNally highway map of Michigan does show US-8 along this route, an H.M. Gousha map from the next year shows US-8 entering the state from the Niagara, Wisconsin area via present-day US-141 and ending at US-2 between Quinnisec and Iron Mountain, with US-8 still proposed to run to Hermansville in the future. By 1929, US-8 had been transferred to its present corridor into Norway, Michigan. The proposed highway alignment from Pembine via Faithorn to Hermansville lasted at least into the early 1960s on the Michigan side; it is assumed MDOT has no present plans to construct a new highway along the long-proposed corridor and US-8 will stay put at Norway. It should be noted, however, that at present WisDOT still officially lists the proposed US-8 realignment easterly from Pembine to the Michigan state line as a "mapped corridor." Of course if MDOT refuses to construct the road, WisDOT will take no action on their side of the river. (See also Proposed US-8 [Pembine-Hermansville])

According to WisDOT's "Official State Trunk Highway System Maps," southern bypasses of the cities of Barron and Cameron in Barron County are planned to form one complete expressway route from CTH-TT west of Barron to 1/2 mile east of 22nd St east of Cameron. See "US-8 Enviornmental Impact Statement (EIS)" link below for more information.

History:

The "original" 1918 designation of much of today's US-8 was STH-14, except for the portion east of Armstrong Creek, which was not a part of the 5,000-mile state trunkline system.

Freeway:

None.

Expressway:

Two short segments of US-8 exist as expressway:

1. A short segment within the City of St Croix Falls, beginning at the Minnesota state line and ending near the eastern city limit. (~1 mile)
2. From 1/2-mile west of CTH-O east of Barron to CTH-SS south of Cameron. Two-lanes undivided east to the 19th St overpass, four-lanes divided from 19th St to CTH-SS. (3 miles)

NHS:

From Minnesota to the north jct of US-8 & US-141, south of Niagara.

Business Connection:

Former BUS US-8 - Rhinelander. Locally-designated route followed the former route of US-8 through the city. Removed in c.2004-05.

Continue on:

US-8 west into Minnesota - via Steve Riner's Unofficial Minnesota Highways website.
US-8 east into Michigan

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• US 8 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) - (from WisDOT) examines 40 miles of US 8 from WIS 35 North in Polk County to US 53 in Barron County.

• Maps of Proposed US-8 (Pembine-Hermansville) - from Rand McNally, WisDOT and the Michigan State Highway Department.

• US-8 Bridge - from John Weeks' The Bridges Of Minneapolis And St. Paul website.

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