U.S. ROUTE 53

(Redirected from U.S. Highway 53)

'U.S. Highway 53' is a north-south United States highway that runs for 403 miles (649 km) from northern Minnesota to La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is the primary north-south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between Duluth, Minnesota, and I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The entire route from Duluth to Eau Claire is divided multi-lane limited-access highway.

Contents

Termini

States traversed

Notes

See also

References

Termini

As of 2004, the highway's northern terminus is the Fort Frances-International Falls International Bridge in International Falls, Minnesota, at the Canadian border. Its southern terminus is La Crosse, Wisconsin, at U.S. Highway 14.

Major cities
:Listed here south-to-north ★ La Crosse, Wisconsin ★ Onalaska, Wisconsin ★ Eau Claire, Wisconsin ★ Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin ★ Rice Lake, Wisconsin ★ Superior, Wisconsin ★ Duluth, Minnesota ★ Hermantown, Minnesota ★ Virginia, Minnesota ★ International Falls, Minnesota

States traversed

The highway passes through the following states:
===Wisconsin===
Main articles: U.S. Route 53 in Wisconsin

U.S. 53 begins at US 14 in La Crosse. The portion between there and Eau Claire is a two-lane road. The route becomes a freeway at its junction with I-94 and continues as such north to Rice Lake. North of Rice Lake the route is an expressway to Superior. U.S. 53 crosses into Minnesota via the John Blatnik Bridge.
===Minnesota===
Main articles: U.S. Route 53 in Minnesota

U.S. 53 enters Duluth via the John Blatnik High Bridge and is co-signed with I-535 for 2.8 miles. After its junction with I-35, U.S. 53 continues through Duluth on the recently upgraded Piedmont Avenue and Trinity Road for 3.5 miles.
U.S. 53 is then duplexed with State Hwy. 194 for 6 miles, from Trinity Road to Lindahl Road in Hermantown. This four-lane stretch of Highways 53 and 194 are also known as the Miller Trunk Highway in the cities of Duluth and Hermantown.
From Hermantown, the route proceeds north to the city of Virginia then northwest to International Falls. The portion of the route from Duluth to Virginia is a 4-lane expressway.
A section of U.S. 53, from north of the city of Virginia to Cook, is under construction. This is part of a long range goal of providing a 4-lane highway to Canada as part of the Falls-to-Falls Corridor.
A portion of Highway 53 is officially designated the Voyageurs Highway. The Voyageurs Highway is a state designation that is also applied to various other state highways in Minnesota.
'Legal Definition'
The Minnesota section of U.S. 53 is defined as Routes 106, 11, and 315 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.115(37), (246), and 161.114(2). [1],[2]

Notes

★ The 'U.S. 53' / 'I-35' / 'I-535' interchange in Duluth is known locally as the "Can of Worms" and features a pair of left exits from I-35, a stoplight, and lane drops over the I-35 bridge. Map and aerial photo

★ The 'U.S. 53' / 'U.S. 12' single-point urban interchange, on the border between Eau Claire and Altoona, became Wisconsin's first and won multiple awards in 2005 and 2006. This section of a new U.S. 53 bypass was opened mid-morning on August 21st, 2006.

See also

★ List of U.S. Routes

References

1. Droz, Robert V. U.S. Highways : From US 1 to (US 830). URL accessed 02:55, 4 July 2006 (UTC).