U.S. Route 2 in Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
US Highway 2 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Everett, Washington
, to St. Ignace, Michigan
. The highway enters runs east–west across the northwestern part of the state and re-enters the state in the northeast part. It runs from the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
over the Saint Louis Bay
at Superior
, where it enters Minnesota
, east to Michigan
state line near Hurley
. Further east, US 2 re-enters Wisconsin from Michigan in Florence County
and briefly traverses that county before re-entering Michigan. US 2 is a Wisconsin Corridors 2020 Connecting route east of its concurrency with US 53. The portion concurrent with US 53 is a Wisconsin Corridors 2020 Backbone route
with WIS 35. US 2 then continues east for 1.7 mile to its intersection with US 53. At this point, the two routes then run concurrent
southeasterly on a four lane surface street (East 2nd Street) for 5 miles. After the intersection with Moccasin Mike Road, a 7 mile divided highway
segment begins for US 2 and US 53 as the two routes leave the city of Superior together. US 2 and US 53 have an interchange
with WIS 13 at Parkland
, WIS 13 begins its course around the Lake Superior
shoreline at this point. US 2 and US 53 split in South Range
at an unusual interchange
at which westbound US 2 traffic must cross over the freeway to the eastbound lanes to access US 53 south. US 2 then continues independently again as a two lane road, passing through Wentworth
, Poplar
, and Maple
as it heads east to the Douglas/Bayfield County line at Brule
. Just west of Brule, US 2 crosses the Brule River State Forest
.
In Bayfield County, US 2 passes through Iron River
then proceeds east-southeasterly through the Chequamegon National Forest and to Ino
where it turns east and meets US 63's northern terminus at about six miles (10 km) east of Ino. US 2 turns northeastward and meets WIS 13, which joins it eastbound as they follow the Lake Superior shoreline closely to the Ashland County line and the City of Ashland
. WIS 13 turns south in downtown Ashland while US 2 follows the lakeshore northeastward and turns east at the city limit and proceeds to Odanah
and turns southeastward to the Iron County
line. the highway junctions with WIS 169 two miles (3 km) east of the county line then turns eastward to Saxon
where it crosses WIS 122. US2 then continues east, then southeast toward Hurley
where it meets US 51
at its northern terminus and immediately enters Michigan.
concurrently with US 141 and turns southeastward to Florence and junctions with WIS 70 and WIS 101 at their shared terminus. After a short trek through Florence via Central Avenue, Furnace Street and Florence Avenue, the highway turns south and passes by Commonwealth
then turns east and passes through the community of Spread Eagle
. The highway returns into Michigan three miles (5 km) east of Spread Eagle.
|colspan=5 align=center |US 2 enters Michigan for 109.177 mi
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
, to St. Ignace, Michigan
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
. The highway enters runs east–west across the northwestern part of the state and re-enters the state in the northeast part. It runs from the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects Duluth, Minnesota with Superior, Wisconsin via U.S. Highway 2. Opened on October 25, 1985, it is roughly 11,800 feet long. About 8,300 feet of that length is actually over water. It crosses over the Saint Louis Bay...
over the Saint Louis Bay
Saint Louis River
The St. Louis River is a river in the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin that flows into Lake Superior. The largest U.S. river to flow into the lake, it is 179 miles in length and starts near Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. The river's watershed is in area...
at Superior
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
, where it enters Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, east to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
state line near Hurley
Hurley, Wisconsin
Hurley is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,818 at the 2000 census. It is directly across the Montreal River from Ironwood, Michigan.-History:...
. Further east, US 2 re-enters Wisconsin from Michigan in Florence County
Florence County, Wisconsin
Florence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 5,088. Its county seat is Florence.Florence County is part of the Iron Mountain, MI–WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and briefly traverses that county before re-entering Michigan. US 2 is a Wisconsin Corridors 2020 Connecting route east of its concurrency with US 53. The portion concurrent with US 53 is a Wisconsin Corridors 2020 Backbone route
Western segment
U.S. Highway 2 enters the state from Minnesota at the city of Superior on the Bong Memorial Bridge. US 2 then follows Belknap Street eastbound, passing through downtown Superior, where it has an intersectionIntersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
with WIS 35. US 2 then continues east for 1.7 mile to its intersection with US 53. At this point, the two routes then run concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
southeasterly on a four lane surface street (East 2nd Street) for 5 miles. After the intersection with Moccasin Mike Road, a 7 mile divided highway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
segment begins for US 2 and US 53 as the two routes leave the city of Superior together. US 2 and US 53 have an interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
with WIS 13 at Parkland
Parkland, Wisconsin
Parkland is a town in Douglas County, Wisconsin, USA. The population was 1,240 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Parkland and South Range are located in the town.-Transportation:County Road E, County Road Z, State Highway 13, and U.S...
, WIS 13 begins its course around the Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
shoreline at this point. US 2 and US 53 split in South Range
South Range, Wisconsin
South Range is an unincorporated community, in Douglas County, in the town of Parkland, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.South Range is located 11 miles southeast of the city of Superior....
at an unusual interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
at which westbound US 2 traffic must cross over the freeway to the eastbound lanes to access US 53 south. US 2 then continues independently again as a two lane road, passing through Wentworth
Wentworth, Wisconsin
Wentworth is an unincorporated community, in the town of Amnicon, Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States.The community is located 16 miles east of the city of Superior.U.S. Highway 2 serves as a main arterial route in the community.-References:...
, Poplar
Poplar, Wisconsin
Poplar is a village in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 552 at the 2000 census.U.S. Highway 2 serves as a main arterial route in the community.-Geography:Poplar is located at ....
, and Maple
Maple, Wisconsin
Maple is a town in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 649 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Blueberry and Maple are located in the town.-History:...
as it heads east to the Douglas/Bayfield County line at Brule
Brule, Wisconsin
Brule is a town in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 591 at the 2000 census. The town takes its name from the nearby Bois Brule River, which flows north into Lake Superior. The census-designated place of Brule and unincorporated communities of Bellwood and Winneboujou are...
. Just west of Brule, US 2 crosses the Brule River State Forest
Brule River State Forest
Brule River State Forest is a state forest located in Douglas County, Wisconsin, U.S.A. that encompasses the Bois Brule River for most of its length from its headwaters to Lake Superior. It is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and is nearly in size, making it the...
.
In Bayfield County, US 2 passes through Iron River
Iron River, Wisconsin
Iron River is a town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,059 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Iron River is located in the town.-Geography:...
then proceeds east-southeasterly through the Chequamegon National Forest and to Ino
Ino, Wisconsin
Ino is an unincorporated community in the town of Keystone, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. Ino is located at the junction of U.S. Route 2 and County Highway E west-southwest of Ashland....
where it turns east and meets US 63's northern terminus at about six miles (10 km) east of Ino. US 2 turns northeastward and meets WIS 13, which joins it eastbound as they follow the Lake Superior shoreline closely to the Ashland County line and the City of Ashland
Ashland, Wisconsin
Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 8,695 at the 2010 census....
. WIS 13 turns south in downtown Ashland while US 2 follows the lakeshore northeastward and turns east at the city limit and proceeds to Odanah
Odanah, Wisconsin
Odanah is a census-designated place in Ashland County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 254 at the 2000 census.Odanah is the cultural and administrative center of the Bad River Chippewa Band of the Chippewa.-Geography:...
and turns southeastward to the Iron County
Iron County, Wisconsin
Iron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 6,861. Its county seat is Hurley.-Geography:According to the U.S...
line. the highway junctions with WIS 169 two miles (3 km) east of the county line then turns eastward to Saxon
Saxon, Wisconsin
Saxon is a town in Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 350 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Saxon is located in the town.-Culture:Each August, Saxon hosts the Iron County fair....
where it crosses WIS 122. US2 then continues east, then southeast toward Hurley
Hurley, Wisconsin
Hurley is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,818 at the 2000 census. It is directly across the Montreal River from Ironwood, Michigan.-History:...
where it meets US 51
U.S. Route 51 in Wisconsin
In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, U.S. Route 51 runs north–south down the central part of the state...
at its northern terminus and immediately enters Michigan.
Eastern segment
US 2 re-enters Wisconsin from Iron County, MichiganIron County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 13,138 people, 5,748 households, and 3,615 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 8,772 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
concurrently with US 141 and turns southeastward to Florence and junctions with WIS 70 and WIS 101 at their shared terminus. After a short trek through Florence via Central Avenue, Furnace Street and Florence Avenue, the highway turns south and passes by Commonwealth
Commonwealth, Wisconsin
Commonwealth is a town in Florence County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 419 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Commonwealth is located in the town.-Geography:...
then turns east and passes through the community of Spread Eagle
Spread Eagle, Wisconsin
Spread Eagle is an unincorporated community in Florence County, in the town of Florence, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Iron Mountain, MI–WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Transporation:...
. The highway returns into Michigan three miles (5 km) east of Spread Eagle.
History
In 1918, the western segment of US 2 was old WIS 10 with the exception of the short segment between US 51 and the Michigan state line, which was not a part of the state highway system until Michigan started their trunkline system a year later.. The entire eastern segment was designated as old WIS 69 in 1918. One business route existed for US 2 until 2002. Business Highway 2 began at the US 51 terminus and headed southeast to WIS 77 in downtown Hurley where it turned east into Michigan. Although Michigan still has the route signed, Wisconsin removed its signs. The street in Hurley that runs from WIS 77 to the border is still a state trunkline despite not having a numbered designation.Major intersections
|-|colspan=5 align=center |US 2 enters Michigan for 109.177 mi