Wisconsin Highway 13

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

State Trunk Highway 13
Length: 338.32 mi[1] (544.47 km)
South end: I-90 / I-94 in Wisconsin Dells
Major
junctions:		 WIS 54 in Wisconsin Rapids
WIS 29 in Abbotsford
US 8 near Prentice
US 2 in Ashland
North end: US 2 / US 53 near Superior
Wisconsin highways
< US 12 US 14 >
County - Bannered - Rustic
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

State Trunk Highway 13 (often called Highway 13, STH 13 or WIS 13) is a Wisconsin state highway running north-south across northwest and central Wisconsin. WIS 13 serves as a major north-south route connecting the communities of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield and Ashland. Highway 13 is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour from its northern/western terminus to Ashland at is eastern junction with U.S. Highway 2. The road also provides access to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore off the Lake Superior shoreline at Bayfield. The highway is two-lane surface road with the exception of various urban multilane road sections.

Contents

[edit] Route description

[edit] Wisconsin Dells to Marshfield

WIS 13 begins at I-90 / I-94 and passes east through Wisconsin Dells as an urban multilane highway, crossing US 12 and merging with WIS 16 and WIS 23 east through the city.[2] WIS 13 then turns north, while WIS 23 heads east and WIS 16 heads south one mile east of the city.[3] WIS 13 follows the Wisconsin River north through Adams County, passing through Plainville, Adams and Friendship. The highway then crosses WIS 21 three miles north of Friendship and finally passes through Cottonville, Big Flats and Rome before entering Wood County.[4]

Major cities

In Wood County, WIS 13 crosses WIS 73 at four miles east of Nekoosa before entering Wisconsin Rapids. WIS 13 joins WIS 54 south at the Riverview Expressway, a short bypass of the downtown area. The two highways split two miles west of their join point and WIS 13 merges with WIS 73 north. Both routes turn west out of the city at their junction with WIS 34 and head northwest to Pittsville where WIS 80 terminates at the highway. Two miles west of Pittsville, WIS 13 turns north while WIS 73 continues west. WIS 13 intersects US 10 and the two routes concurrently head two miles north then two miles east where WIS 13 turns north again to pass northwest through Marshfield as the Veterans Parkway. WIS 13 enters Marathon County after passing through Marshfield.[5]

The 4-lane road in Marshfield is also known as the Veteran's Parkway. This section was built to alleviate congestion in downtown Marshfield along Central Ave. Further, the city and WisDOT are reconstructing Central Avenue in 2009 before handing it over to city control.[6]

[edit] Marshfield to Ashland

WIS 13 heads northwest to Spencer where it turns north to follow the Marathon/Clark county line, passing through Unity, Colby and Abbotsford (where it junctions with WIS 29) and around Dorchester.[7] The highway then enters Taylor County where it passes through Stetsonville and crosses WIS 64 on the east side of Medford. North of Medford, WIS 13 meanders around Whittlesey, Chelsea and Westboro. The highway enters Price County two miles north of Westboro.[8]

In Price County, WIS 13 reaches the WIS 86 terminus at Ogema and crosses US 8 near Prentice. The highway then turns northwest to Phillips. The route turns north again out of Phillips to head into Fifield where WIS 70 crosses. WIS 13 then meets WIS 182 at its terminus in Park Falls before heading northwest out of the county into Ashland County.[9] WIS 13 passes through Butternut and Glidden upon entering the county. Two miles northwest of Glidden, the highway joins with WIS 77 north and the two highways head north, passing through Cayuga and split with WIS 77 heading east at Mellen and WIS 13 heading northwest, passing through Highbridge, Minersville and Marengo. WIS 13 then heads north to Ashland and joins US 2 west for two miles and then turns north (as US 2 continues west) along the Lake Superior shorline in Bayfield County[10]

[edit] Along the Lake Superior shoreline

WIS 13 closely follows the shore of Chequamegon Bay and passes through Barksdale, Washburn and Bayfield. It is at Bayfield where access to Madeline Island and the Apostle Island National Lakeshore is available. WIS 13 turns westward at Redcliff and follows the shore of Lake Superior, passing through Cornucopia, Herbster, and Wisconsin| before entering Douglas County.[11] One mile after the county line, WIS 13 turns southward to parallel the Brule River State Forest for five miles, then turns west again. The highway ends at US 2 and US 53 southeast of Superior.[12]

[edit] History

With some variation due to realignments over time, the original 1918 routing this highway followed much of today's STH 13, beginning at what was then Kilbourn (present-day Wisconsin Dells), travelling north through Adams, Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids), Marshfield, Prentice and Ashland, ending in Bayfield. It was later that STH 13 was routed around the Bayfield Peninsula and westerly to Superior.

The route of STH 13 previously ran the length of the state from Beloit on the Illinois state line to the Minnesota state line. From Beloit, Highway 13 followed the roads that are now U.S. Highway 51, U.S. Highway 14, U.S. Highway 12 through Janesville and Madison. Additionally, STH 13 was extended westerly from Bayfield first to Port Wing, then into Superior then across the border to Duluth. In the 1920s, The southern end of highway 13 was realigned from Evansville to Beloit along what is now WIS 213 after US 14 was commissioned.

Highway 13 was truncated to its present southern terminus in 1961 after I-90 and I-94 were commissioned.[1]

[edit] Future

 This article contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

With the expansion of US 10 between Marshfield and Stevens Point, WisDOT is evaluating the rerouting of various state highways including WIS 13. The proposal has WIS 13 being rerouted along WIS 34 north of Wisconsin Rapids to US 10, then heading west to the Veterans Parkway. The current route would be solely WIS 73 and WIS 80 would be extended to fill the north-south routing between Pittsville and Marshfield.[13]

[edit] Major intersections

County Location Mile Roads intersected Notes
Sauk Wisconsin Dells   I-90 / I-94
  US 12 / WIS 16 West / WIS 23 West WIS 16 and WIS 23 East follow WIS 13 North
Columbia   WIS 16 East / WIS 23 East WIS 16 and WIS 23 East follow WIS 13 North
Adams Plainville   CTH K
Springville   WIS 82
Easton   CTH A
Adams   CTH M
Friendship   CTH J
Cottonville   WIS 21
Big Flats   CTH C
Rome   CTH D
Wood Nekoosa   WIS 73
Wisconsin Rapids   WIS 54 East WIS 54 West follow WIS 13 North
  WIS 54 West / WIS 73 East WIS 54 East follow WIS 13 South, WIS 73 North follow WIS 13 North
  WIS 34
Vesper   WIS 186
Pittsville   WIS 80
  WIS 73 North WIS 73 South follow WIS 13 South
Marshfield   US 10 West WIS 13 North follow US 10 East
  WIS 13 Bus.
  US 10 East WIS 13 South follow US 10 West
  WIS 97 / WIS 13 Bus.
Marathon Spencer   WIS 98 / CTH C
  WIS 153
Unity   CTH P
Colby   CTH N
Abbotsford   WIS 29
Dorchester   CTH A
Taylor Stetsonville   CTH A
Medford   WIS 64
Whittlesey   CTH M
Chelsea   WIS 102
Westboro   CTH D
Price Ogema   WIS 86
Prentice   US 8
Phillips   WIS 111
  CTH H / CTH W
Fifield   WIS 70
Park Falls   WIS 182
Ashland Mellen   CTH F
Glidden   CTH F
    WIS 77 West WIS 77 East follow WIS 13 North
Mellen   WIS 77 East WIS 77 West follow WIS 13 South
Minersville   CTH C
    WIS 112
Ashland   WIS 137
  US 2 East WIS 13 North Follow US 2 West
Bayfield   US 2 West WIS 13 South Follow US 2 East
Washburn   CTH C
Bayfield   CTH H Via Ice Road or Ferry
Cornucopia   CTH C
Port Wing   CTH A
Douglas     CTH H
    CTH F
    CTH D
    CTH U
Superior   US 2 / US 53

[edit] Bannered routes

Two bannered routes exist for WIS 13. The first, in Wisconsin Rapids, runs downtown from Riverview Expressway (WIS 13 and WIS 54) along North 8th Street. then west along Avon Street, Jackson Street and West Grand Avenue, ending at the junction of WIS 34, WIS 13 and WIS 73. The second, in Marshfield, follows the old alignment of WIS 13 along Central Avenue through downtown.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Bessert, Chris. Wisconsin Highways: Highways 10-19 (Highway 13). Wisconsin Highways. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
  2. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Sauk Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  3. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Columbia Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  4. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Adams Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  5. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Wood Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  6. ^ City of Marshfield - South Central Ave Reconstruction
  7. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Marathon Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  8. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Taylor Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  9. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Price Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  10. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ashland Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  11. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Bayfield Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  12. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Douglas Co [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  13. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. US 10 expansion project - state highway system changes. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.

[edit] External links