U.S. Route 45

U.S. Route 45 marker

U.S. Route 45
Route information
Length: 1,297 mi[1] (2,087 km)
Existed: 1926[1] – present
Major junctions
South end: US 98 at Mobile, AL
 

I‑65 at Prichard, AL
I-20 / I-59 at Meridian, MS
I-40 at Jackson, TN
I-24 / I-66 at Paducah, KY
I-57 / I-70 at Effingham, IL
I-80 at Tinley Park, IL
I-55 at Countryside, IL
I-90 at Rosemont, IL

I-43 / I-94 at Milwaukee, WI
North end: Ontonagon and River streets in Ontonagon, MI
Location
States: Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan
Highway system

U.S. Route 45 is a north–south United States highway. US 45 is a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as 1,300 miles (2,100 km).

US 45 is notable for incorporating, in its maiden alignment, the first paved road in the South, a 49-mile segment in Lee County, Mississippi. Let to contract in July 1914, the concrete highway opened on November 15, 1915.[2]

As of 2006, the highway's northern terminus is in Ontonagon, Michigan, at the corner of Ontonagon and River Streets, a few blocks from Lake Superior. M-64 formerly terminated there as well until its rerouting in October 2006 to use the newly built Ontonagon River Bridge. Its southern terminus is in Mobile, Alabama, at an intersection with U.S. Route 98.

Route description

Alabama

U.S. 45 is co-routed with unsigned State Route 17 between Mobile and Vinegar Bend, just north of Deer Park, in Washington County, Alabama. From Vinegar Bend to the Mississippi state line, U.S. 45 is paired with unsigned Alabama State Route 57.

Mississippi

Failure of the Mississippi Highway 25 N/U.S. Route 45 S bridge over the Tombigbee River relief (Big Nichols Creek)/Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway in Aberdeen, Mississippi, during the March 1955 floods.

U.S. Highway 45 is part of a designated hurricane evacuation route in Mississippi.[3] It is entirely four-laned from its point of entry from Alabama, at the town of State Line, to the Tennessee line just north of Corinth, along the way serving the towns of (from south to north) Waynesboro, Meridian, Columbus and Tupelo.[4]

At Brooksville, U.S. 45 splits away from U.S. 45 Alternate and serves the towns of Columbus and Aberdeen before rejoining U.S. 45 Alternate south of Tupelo. The alternate roadway provides a more direct and entirely four-laned route between Meridian and Tupelo, bypassing Columbus to the west and, more closely, Starkville to the east.

Major junctions of U.S. 45 in Mississippi include U.S. Route 84 at Waynesboro, Interstate 20/59 at Meridian, U.S. Route 82 at Columbus, Interstate 22/U.S. Route 78 at Tupelo and U.S. Route 72 at Corinth. Each of these junctions is an interchange and, with the exception of Waynesboro, each is part of a freeway segment.

The Mississippi section of U.S. 45 is defined at Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Tennessee

U.S. 45 signage in Jackson, Tennessee

From the Mississippi state line U.S. 45 extends north past Selmer and Henderson and Jackson to Three Way, just north of Jackson. From there to the northwest, U.S. 45 and 45W are concurrent with unsigned State Route 5 from the Mississippi state line to Union City and then with U.S. 51 (unsigned SR 3) to the Kentucky state line. From Three Way to the northeast, U.S. 45E is concurrent with unsigned State Route 43 for most of the route's length, except for short segments at Martin and South Fulton where it is cosigned with State Route 216 and State Route 215 respectively. It rejoins U.S. 45 and 45W at South Fulton.

Kentucky

U.S. 45 enters Kentucky at Fulton then northeast past Mayfield then heads directly north into Paducah as a four-lane highway. In Paducah, U.S. 45 serves as a major artery, intersecting with Interstate 24 at exit 7, and intersecting US 60 and 62. U.S. 45 leaves Kentucky from Paducah's northern border across the two-lane, metal-grate Brookport Bridge to Brookport, Illinois across the Ohio River.

Illinois

In the state of Illinois, U.S. 45 runs from a bridge across the Ohio River from Paducah, Kentucky, through Shawnee National Forest and north to the Wisconsin border east of Antioch, Illinois. With a length of 428.99 miles (690.39 km) in Illinois,[5] U.S. 45 is the longest numbered route in Illinois.

In its progress north from the Ohio River U.S. 45 first joins Interstate 24 as far as Vienna then heads northeast through Harrisburg and north through Fairfield, Flora, Effingham, Mattoon, Champaign, Urbana, Gilman and Kankakee, then straight north through the western suburbs of Chicago in Will County, Cook County and Lake County to the Wisconsin border.

Wisconsin

The highway near Oshkosh, Wisconsin

U.S. 45 enters the state in southeast Wisconsin. It runs concurrent with Interstate 894 and U.S. Route 41 through the west side of metro Milwaukee to form a major artery through the metropolitan area. It runs north to Fond du Lac. The highway routes near the western shore of Lake Winnebago through Oshkosh, Wisconsin. U.S. 45 then travels north through Appleton, Wittenberg, Antigo, and Eagle River, as well as the state and national forests, until it leaves the state at Land O' Lakes and enters Michigan.

Michigan

US 45 enters Michigan south of Watersmeet. From there, the highway crosses the Western Upper Peninsula through the Ottawa National Forest running north to Ontonagon. US 45 ends just south of Lake Superior in downtown Ontonagon. The terminus was not changed in 2006 despite realignment then of M-38 and M-64 from the terminus to a crossing 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south.[6]

Historic termini

Until 1934, US 45's northern terminus was in the Chicago, Illinois area.

Prior to the construction of the Interstate Highway system, US 45 was one of the main routes south out of Chicago toward New Orleans, Louisiana. Much of the traffic left US 45 at Effingham, Illinois, continuing on through Cairo, Illinois along Illinois Route 37.

Major intersections

Southern segment
Alabama
US 98 in Mobile
I‑65 in Prichard
Mississippi
US 84 in Waynesboro
I‑20 / I‑59 in Meridian
US 11 / US 80 in Meridian
US 82 west of Columbus. The highways travel concurrently to Columbus.
US 278 north-northwest of New Wren. The highways travel concurrently to the Verona–Tupelo city line.
I‑22 / US 78 in Tupelo
US 72 in Corinth
Tennessee
US 64 in Selmer. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I‑40 / US 412 in Jackson
US 45E / US 45W in Three Way
Northern segment
Tennessee
US 45E / US 45W / US 51 in South Fulton. US 45/US 51 travels concurrently to Fulton, Kentucky.
Kentucky
Future I‑69 north of Mayfield
I‑24 in Paducah
US 62 in Paducah. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 60 / US 62 in Paducah. US 45/US 60 travels concurrently through the city.
Illinois
I‑24 in Metropolis
I‑24 north-northeast of Vienna
I‑64 north of Mill Shoals
US 50 east of Flora. The highways travel concurrently to northwest of Flora.
US 40 in Effingham. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I‑57 / I‑70 in Effingham
I‑57 northeast of Neoga
I‑57 in Mattoon
US 36 in Tuscola Township
I‑57 in Pesotum
US 150 in Champaign. The highways travel concurrently to Urbana.
I‑74 in Urbana
US 136 in Rantoul
US 24 in Gilman. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 52 east of Ashkum. The highways travel concurrently to Peotone Township.
I‑57 in Kankakee
US 30 in Frankfort
I‑80 on the Mokena–Orland Park–Tinley Park city line
US 6 in Orland Park
US 12 / US 20 west of the Palos Hills–Hickory Hills city line. US 12/US 45 travels concurrently to Des Plaines. US 20/US 45 travels concurrently to the Stone Park–Melrose Park city line.
I‑294 in Willow Springs
I‑55 on the Countryside–Hodgkins city line
US 34 in La Grange
I‑290 on the Westchester–Hillside–Bellwood city line
I‑190 west of Rosemont
US 14 in Des Plaines
Wisconsin
I‑43 in Greenfield. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I‑43 / I‑894 in Greenfield. I-894/US 45 travels concurrently to Milwaukee.
I‑94 / I‑894 in Milwaukee.
US 18 on the Milwaukee–Wauwatosa city line
Future I‑41 / US 41 in Milwaukee. The highways travel concurrently to Richfield.
US 151 in the Town of Fond du Lac
Future I‑41 / US 41 in Oshkosh
US 10 in Winchester. The highways travel concurrently through the town.
US 8 in Monico. The highways travel concurrently through the town.
Michigan
US 2 in Watersmeet
River Street/Chippewa Street in Ontonagon

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Droz, Robert V. U.S. Highways: From US 1 to (US 830). URL accessed 02:55, 4 July 2006 (UTC).
  2. ↑ USDOT Federal Highway Administration: The Evolution of Mississippi Highways. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  3. ↑ MS Dept. of Transportation's Hurricane Evacuation Map, retrieved 30 Aug 2011
  4. ↑ Official Mississippi Highway Map, pdf version, retrieved 30 Aug 2011.
  5. ↑ Illinois Technology Transfer Center. Called La Grange Road through much of the South Suburbs of Chicago. (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  6. ↑ Bessert, Christopher J. Michigan Highways: Ontonagon State Trunkline Changes 2006. URL accessed 24 June 2007.
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Browse numbered routes
← SR 44ALSR 46 →
← MS 44MSMS 46 →
← SR 44TNSR 45 →
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