U.S. Route 53

U.S. Route 53
U.S. 53 highlighted in red
Route information
Length:	403 mi[1] (649 km)
Existed:	1926[1] – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 14 / US 61 / WIS 16 at La Crosse, WI
	I-90 at La Crosse, WI I-94 at Eau Claire, WI US 12 at Altoona, WI WIS 29 at Lake Hallie, WI US 63 at Spooner, WI US 2 at Superior, WI I-35 / I-535 at Duluth, MN MN 33 at Independence, MN US 169 / MN 169 at Virginia, MN US 71 / MN 11 at Int'l. Falls, MN
North end:	Highway 71 to Highway 11 / TCH at Fort Frances, ON
Location
States:	Wisconsin, Minnesota
Counties:	WI: La Crosse, Trempealeau, Eau Claire, Chippewa, Barron, Washburn, Douglas MN: St. Louis, Koochiching
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Replaced Wisconsin State Trunk Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic Rustic Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate US State Legislative routes ← WIS 52 WI WIS 53 → ← US 52 MN MN 54 →

U.S. Route 53, or U.S. Highway 53 (U.S. 53), is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles (649 km) from La Crosse, Wisconsin to International Falls, Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota. The entire route from Eau Claire to the city limits of Superior, Wisconsin is a four lane divided highway. The highway's northern terminus is at the Fort Frances-International Falls Bridge in International Falls, Minnesota, at the Canada–US border. Its southern terminus is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, at U.S. Highway 14.

Route description

Wisconsin

U.S. Highway 53 begins at its southern terminus with a junction at U.S. 14, U.S. 61, and Wisconsin Highway 16 in downtown La Crosse. From there, U.S. 53 crosses Interstate 90 and becomes a freeway bypass of Onalaska and Holmen before proceeding north to Eau Claire as a two-lane roadway. The interchange with Interstate 94 at Eau Claire begins a freeway / expressway stretch for U.S. 53 north to the city limits of Superior. The recently built (circa 2006) freeway in Eau Claire, bypasses most of the city, alleviating congestion on the original route (signed now as both "Business U.S. 53" and Hastings Way.) Business U.S. 53 / Hastings Way is a mix of grade-separated interchanges and at-grade intersections, and is routed through Eau Claire, passing within about 1-mile (1.6 km) of downtown Eau Claire. Other smaller towns between Eau Claire and Superior (Solon Springs and Minong) were bypassed in a similar manner.

Wisconsin's first single-point urban interchange is found along the U.S. 53 bypass of Eau Claire, at its interchange with U.S. 12, in Altoona.^[2] This interchange received the 2005 Outstanding Highway Construction award from the Bureau of Project Development.^[3]

U.S. 53 continues as a freeway north of Eau Claire past Chippewa Falls to Rice Lake, where it then becomes an expressway with only two grade-separated interchanges (one at Wisconsin Highway 70 near Spooner and one at Wisconsin Highway 13, immediately southeast of Superior). U.S. 53 has a partial grade-separated interchange with U.S. 2 at South Range, but traffic turning onto U.S. 2 eastbound must take a U-turn at an at-grade crossover past the interchange.

After passing through the city of Superior as a four-lane city surface street (East Second Street) for a 5-mile (8.0 km) stretch, U.S. 53 then approaches the Saint Louis Bay. U.S. 53 then runs together with Interstate 535 and crosses the bay via the John Blatnik Bridge into Minnesota.

Minnesota

U.S. Highway 53 enters the state at the city of Duluth on the John Blatnik Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay. U.S. 53 is concurrent with I-535 for 2.8 miles (4.5 km) as it enters Minnesota.

U.S. 53 / I-535 has an interchange with I-35 in Duluth, 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.^[4]

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 (5.6 km).

U.S. 53 is then concurrent with State Highway 194 for six miles (10 km), from Trinity Road in Duluth to Lindahl Road in the city of 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. The portion of the route from Duluth to Virginia is a four-lane expressway. U.S. 53 has a junction with State Highway 33 at the unincorporated community of Independence. Continuing northbound, U.S. 53 has an interchange with U.S. 169 in Virginia. Immediately north of Virginia, U.S. 53 has an interchange with State Highway 169 in Wuori Township.

U.S. 53 then proceeds northwest to International Falls, where it has a junction with U.S. 71 and State Highway 11.

U.S. Highway 53 in Minnesota passes through Saint Louis and Koochiching counties.

Legally, the Minnesota section of U.S. 53 is defined as unmarked legislative routes 106, 11, and 315 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.115(37), (246), and 161.114(2). U.S. 53 is not marked with these legislative numbers along the actual highway.

Designations

• A portion of Highway 53 in Minnesota is officially designated the Voyageurs Highway. The Voyageurs Highway is a state designation that is also applied to various other state highways in Minnesota.
• The 2008 Minnesota Legislature named Highway 53 between Superior Street and Central Entrance in the city of Duluth as Walter F. Mondale Drive. On June 12, 2008, this section of highway (Piedmont Avenue and Trinity Road) was dedicated as Walter F. Mondale Drive in honor of the former Vice President's public service.

History

U.S. Highway 53 in Minnesota was completely paved by 1940.

The expressway section between Duluth and Virginia was constructed by 1970, except just north of Duluth. This section and a U.S. 53 bypass around Virginia were completed during the 1970s.

A new four-lane divided highway section of U.S. 53 in Duluth was constructed in 2004. This section of the route is known locally as Piedmont Avenue. Previously, from 1934 to 2004, this same section of U.S. 53 was a narrow two-lane roadway that had proceeded up the hill to a seven-legged intersection that had included Duluth's Skyline Parkway. Locally, this now-defunct infamous intersection, had been known for 70 years by the name "Seven Corners".

A new U.S. Highway 53 interchange with State Highway 169 in Wuori Township was built in 2006.

Future

Four-lane expansion project from Virginia to Cook

A section of U.S. 53, from north of the city of Virginia to the south city limits of Cook, is under construction. This is part of a long range goal of providing a four-lane highway to Canada as part of the Falls-to-Falls Corridor. The new four-lane highway will be built in two stages with a total length of approximately 20 miles. The first stage from approximately County Road 307 to 0.25 miles south of County Road 652 (Goodell Road) was completed in 2009. Bids for the second stage will be taken late fall of 2011 with construction scheduled to begin the winter of 2012. It is anticipated that the construction project will be completed in the fall of 2013.^[5]

Relocation of U.S. 53 between Eveleth and Virginia

The proposed project is to abandon U.S. Highway 53 in the area of the United Taconite mine expansion and relocate the highway nearby. The affected area is about one mile in length; located in Saint Louis County between the cities of Eveleth and Virginia.

On May 5, 2010, Cliffs Natural Resources provided notice to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) that U.S. Highway 53 easement rights across the United Taconite Mine, per a 1960 agreement, would be terminated. United Taconite and Mn/DOT are in negotiations to provide seven years for the relocation of Highway 53 between Eveleth and Virginia. Based on current project development requirements, Mn/DOT believes seven years is an appropriate time frame for review, design, and construction of a highway project.^[6]

There are three rerouting options being proposed for Highway 53:

• West – Following State Highway 37 and Saint Louis County Road 7.
• Center – Through the Auburn Pit; on the south side of the current route of Highway 53.
• East – Around and across the Rouchleau Pit; on the north side of the current route of Highway 53.

A route will be selected by 2013; construction will begin in 2015; and the project will be completed by 2017.

Falls-to-Falls Corridor

The Falls-to-Falls Corridor (officially The Falls-to-Falls Corridor—United States Route 53 from International Falls on the Minnesota/Canada border to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) is, by the United States federal government, a recognized trade corridor.

In the 1990s, the federal government listed the corridor as a priority for development. The primary development planned is infrastructure-related, specifically, a highway improvement project designed to spur economic development in northwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota by upgrading U.S. Highway 53 to full expressway standards from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to International Falls, Minnesota. Interstate Highway 535 forms the only section of the route that is part of the Interstate Highway System.

Wisconsin

With the exception of a 5-mile (8.0 km) stretch as a four-lane city surface street (East Second Street) in the city of Superior, the entire route within Wisconsin is completed to freeway or expressway standards. On the south end of the corridor, the connection to Interstate Highway 94 is a 7.5-mile (12.1 km) stretch through the Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls conurbation. After years of legal and political wrangling, the decision was made in the late 1990s to bypass the current route, rather than to upgrade the present highway to freeway standards. The northern half of this bypass, as far south as WIS 312 was opened to traffic in mid-2005. The southern half of the bypass, which includes a new pair of multilane bridges over the Eau Claire River, goes mostly through Altoona and includes new interchanges with WIS 312, U.S. Highway 12 and WIS 93. This project won multiple awards in 2005 and 2006.^[3] This section of the bypass was opened mid-morning on August 21, 2006.

Minnesota

Federal funding for the project in northern Minnesota was $940,000 in 2003 and nearly $600,000 in 2004.^[7] At present, with the exception of 3.5 miles (5.6 km) stretch within the city of Duluth (Piedmont Avenue and Trinity Road), the route is completed as expressway as far north as the north side of the city of Virginia, leaving approximately 90 miles (140 km) of the route as-yet incomplete. A section between Virginia and Cook was recently turned into a 4-lane highway.

Major intersections

State	County	Location	mi[8]	km	Exit[9]	Destinations	Notes
Wisconsin	La Crosse	La Crosse	0.00	0.00		US 14 west / US 61 south / WIS 16 (Cass Street) US 14 east (3rd Street South) / US 61 south / Great River Road south	Southern terminus of US 53
						WIS 35 south (George Street)	Southern end of WIS 35 overlap
					3	I-90 west / WIS 35 north / Great River Road north – Rochester	Northern end of WIS 35 overlap; western end of I-90 overlap
		Onalaska			4	I-90 east / WIS 157 east – Madison	Eastern end of I-90 overlap; southern end of WIS 157 overlap
					—	WIS 157 west / CTH-OS (Main Street)	Northern end of WIS 157 overlap
					—	CTH-S (Sand Lake Road)
		Holmen			—	CTH-OT – Midway
					—	WIS 35 south / CTH-HD / Great River Road (Holmen Drive)	Southern end of WIS 35 overlap
					—	CTH-MH (McHugh Road)
					—	WIS 35 north / CTH-HD / Great River Road – Holmen, Trempealeau WIS 93 begins	Northern end of WIS 35 overlap; southern end of WIS 93 overlap
	Trempealeau	Town of Gale				WIS 54 east – Melrose	Eastern end of WIS 54 overlap
		Galesville				WIS 54 west / WIS 93 north – Centerville	Western end of WIS 54 overlap; northern end of WIS 93 overlap
		Blair				WIS 95 east – Blair, Hixton	Eastern end of WIS 95 overlap
		Town of Preston				WIS 95 west – Arcadia	Western end of WIS 95 overlap
		Whitehall				WIS 121 west – Independence	Southern end of WIS 121 overlap
		Pigeon Falls				WIS 121 east – Northfield	Northern end of WIS 121 overlap
		Osseo				US 10 east – Fairchild, Neillsville	Eastern end of US 10 overlap
		Town of Sumner				US 10 west – Mondovi	Western end of US 10 overlap
	Eau Claire	Eau Claire			84	I-94 – Madison, St. Paul	Southbound exits signed as 84A (east) and 84B (west); no exit numbers northbound
					85	CTH-AA / Golf Road
					86	Bus. US 53 (Hastings Way) / WIS 93 south – La Crosse	US 53 Business only signed northbound
		Altoona			87	US 12 (Clairemont Avenue) – Fairchild, Eau Claire	Wisconsin's first SPUI[3]
					89	River Prairie Drive
		Eau Claire			90	WIS 312 / CTH-Q (North Crossing)
	Chippewa	Lake Hallie			92	Melby Street
					94	Bus. US 53 / WIS 124 / CTH-OO – Chippewa Falls, Lake Hallie
					95	WIS 29 – Menomonie, Green Bay	Signed as exits 95A (east) and 95B (west)
		Chippewa Falls			96	Bus. WIS 29 / CTH-X – Menomonie, Chippewa Falls
		Town of Tilden			99	CTH-S – Chippewa Falls, Jim Falls
					102	CTH-B – Tilden
		Bloomer			110	WIS 40 – Bloomer, Colfax
		Town of Bloomer			112	WIS 64 – Cornell, New Richmond
		New Auburn			118	CTH-M – New Auburn
	Barron	Town of Chetek			126	CTH-I – Chetek
		Cameron			135	US 8 – Barron, Cameron
		Rice Lake			140	CTH-O – Rice Lake
					143	WIS 48 – Rice Lake, Cumberland
		Haugen			150	CTH-V – Haugen
	Washburn	Town of Sarona				WIS 253 north – Spooner
		Town of Spooner			—	WIS 70 – Spooner, Stone Lake
					—	US 63 south – Spooner, Turtle Lake	Southern end of US 63 overlap
		Town of Trego				US 63 north – Hayward, Ashland	Northern end of US 63 overlap
		Minong				WIS 77 – Minong, Danbury
	Douglas	Town of Amnicon			—	US 2 east – Ashland	Eastern end of US 2 overlap
		Town of Parkland			—	WIS 13 south / CTH-Z / LSCT east – Port Wing, Bayfield
		Superior				US 2 / LSCT west – Duluth	Western end of US 2 overlap
					—	I-535 begins / WIS 35 south – Duluth	Southern end of I-535 overlap
St. Louis Bay			0.000	0.000	John A. Blatnik Bridge
Minnesota	St. Louis	Duluth	0.536– 0.705	0.863– 1.135	—	Garfield Avenue
			1.421– 1.675	2.287– 2.696		I-35 / I-535 ends / LSCT – St. Paul, Minneapolis	Northern end of I-535 overlap
			5.639– 5.650	9.075– 9.093		MN 194 east	Eastern end of MN 194 overlap
		Hermantown	11.526	18.549		MN 194 west	Western end of MN 194 overlap
		New Independence Township	24.134	38.840		MN 33 south – Cloquet
		Fayal Township	55.871	89.916	—	MN 37 west – Hibbing	Interchange, southern end of MN 37 overlap
		Eveleth	60.028– 60.530	96.606– 97.414	—	MN 37 east – Gilbert	Interchange, northern end of MN 37 overlap
		Virginia	63.054– 63.506	101.476– 102.203	—	MN 135 north – Gilbert	Interchange
			65.716– 66.029	105.760– 106.263	—	US 169 south – Mountain Iron, Hibbing, Grand Rapids	Interchange
		Wuori Township	70.387– 71.031	113.277– 114.313	—	MN 169 north – Tower, Ely	Interchange
		Sherman Corner	87.140	140.238		MN 1 east – Tower, Ely	Southern end of MN 1 overlap
		Field Township	94.168	151.549		MN 1 west – Effie, Northome	Northern end of MN 1 overlap
			101.030	162.592		MN 73 south – Chisholm, Hibbing
	Koochiching	Ray	146.275	235.407		MN 217 west – Littlefork
		Rainy Lake	160.218	257.846		MN 332 – International Falls, Pelland
		International Falls	163.968	263.881		MN 11 west (3rd Avenue)	Western end of MN 11 overlap
			164.040	263.997		MN 11 east (4th Street) – Island View	Eastern end of MN 11 overlap
			164.105	264.101		US 71 south (3rd Street) – Bemidji	Southern end of US 71 overlap
			164.361	264.513		Highway 71 north – Fort Frances	Northern end of US 71 overlap; Northern terminus of US 53 and US 71; Southern terminus of ON 71
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• List of U.S. Routes

References

External links

Route map: Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to U.S. Route 53.

• Endpoints of U.S. Highway 53
• Details of Routes 51 to 75. Steve Riner's Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page