 U.S. Highway 63 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 63 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byWisDOT | ||||
| Length | 182.2 mi[1][2] (293.2 km) | |||
| Existed | 1934–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 63 at theMississippi River in Red Wing | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end |  US 2 inBayfield County | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Wisconsin | |||
| Counties | Pierce,St. Croix,Polk,Barron,Washburn,Sawyer,Bayfield | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Highway 63 (US 63) is a north–south highway in northwesternWisconsin, traveling fromRed Wing, Minnesota, to its national northern terminus 10 miles (16 km) west ofAshland, Wisconsin.
US 63 crosses theMississippi River via theRed Wing Bridge, situated north ofRed Wing, Minnesota. Entering Wisconsin, it meetsWisconsin Highway 35 (WIS 35) at a four-way stop inHager City. The route continues north for 9.1 miles (14.6 km) until it intersects withUS 10 outsideEllsworth. US 63 and US 10 thenrun concurrently eastward into Ellsworth's downtown area, where they encounter the southern end ofWIS 65. On the eastern side of Ellsworth, US 10 branches off to the southeast, while US 63 turns north at the nearbyWIS 72. East ofMartell, US 63 briefly overlaps withWIS 29 for a mile. WIS 29 then heads west, and US 63 proceeds intoSt. Croix County.[1]
In theBaldwin area, US 63 crosses overInterstate 94 (I-94) and intersects withUS 12 in downtown Baldwin. Heading north from Baldwin, US 63 continues for 11 miles (18 km) before reaching a roundabout nearCylon. At this roundabout, it intersects withWIS 46 and briefly runs concurrently withWIS 64. US 63/WIS 64 runs for nearly five miles (8.0 km) before US 63 turns northward separately and enters Polk County. US 63 traverses through several towns in Polk County, includingClear Lake,Richardson, andClayton. It then intersects withUS 8 on the western side ofTurtle Lake, sharing a route with US 8 as they enter theBarron County section of Turtle Lake. At a roundabout, US 63 splits from US 8 and heads northeasterly toward Comstock. Continuing its journey, US 63 intersects withWIS 48 inCumberland and passes throughBarronett before exiting Barron County and enteringWashburn County.[1]
US 63 traverses Washburn County, passing through its county seat,Shell Lake, seven miles (11 km) northeast of its entry point. The highway continues northeast towardsSpooner, intersecting withWIS 253 andWIS 70. It briefly merges with theUS 53 expressway northeast of downtown Spooner, heading towardsTrego. From Trego, US 63 proceeds northeastward towardsHayward andAshland, passing throughEarl,Springbrook, and south ofStanberry before enteringSawyer County. In Hayward, it intersects withWIS 27 andWIS 77. Continuing northeast towards Ashland, US 63 passes throughSeeley. EnteringBayfield County, the highway passes throughCable, south ofDrummond, throughGrand View, and east ofMason. It intersects with the western end ofWIS 118 before terminating atUS 2, having covered 34.8 miles (56.0 km) within Bayfield County.[2]
With the creation of theUnited States Numbered Highway System in 1926, US 63, as a whole, only served as far north asDes Moines, Iowa.[3] At the same time, a connection betweenRed Wing, andAshland comprised a portion of WIS 46 south ofCylon and almost the entire portion of WIS 24 north of Cylon.[4] In 1934, US 63 was extended north fromOskaloosa, Iowa, to Ashland; its direct connection to Des Moines was replaced with the short-lived designationUS 163.[5][6] In Wisconsin, the extension replaced WIS 24.[7][8]
| County | Location | mi[1][2] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River | 0.0 | 0.0 |      US 63 south toUS 61 /MN 58 | Continuation into Minnesota | |
| Red Wing Bridge | |||||
| Pierce | Town of Trenton | 2.6 | 4.2 |    WIS 35 /Great River Road –Red Wing Airport,Nelson,Bay City,Prescott | |
| Town of Trimbelle | 11.5 | 18.5 |   US 10 west –Prescott | Western end of US 10 concurrency | |
| Ellsworth | 13.1 | 21.1 |   WIS 65 north (Maple Street) –River Falls | Southern terminus of WIS 65 | |
| Town of Ellsworth | 14.8 | 23.8 |  US 10 east –Durand WIS 72 east –Elmwood | Eastern end of US 10 concurrency; western terminus of WIS 72; western end of WIS 72 overlap | |
| 16.4 | 26.4 | WIS 72 east –Elmwood | Eastern end of WIS 72 concurrency | ||
| Martell–Gilman town line | 24.9 | 40.1 |  WIS 29 east –Spring Valley,Crystal Cave | Southern end of WIS 29 concurrency | |
| 25.9 | 41.7 | WIS 29 west –River Falls 850th Avenue east | Northern end of WIS 29 concurrency | ||
| St. Croix | Baldwin | 32.0 | 51.5 |  I-94 –Eau Claire,St. Paul | |
| 34.2 | 55.0 |  US 12 east –Woodville | Southern end of US 12 concurrency | ||
| 34.8 | 56.0 | US 12 west –Hammond,Hudson 8th Avenue east | Northern end of US 12 concurrency | ||
| Stanton–Cylon town line | 45.9 | 73.9 |  WIS 64 west –New Richmond WIS 46 north –Amery | Western end of WIS 64 concurrency; southern terminus of WIS 46 | |
| Town of Cylon | 50.8 | 81.8 | WIS 64 east –Connorsville 260th Street south | Eastern end of WIS 64 concurrency | |
| Polk | Turtle Lake | 71.2 | 114.6 |  US 8 west –St. Croix Falls CTH-T north | Western end of US 8 concurrency |
| Barron | 72.4 | 116.5 | US 8 east –Barron Maple Street south | Eastern end of US 8 concurrency | |
| Cumberland | 83.3 | 134.1 |  WIS 48 west –Luck | Western end of WIS 48 concurrency | |
| 84.4 | 135.8 | WIS 48 east –Rice Lake 2nd Avenue south | Eastern end of WIS 48 concurrency | ||
| Washburn | Town of Spooner | 106.0 | 170.6 |   WIS 253 south toUS 53 south –Rice Lake | Northern terminus of WIS 253 |
| Spooner | 107.0 | 172.2 |  WIS 70 (Maple Street) –Couderay,Siren | ||
| Town of Spooner | 109.9 | 176.9 | US 53 south –Rice Lake | Southern end of US 53 concurrency | |
| Town of Trego | 113.4 | 182.5 | US 53 north –Superior CTH-E west | Northern end of US 53 concurrency | |
| Sawyer | Hayward | 134.1 | 215.8 |  WIS 27 south –RadissonDakota Avenue | Southwestern end of WIS 27 concurrency |
| 134.7 | 216.8 |  WIS 27 north /WIS 77 –Clam Lake,Mellen,Brule,Minong | Northeastern end of WIS 27 concurrency | ||
| Bayfield | Mason–Kelly–Keystone–Eileen town quadri-point | 179.5 | 288.9 |  WIS 118 east –Marengo CTH-F west –Benoit | Western terminus of WIS 118 |
| Keystone–Eileen town line | 182.2 | 293.2 | US 2 –Ashland,Superior | National northern terminus of US 63 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Media related toU.S. Route 63 in Wisconsin at Wikimedia Commons
