U.S. Route 45

U.S. Route 45
Route information
Length:	1,297 mi (2,087 km)
Existed:	1926 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US-98 at Mobile, AL
	I-65 at Prichard, AL I-20 / I-59 at Meridian, MS I-22 at Tupelo, MS I-40 at Jackson, TN I-24 at Paducah, KY I-24 at Metropolis, IL I-64 at Mill Shoals, IL I-57 / I-70 at Effingham, IL I-80 at Mokena, 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
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced

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.

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 in Washington County, Alabama. From Vinegar Bend until 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. 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.

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. The longer mainline route includes a segment of two-lane roadway immediately north of the split with 45-Alternate and continuing to US 82. Construction is presently underway to widen this entire segment, with final completion expected in September 2012.

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, future Interstate 22 (present 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

U.S. 45 and 45W are concurrent with unsigned Tennessee 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. U.S. 45E is concurrent with unsigned Tennessee State Route 43 for most of the route's length, except for short segments at Martin and South Fulton where it is cosigned with Tennessee State Route 216 and Tennessee State Route 215 respectively.

Kentucky

U.S. 45 enters Kentucky in Graves County, where it passes through Mayfield, KY and heads directly north into Paducah, KY 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 a two-lane, metal grate bridge into Illinois across the Ohio River.

Illinois

Main article: U.S. Route 45 in Illinois

In the state of Illinois, U.S. 45 runs from the bridge across the Ohio River east of 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, U.S. 45 is the longest numbered route in Illinois.

Wisconsin

The highway near Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Main article: U.S. Route 45 in 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 west coast of Lake Winnebago through Oshkosh, Wisconsin. U.S. 45 then travels north through the state and national forests until it exits the state and enters Michigan at Land O' Lakes.

Michigan

Main article: U.S. Route 45 in 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.

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. Much of the traffic left US 45 at Effingham, Illinois, continuing on through Cairo, Illinois along Illinois Route 37.

See also

• List of highways numbered 45

Bannered and suffixed routes

• U.S. Route 45E
• U.S. Route 45W
• U.S. Route 45 Alternate in Tupelo, Mississippi
• U.S. Route 45 Business in Wittenburg, Wisconsin
• U.S. Route 45 Business in New London, Wisconsin
• U.S. Route 45 Business in Paducah, Kentucky
• U.S. Route 45 Bypass in Jackson, Tennessee
• U.S. Route 45W Business in Trenton, Tennessee Decommissioned and resigned as Tennessee State Route 367
• U.S. Route 45W Business in Humboldt, Tennessee
• U.S. Route 45E Business in Martin, Tennessee
• U.S. Route 45 Business in Tupelo, Mississippi
• U.S. Route 45 Business in Meridian, Mississippi

External links

• US-45 endpoint photos
• Michigan US-45 endpoints
• U.S. 45 at Michigan Highways
• Illinois Highway Ends: US 45

Browse numbered routes
← SR-44	AL	SR-46 →
← MS 44	MS	MS 46 →
← SR-44	TN	SR-45 →
← KY 44	KY	KY 46 →
← IL 43	IL	IL 47 →
← WIS 44	WI	WIS 46 →
← M-44	MI	M-45 →