U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was US 94. The highway's southern terminus is in the Brickell neighborhood of Downtown Miami at an intersection with Brickell Avenue (US 1), and its northern terminus is east of Copper Harbor, Michigan, at a modest cul-de-sac near Fort Wilkins Historic State Park at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. US 41 closely parallels Interstate 75 (I-75) from Naples, Florida, all the way through Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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| Route information | |
| Length | 2,008 mi[1] (3,232 km) |
| Existed | November 11, 1926[2]–present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  |
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| North end | Ft. Wilkins State Park near Copper Harbor, MI |
| Location | |
| States | Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan |
| Highway system | |
Route description
| mi[1] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| FL | 483 | 777 |
| GA | 378 | 608 |
| TN | 197 | 317 |
| KY | 104 | 167 |
| IN | 279 | 449 |
| IL | 62 | 100 |
| WI | 226 | 364 |
| MI | 279 | 449 |
| Total | 2,008 | 3,232 |
Florida
In Florida, US 41 is paralleled by Interstate 75 all the way from Miami to Georgia (on the northern border), and I-75 has largely supplanted US 41 as a major highway.
Between Miami and Naples, US 41 is signed east-west and cuts across the Florida peninsula, running through the vast Everglades wilderness. This section has been designated a National Scenic Byway. The byway runs east–west through the Big Cypress National Preserve, skirting the northern border of the Everglades National Park for about 20 miles (32 km). The part of the highway between Tampa and Miami is known as the Tamiami Trail (derived from the combination of Tampa and Miami, the road's two termini), thus, this section of the road is commonly known as the East Trail, as it runs east-west across the state, in contrast to the road's otherwise distinctively north-south route. In Naples, Route 41 changes direction at an intersection with 5th Avenue in Downtown Naples, turning from west to north towards Tampa (or from south to east towards Miami).
As the Trail moves into Hillsborough County the historic communities of Ruskin, Florida and Gibsonton, Florida are south Hillsborough County high points. Ruskin was founded by the Commongood Society. Highway 41 from Ruskin's Little Manatee River to Big Bend Rd (CR 672) has been designated by the Florida Senate as the Trooper Kenneth E. Flynt Hwy in Memory of Florida Trooper Flynt who was killed in the line of duty.[3] Gibsonton was populated by Carnival workers.
US 41 is in the process of being widened throughout the northern Tampa Bay suburbs. It is currently six lanes wide between Tampa, Lutz, and much of Land O' Lakes, and again between Garden Grove and Brooksville. It is also four lanes wide in Tampa south of BUS US 41, between a section north of Land O' Lakes, Masaryktown, and Garden Grove, and south of Inverness. A large portion of US 41 is co-designated along the unmarked State Road 45 between Belle Meade and High Springs.
From US 92 in Tampa to US 41 Business and State Road 676 near the unincorporated Palm River-Clair Mel, US 41 carries the unsigned State Road 599 designation. It contains the northwestern end of the Tamiami Trail at the SR 60 intersection. It is normally three lanes wide, but between Interstate 4 and the northern terminus of SR 569 it is only two lanes wide. The unsigned state highway is 5.6 miles (9.0 km) long. At the northern terminus, US 41 turns west. (If one continues straight, 40th Street leads to Busch Gardens Tampa.) Major intersections include State Road 574, SR 569, I-4, SR 60, and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway (SR 618).
In Northern Florida, US 41 runs along the DeSoto Trail between Floral City and Williston and again between High Springs, and Lake City.
Georgia
In Georgia, US 41 is paralleled by Interstate 75 all the way from Florida to Tennessee, and I-75 has largely supplanted US 41 as a major highway.
The first major city in Georgia north of Florida is Valdosta, though the primary US 41 has been rerouted to run along Inner Perimeter Road around Valdosta. US 41 Business runs through Valdosta. The highway was also rerouted north of Valdosta onto I-75 at exit 22, and runs to exit 29 then goes back to the original path. This was done so trucks couldn't use 41 to bypass the Georgia weigh station on 75. The bypassed stretch of 41 is now marked as a "county maintained" road and has a weight limit of 56000 pounds.
The highway proceeds through South and Central Georgia cities and towns including Adel, Tifton, Cordele, Unadilla, Perry, Warner Robins, Macon, Barnesville, and Griffin as it approaches the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Atlanta Motor Speedway is located on US 19 and US 41 in Hampton, south of Atlanta. Tara Boulevard and Metropolitan Parkway carry the highway, along with its co-signed partner US 19, north into the city. In Hapeville, just outside Atlanta, the highway serves the northeastern part of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, passing near the headquarters of Delta Air Lines.
In Atlanta, Highway 41 was formerly carried on Spring Street near Five Points, but it has long been re-routed via Northside Drive around the downtown area. (It was a major truck route.) The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia World Congress Center, and State Farm Arena are located off Northside Drive. North of Atlanta, the stretch of Highway 41 between Atlanta and Marietta was the first four-laned highway in Georgia when it was completed in 1938. Now, the Northside Parkway and the Cobb Parkway carry US 41 through northern Fulton and Cobb counties. This thoroughfare is the home of SunTrust Park, the Big Chicken, Cumberland Mall, the Cobb Galleria, and the Six Flags White Water amusement park. US 41 also passes through Marietta, Kennesaw, Acworth, Cartersville, Adairsville, Calhoun, and Dalton en route to Tennessee.
Tennessee
US 41, joined by US 76, enters Tennessee east of I-75 on the outskirts of East Ridge. It is called Ringgold Road through East Ridge up to the Bachman Tunnel, where it enters Chattanooga and then around the base of Lookout Mountain. It then heads through the towns of Lookout Valley, Jasper, and other communities before ascending the Cumberland Plateau, running through Tracy City and Monteagle,[4] where it descends toward Manchester.
After reaching Monteagle, US 41, included as part of the older Dixie Highway, continues northwest into Pelham, in Grundy County, then runs closely parallel with I-24 into Coffee County, going through Hillsboro, Manchester (where the road is also named Hillsboro Boulevard) and Beechgrove, before entering Rutherford County. From there, the highway continues diagonally through Murfreesboro (where the road is also named Broad Street), where the Dixie Highway joins up with US 70S. The Stones River National Battlefield is located very near US 41/US 70S on the northwest side, standing as a monument of the Battle of Stones River which took place during the American Civil War. US 41/US 70S continues northwest through Smyrna, and LaVergne before reaching Davidson County. The road passes through Antioch, before reaching Nashville, where US 41 separates from US 70S. US 41 goes through Nashville as Murfreesboro Road, then Dickerson Pike, and comes out on the northeast side of the city joined with US 31W. US 41 continues northeast through Goodlettsville before breaking away from US 31W. US 41 then goes northwest and continues on into Robertson County, going through Springfield before heading west/northwest to the Kentucky border. Just before reaching Kentucky, US 41 briefly runs through Montgomery County.
Kentucky
In Kentucky, US 41 runs from just north of the Ohio River to Guthrie, Kentucky in Todd County. There is a more than century-old border dispute between Indiana and Kentucky that is reflected by the route of US 41. This route is one of the few places where the Kentucky/Indiana border deviates from the Ohio River.
After crossing the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges over the Ohio River, US 41 passes John James Audubon State Park, and passes through the city of Henderson. The route then crosses into Webster County, where it passes through the towns of Sebree and Slaughters. Next, it crosses into Hopkins County and passes through Hanson, Madisonville, Earlington, and Nortonville. It then goes into Christian County through Hopkinsville, and through Trenton and Guthrie in Todd County.
Indiana
In the state of Indiana, US 41 runs from the Ohio River south of Evansville to Chicago with US 12 and US 20 beneath the termini of the Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road. This is a distance of approximately 282 miles (615 km).[5]
For its entire length north of Evansville, US 41 passes through largely rural portions of far western Indiana. It overlaps US 150 and US 52 through some of these areas. US 41 is also the main north–south road through Terre Haute. However north of Terre Haute, US 41 becomes a secondary road, passing through smaller towns such as Rockville and Attica on the east side of the Wabash River. State Road 63 is the main route north of Terre Haute in this area since it is a four-lane highway on the west side of the Wabash River. US 41 returns to a four-lane divided highway just south of Boswell where SR 63 ends, staying as such until reaching Cedar Lake. From Cedar Lake north to the Illinois state line, US 41 is a well-travelled road with numerous stoplights, with the exception of the mile-stretch where it overlaps Interstate 80/94. Before leaving Indiana, US 41 travels through the city of Hammond where it is also known as Indianapolis Boulevard and Calumet Avenue. Hammond is the largest city traversed by US 41 between Evansville and Chicago.
Illinois
US 41 enters Illinois cosigned with US 12 and US 20 on Indianapolis Boulevard beneath the Chicago Skyway. At the Illinois–Indiana state line, US 41 enters the Chicago city limits. The three US routes run together northwest along Indianapolis Boulevard then cut north on Ewing Avenue on the south side. At 95th Street, US 12 and 20 head west. US 41 then runs along the lake amongst the newly developed extension of Lake Shore Drive, which extends from the intersection of Ewing Avenue and Harbor Drive and continues northwest until it reaches 79th St and South Shore Dr. US 41 then continues down South Shore Drive through the South Shore neighborhood and then turns and moves in a northerly direction at the intersection of South Shore Drive and Marquette Drive (Lake Shore Drive continues north while Marquette continues south and eventually becomes Jeffery Blvd.)
US 41, as Lake Shore Drive, passes by the Museum of Science and Industry (at 57th Street) in the Hyde Park area. From here north, US 41 is a quasi-expressway with bridges too low to admit trucks, and a 45 mph (72 km/h) speed zone, and exits at 53rd Street/Hyde Park Boulevard, 50th Street, 47th Street, Oakwood Boulevard, 31st Street, Interstate 55, and 18th Street. After the I-55 bridges, US 41 passes McCormick Place, which is the largest convention center in North America. At this point, the roadway becomes a boulevard passing the Museum Campus (Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium) and Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears; access to these attractions is provided at 18th Street.
The roadway continues north with a couple of signals as it passes through Grant Park and by Buckingham Fountain. After the signal at Monroe Street, the roadway becomes a quasi-expressway again with exits at Randolph Street/Wacker Drive, Illinois Street/Grand Avenue (Navy Pier exit), and a signal at Chicago Avenue. The roadway then has a sharp S-curve called the Oak Street Curve where the suggested speed limit is 25 mph (40 km/h). After the curve, US 41 is a full expressway. US 41 exits at Foster Avenue but Lake Shore Drive continues north to Bryn Mawr Avenue and Hollywood Avenue before ending.
At Broadway, US 41 intersects the eastern terminus of US 14. US 41 continues along Lincoln Avenue in the north side of the city, eventually meeting Skokie Boulevard/Cicero Avenue, where US 41 turns north and parallels Interstate 94. In the northern suburbs of Chicago, US 41 joins I-94 (Edens Expressway) just north of Lake Avenue for a short distance before splitting from the freeway just south of Lake–Cook Road and continuing north as the Skokie Highway for roughly 25 miles (40 km) to a point near the Wisconsin border. Just south of the border, US 41 rejoins I-94. The two co-signed routes continue northward into Wisconsin.
Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, US 41 runs north and south along the eastern edge of the state. It enters from Illinois in Pleasant Prairie and is concurrent with Interstate 94 north to Milwaukee. In Milwaukee, US 41 follows Interstate 894 around the southern and western sides of the city. US 41 then heads north-northwest on a freeway to Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, then northeast to Appleton and Green Bay. The route is a major access point for the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show in Oshkosh, and for Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Beyond Green Bay, US 41 continues on to Oconto and Peshtigo before reaching the Michigan border at Marinette. US 41 is a freeway for nearly 70% of its length through Wisconsin, with the exceptions being an expressway section north of Green Bay and surface streets in Marinette.
US 41 was officially designated Interstate 41 between Green Bay and the Wisconsin–Illinois state line on April 9, 2015. I-41 has been cosigned with US 41 along the freeway sections between a point just south of the Illinois state line where US 41 and I-94 split, and the I-43 interchange northwest of Green Bay.
Michigan
US 41 is a state trunkline highway that enters Michigan via the Interstate Bridge between Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan. Along its nearly 279 1⁄4-mile (449.4 km) route,[6] US 41 serves as a major conduit for Michigan traffic, serving the Central Upper Peninsula and the Copper Country.[7] From the Michigan–Wisconsin border to downtown Houghton, the highway is part of the National Highway System.[8] The trunkline comprises mostly two lanes, undivided except for sections that run concurrently with US 2 near Escanaba or M-28 near Marquette. US 41/M-28 is a four-lane expressway along the Marquette Bypass, and segments of the highway in Delta and Marquette counties have four lanes.[9] The route carries the designation of the Copper Country Trail National Scenic Byway between Hancock and Copper Harbor. The trunkline ends at a cul-de-sac east of Fort Wilkins Historic State Park in Copper Harbor.[9][10]
Along its route, US 41 passes through farm fields, forest lands, and along the Lake Superior shoreline. The highway is included in the Lake Superior Circle Tour and the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.[9] It also passes through the Hiawatha National Forest and the Keweenaw National Historical Park.[11] Historical landmarks along the trunkline include the Marquette Branch Prison, Peshekee River Bridge, and the Quincy Mine.[12][13]
History
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|---|---|
| Location | Naples–Miami |
| Existed | 1926–1949 |
When their routes were originally laid out in 1926, US 41's southern endpoint was in Naples, Florida, at the western endpoint of US 94, which ran east to Miami. In 1949, US 94 was decommissioned, and the entire route became part of US 41, giving it an east–west section that retained the hidden SR 90 designation. The former US 94 ended in Miami at the same intersection where US 41 (and SR 90) do now. In 1953, US 41 was extended along US 1 and State Road A1A (SR A1A) to terminate in Miami Beach, Florida, but it was truncated back to the earlier terminus in 2000. Prior to 1993, when the Florida Department of Transportation color-coded U.S. highways in Florida, the color used for US 41 was orange.
US 41 initially took a more westerly route between Nashville, Tennessee, and Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The current US 41 was US 241.[14] In 1930, the two routes became US 41W and US 41E, but in 1943 the western route became US 41 Alternate, with the main US 41 moving to the east route.[15][16][17]
In July 2005, efforts started in Congress to re-designate US 41 between Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, as I-41.[18] Those efforts came to fruition in April 2015, almost ten years later, with US 41 signage mostly replaced by I-41 starting at the Illinois state line, following I-894 around the west end of Milwaukee, and on to Green Bay.[19]
Major intersections
- Florida
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
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- Indiana
- Illinois
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Cul-de-sac east of Fort Wilkins Historic State Park east of Copper Harbor
See also
References
- Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (n.d.). "U.S. Highway Route Log". American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- Designated Roads of Florida. Florida Dept. of Transportation. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/statistics/hwydata/desroads.pdf
- Tennessee Department of Transportation (2010). Official Transportation Map (Map). 1:42,240. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ A7–E11.
- Estimated distance via Rand McNally (2004). The Road Atlas (Map) (2004 ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally.
- Michigan Department of Transportation & Michigan Center for Shared Solutions and Technology Partnerships (2009). MDOT Physical Reference Finder Application (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
- Michigan Department of Transportation (April 28, 2004). "Chapter One" (PDF). US 41/M-28 Access Management Plan. Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
- Michigan Department of Transportation (April 23, 2006). National Highway System, Michigan (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
- Michigan Department of Transportation (2007). Michigan: Official Department of Transportation Map (Map). c. 1:975,000. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. §§ A4–F5. OCLC 42778335. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019 – via Archives of Michigan.
- Google (August 29, 2008). "Copper Harbor, Grant, MI" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- Rand McNally. "Michigan" (Map). The Road Atlas (2008 ed.). c. 1:1,267,200. Chicago: Rand McNally. p. 50. §§ A13–B14, D1–I3. ISBN 0-528-93981-5.
- "National Register of Historic Places: Michigan (MI), Marquette County". National Register of Historic Places. 1999. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
- "National Register of Historic Places: Michigan (MI), Houghton County". National Register of Historic Places. 1999. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
- Kentucky State Highway Department (January 1, 1928). Map of Kentucky Showing Condition of State Roads (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Frankfort: Kentucky State Highway Department. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- Kentucky Department of State Highways (September 15, 1939). Road Map of Kentucky (PDF) (Map). c. 1:760,320. Frankfort: Kentucky Department of State Highways.
- Kentucky Department of Highways (1937). Christian County Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1937 ed.). Frankfort: Kentucky Department of Highways. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- Kentucky Department of Highways (1937). Todd County Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1937 ed.). Frankfort: Kentucky Department of Highways. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- "US 41 Conversion" (PDF). Wisconsin Department of Transportation. May 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation (n.d.). "US 41 Interstate Conversion". Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- Endpoints of U.S. highways: U.S. Highway 41 and U.S. Highway 94
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to U.S. Route 41. |
- Endpoints of U.S. Highway 41
- Illinois Highway Ends: US 41
- Michigan Highway Ends: US 41
- US 41 entry at Michigan Highways
- Wisconsin Highways - US-41: The Complete History
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
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←  | KY | US 42  | ||
Routes in italics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
