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U.S. 53 Falls to Falls (Corridor 41)
Routing
The official routing of Corridor 41 is "The Falls-to-Falls Corridor--United States Route 53 from International Falls on the Minnesota/Canada border to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin."
U.S. 53 in Minnesota
According to Minnesota DOT, U.S. 53 is currently planned for some improvements. Adam Froehlig received this e-mail from Denny Johnson, at MnDOT's District 1 office, which is the district through which U.S. 53 runs through in Minnesota.
"The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is still in the process of developing guidelines/criteria for selecting projects to fund through this descretionary program (of which Falls to Falls is one of 42 corridors nationwide). Funding through this program will be available for planning, environmental and design studies and construction (following completion of a Corridor Development and Management Plan). A Trunk Highway 53 Long Range Improvement Task Force (Virginia to International Falls) has been meeting since April 1998 to develop information and supporting data for a funding application once guidelines/criteria have been determined. It is too early to tell what impacts this program may have on proposed improvements to TH 53 from Virginia to International Falls. Shorter term (next five years) improvements in this corridor currently programmed include turn lanes and bypass lanes to improve safety between TH 169 and Cook and replacement of the DWP Railroad bridge just north of TH 169."
According to The Duluth News-Tribune of August 1, 1999, Minnesota DOT has begun to publicize its a proposal to make U.S. 53 four lanes from just north of Virginia, MN to International Falls, MN. Jody Aho writes, "This segment is now the last two-lane segment anywhere on the entire length of US-53 from Eau Claire north except for a few short segments through the Piedmont and Duluth Heights neighborhoods of Duluth. Apparently this was rated as "MnDOT's #1 priority" in northeastern Minnesota. Many along the route of US-53 north of Virginia have hesitations about the project, either not wanting their businesses to be by-passed by the new road or else feeling that there is not sufficient traffic to warrant the work."
Michael G. Koerner writes, "There is a 9% grade on the U.S. 53 'Miller Hill'. On that hill is a confusing six-way intersection with multiple signals." It is not clear if this intersection will be improved with the planned Minnesota DOT improvements for U.S. 53.
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U.S. 53 in Wisconsin
In a July 21, 1998, post on misc.transport.road, Michael G. Koerner noted that northwestern Wisconsin is a very economically depressed area with few new houses in Ashland or Superior (both cities have declined substantially in population since the 1950s). The streets in Superior are poorly maintained, including Business U.S. 53.
The speed limit on Interstate 535 is 45 mph. The arch section of the 'Blatnik Bridge' is has no shoulders, but it does have lanes that appear to be of normal width. Michael G. Koerner writes, "After getting a closer look at the area, perhaps an Interstate-compatible connection between Interstate 535 and U.S. 2-53 at the southeast Superior city limits would be possible, but unlikely, due to the presence of the city and the Lake Superior lakefront along U.S. 2-53. A big hangup here is that all of the ramps at the Interstate 35/Interstate 535/U.S. 53 interchange are only one lane wide (and very tight)."
U.S. 53 northward from the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, area was incredibly busy, but traffic petered out by the time I reached Spooner. The four-lane 'expressway' is complete except for a section from Gordon, Wisconsin, to just north of Solon Springs (this should be done by the end of the year). Northward from Trego, Wisconsin, the old two-lane highway is the new northbound side of the four lanes, and is relatively straight and fairly level. The new southbound side curves around much more to more closely follow the contours of the rather hilly countryside and avoid little 'pot' lakes and bogs. Just south of Gordon, the northbound side is the 'curvy' new roadway and the southbound side is the old straight two-lane road.
The Superior end of the U.S. 2 'Bong Bridge' is an incomplete 'diamond' interchange. The bridge access 'freeway' was intended to continue southward along a railroad yard to the city's south side, and then curve southeastward and then eastward to connect with the existing U.S. 2-53 'almost freeway' at the southeast city limits. It appears that this 'freeway' is very unlikely to be built, as there are new, blue-collar houses in the neighborhood across Belknap Street from the end of the bridge 'freeway.'
Page Updated June 9, 2002.
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