Portal:U.S. roads/Selected article/May 2009



U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP). In the U.S. state of Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that enters the state via the Interstate Bridge between Marinette, Wisconsin and Menominee, Michigan. Along its 279.167 mi route in the state, US 41 serves as a major conduit for Michigan traffic. Most of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Along the routing, various sections are rural two-lane highway, urbanized four-lane divided expressway and the Copper Country Trail National Scenic Byway. The northernmost community along the highway is Copper Harbor at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The trunkline ends at a cul-de-sac east of Fort Wilkins State Park after serving the Central UP and Copper Country regions of Michigan.

Along the 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 and also passes through the Hiawatha National Forest and the Keweenaw National Historical Park. Historical landmarks along the trunkline include the Marquette Branch Prison, Peshekee River Bridge and the Quincy Mine. The highway is known for a number of historic bridges including a lift bridge and a bridge called "one of Michigan's most important vehicular bridges" by the Michigan Department of Transportation. Seven different memorial highway designations have been applied to parts of the trunkline since 1917, including one named for a Civil War general.

US 41 was an original US Highway first designated in 1926. It replaced the original M-15 designation of the highway, which ran from Menominee to Marquette, Houghton and ended in Copper Harbor. M-15 was a part of the original trunkline system. Realignments and construction projects have expanded the highway to four lanes in Delta and Marquette counties. These changes also created three business loops off the main highway.

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