| SOUTH SEGMENT: |
| Southern Entrance: |
Enters from Wisconsin 4 miles southeast of downtown Iron Mountain and southwest of Quinnesec. |
| Northern Entrance: |
Enters from Wisconsin concurrently with US-2, 4.04 miles northwest of downtown Iron Mountain |
| Length (Segment): |
8.016 miles |
| NORTH SEGMENT: |
| Southern Entrance: |
Enters from Wisconsin concurrently with US-2, 10.0 miles south of Crystal Falls |
| Northern Terminus: |
Jct US-41 & M-28 four miles northeast of Covington in southwestern Baraga Co. |
| Length (Segment): |
49.622 miles |
| Length (Total): |
57.638 miles |
| Map: |
Route Map of US-141
 Iron Mountain Bypass Maps
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| Notes: |
US-141 is a largely north-south highway in the central Upper Peninsula originating in Green Bay, Wisconsin and continuing northerly into Michigan in the Iron Mountain area, where it joins with US-2 running through downtown Iron Mountain before crossing back into Wisconsin for 14½ miles, re-entering Michigan south of Crystal Falls. US-2 splits back off heading westerly at Crystal Falls while US-141 continues northerly through sparsely-populated northeast Iron Co and into southwest Baraga Co before joining with M-28 at Covington for US-141's final four miles, terminating at US-41 south of Alberta. |
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US-141 is only one of two routes which enter Michigan, then leave, before re-entering the state for good. (See map.) The other—US-2—actually runs concurrently with US-141 as both routes exit and re-enter the state. As indicated by the route lengths above, the portion of US-141 in Florence Co, Wisconsin (after departing Michigan for the first time and before re-entering) is not counted toward the length of the highway in Michigan, although a total of the two segments is also included. |
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 US-141 also shares a somewhat unique place in the history of the U.S. Highway System—it replaces the first U.S. Highway designation ever eliminated once the routes were signed in the field. One of the original U.S Highway routes designated in 1926 and signed in 1927 was US-102, a connector route running between US-2 at Crystal Falls and US-41 near Covington. However, only 18 months after its debut, US-102 was decommissioned by a northerly extension of US-141 from Wisconsin. As originally designated, US-141 only ran from Milwaukee, Wisc. to Green Bay, Wisc. During 1928, the states of Michigan and Wisconsin cooperated to first extend US-141 from Green Bay northerly into Michigan southeast of Iron Mountain where it joined with US-2 through Iron Mountain, then back into Wisconsin, running through Florence, Wisc., before re-emerging in Michigan and traveling together to Crystal Falls. There, the extended US-141 replaced US-102 in its entirety to its terminus at US-41 near Covington. |
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Starting in 1978 and then with increased earnestness starting in 1986 and throughout much of the 1990s, a bypass around the City of Iron Mountain and other alternatives for US-2 & US-141 was discussed and studied at length. See the Iron Mountain Bypass (1978-1999) article on the In Depth portion of this website for the story on how the bypass never came to be. |
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In "State Trunkline Needs, 1960–1980," a set of maps prepared by the State Highway Dept's Office of Planning, Programming Division in 1960 showing possible additions, upgrades and improvements to the state trunkline system over the ensuing twenty years, MSHD staff recommended upgrading the existing route of US-2 & US-141 to a four-lane divided highway from the Wisconsin state line northwest of Iron Mountain to the northern limits of Iron Mountain. Other than a very short segment of divided highway at the north jct with M-95, this project was never implemented. Otherwise, no other recommendations were made for US-141. |
| History: |
1928 (Sept) – As one of the earlier U.S. Highway extensions—the U.S. Highway System is only about two years old at this time—the US-141 route designation is extended northerly from Green Bay, Wisc to Niagara on the Michigan state line. At Niagara, the new US-141 routing supplants M-57 from the Menominee River bridge south of Quinnesec thence northerly 0.833 miles into downtown Quinnesec at US-2. There, US-141 now runs concurrently with US-2 through Iron Mountain, then back into Wisconsin via Florence before re-entering Michigan south of Crystal Falls. At Crystal Falls, where US-2 turns westerly toward Iron River, US-141 supplants the US-102 designation in its entirety all the way to US-41 near Covington in southwest Baraga Co. US-102 has the dubious honor of being the first signed U.S. Highway in history to be decommissioned. |
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1929 (Dec 2) — A new entrance into Michigan from Wisconsin for the southern segment of US-141 is established as a state trunkline, utilizing a new bridge over the Menominee River and a new alignment leading northerly from downtown Niagara, Wisc. and meeting with US-2 west of Quinnesec. The former route from the Quinnesec-Niagara bridge over the Menominee River into Quinnesec along Quinnesec Ave (formerly M-57) remains as an unsigned state trunkline route for the time being. |
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1930 (Nov 22) – The former route of US-141 from Niagara, Wisc., across the Menominee River into Quinnesec, Mich. (running via Quinnesec Ave on the Michigan side) is turned back to local control. The route crossed the river on a bridge linking the foot of Tyler St in Niagara with the foot of Quinnesec Ave in Quinnesec, which is removed at some point. |
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1931 (Aug 31) – On this day, a new alignment for US-2/US-141 from the north side of Iron Mountain into Wisconsin is established as a state trunkline highway, although it will not be completely finished for three more years. The existing route of US-2/US-141 follows Stephenson Ave northerly to Main St, west two blocks via Main to N Milwaukee Ave, then northerly via Milwaukee to the north city limit where the road turns into Bass Lake Rd, northerly via Bass Lake to Twin Falls Rd, then westerly less than ½ mile across the Menominee River into Wisconsin. This route, with the exception of the 0.4 mile Twin Falls Rd and bridge portion, is turned back to local control pending the completion of the new (and present-day) alignment. This is also the same day the new alignment of M-45 (present-day M-95) from the newly-rerouted US-2/US-141 northerly to Randville is also established as a state trunkline highway. |
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1932 (Oct 29) – Two realignments in Iron Co:
- A new 1.1-mile long realignment just northwest of Crystal Falls replaces a 1.8-mile jog in the route via Paint River Rd, which is turned back to local control.
- A realignment from the Porter Mine area southeast of Amasa into Amasa adds 0.7 mile to the route of US-141. Much of this new alignment survives to present-day as Old US-141 (two segments) while part lies obliterated under a 1972 realignment of US-141 at Gibson Lake. Most of the former alignment is turned back to local control running via Warner Lake Rd from Old US-141 at Amasa southeasterly to Industrial Park Rd. Between Industrial Park and Old US-141 through the Porter Mine site, the former alignment is abandoned as a public way.
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1932–33 – Much of the new route of US-2/US-141/M-45 from Iron Mountain northerly into Wisconsin is completed, with the portion from Traders Mine Rd northerly to Collins Rd surfaced in 1932 and the portion from Traders Mine Rd southerly to the existing route at cnr Stephenson Ave & Main St surfaced in '33. Evidence indicates the new alignment of US-2/US-141/M-45 is posted as such to the M-45 (present-day M-95) turn-off, with US-2/US-141 being temporarily routed north on M-45 to the Twin Falls Access Rd, westerly via that road to the former route along Bass Lake Rd, then northerly to the existing interstate bridge and into Wisconsin. |
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1933 (July 12) – The 0.4-mile stretch of former US-2/US-141 along Twin Falls Rd from Bass Lake Rd westerly into Wisconsin north of Iron Mountain is cancelled as a state trunkline to be turned back to local control once the replacement bridge and approaches to the south are completed and opened to traffic. |
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1934 – The approach highway from the M-95 (newly redesignated from M-45 this year) jct westerly to the new interstate bridge crossing the Menominee River into Wisconsin north of Iron Mountain as well as the bridge itself are completed this year. Unfortunately, for some reason Wisconsin highway authorities have not completed their new segment and their approach to the new bridge, meaning the highway ends where it touches down in Wisconsin with all through traffic remaining on the temporary detour outlined in the 1932-33 listing above. |
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1938-39 – Wisconsin finally completes its new alignment for US-2/US-141 from the new interstate bridge north of Iron Mountain completed 4-5 years earlier westerly to the Spread Eagle area in Florence Co. The reason for the delay on the Wisconsin side of the river is not yet clear. |
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1940 (Nov 12) – A new 7.27-mile realignment of US-2/US-141 is completed from just north of the interstate bridge into Wisconsin in southeastern Iron Co northerly to a point approximately 3 miles south of downtown Crystal Falls. The new route cuts about a mile off the former alignment, via Stager Lake Rd and Co Rd 424, which is turned back to local control. Also as a part of this project, a brand new bridge over the Menominee River into Wisconsin is completed replacing an older structure. |
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1940 (Nov 12) – Also on Nov 12, in an apparent effort to correct a one-tenth of a mile in the gap of the officially-established route of US-2/US-141/M-95 on the north edge of downtown Iron Mountain in Dickinson Co, the portion of Stephenson Ave from just south of Third St northerly to approximately Hamilton St is officially assumed into the trunkline system. As this is a correction, this short segment has always been signed as US-2/US-141/M-95. |
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1949 (Nov 10) – US-41 in central Baraga Co is realigned onto its present-day routing between Alberta and Nestoria, intersecting US-141/M-28 0.9 miles southwest of its previous junction with US-41, thus truncating the route of US-141 to that point. The 0.9 mile of US-141/M-28 is turned back to local control. |
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1955 (Nov 18) – The length of US-141 is shortened by 2.3 miles when it is routed onto a new highway alignment from Covington at jct M-28 northeasterly to meet US-41 at that highway's relatively-new (1949) realignment northeast of Covington. The former route of US-141/M-28 via Old M-28 east from Covington is turned back to local control. |
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1961 (Nov 15) – In the first of two massive modernization projects along US-141 between US-2 and US-41, the 20.1 mile length of US-141 from the Little Hemlock River Bridge in northern Iron Co (approximately 5 miles north of Amasa) to M-28 at Covington is cancelled as a state trunkline routing, simultaneously being replaced by 18.553 miles of 'new' state trunkline between those two points. The highway is completely re-engineered, reconstructed and rebuilt from the ground up, in some cases immediately adjacent to the existing highway, in some cases more than a mile from the old route, such as End Rd in northern Iron Co. More than half of the former route is either abandoned as a public roadway or is obliterated in the construction of the new alignment. The remaining segments are turned back to local control. |
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1972 (Nov 10) – Completing the modernization project begun more than a decade earlier, all of US-141 from US-2 on the west side of Crystal Falls northerly to the Little Hemlock River bridge north of Amasa (totaling 16.850 miles of trunkline) is cancelled, simultaneously replaced by 15.825 miles of new, completely re-engineered, reconstructed and rebuilt trunkline alignment. As with the 1961 project to the north, the new alignment either bypasses older segments of the highway or is built atop or beside the old route. However, unlike the 1961 project, more of the old route survives here (generally named Old US-141) and the old route rarely gets more than ½ to ¾ mile from the new alignment. With the completion of this project, all of US-141 from US-2 west of Crystal Falls northerly to its northern terminus at US-41 has been modernized and reconstructed since 1955. |
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1978–1999 – A bypass for US-2/US-141 around the City of Iron Mountain and other possible traffic congestion mitigation alternatives are studied. See the Iron Mountain Bypass (1978-1999) article on the In Depth portion of this website for details. |
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1981  – A new interstate bridge on US-2/US-141 spanning the Menominee River north of Iron Mountain is completed and opened to traffic, replacing the 1934 bridge. The new structure is just south of the older one and the approach roadways to the former bridge are obliterated in the process. |
| Controlled-Access: |
No portion of US-141 is freeway or expressway. |
| NHS: |
The entire length of US-141 in Michigan is part of the National Highway System (NHS). |
| Memorial Highways: |
The following Memorial Highway designations have been officially assigned to other routes which run concurrently with US-141 by the Michigan Legislature:
- United Spanish War Veterans' Memorial Highway – "The portion of US-2 beginning in St. Ignace and extending west to [...] Iron Mountain, ... and the portion of US-2 beginning in Crystal Falls and extending west to Ironwood ..." From MDOT: "The United Spanish War Veterans was an American Veterans organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition." (US-141 runs concurrently with US-2 through Iron Mountain and again between downtown Crystal Falls and the western edge of Crystal Falls.)
- Veterans Memorial Highway – "Highway M-28, beginning at the eastern city limits of Ishpeming in Marquette County and continuing west through Baraga County, Houghton County, Ontonagon County, and Gogebic County to the intersection of highway M-28 and highway US-2..." From MDOT: "Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations defines a veteran as “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.” This definition explains that any individual that completed a service for any branch of armed forces classifies as a veteran as long as they were not dishonorably discharged." (US-141 runs concurrently with a short segment of M-28 between Covington and US-41 in Baraga Co.)
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| Continue on: |
US-141 South into Wisconsin |
| Photographs: |
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| Weblinks: |
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