Wisconsin Highway 17

Infobox road
state=WI
type=WI
route=17
length_mi=85.63
length_ref=cite web | last = Bessert | first = Chris | title =Wisconsin Highways: Highways 10-19 (Highway 17) | work =Wisconsin Highways | url =http://www.wisconsinhighways.org/listings/WiscHwys10-19.html#STH-017 | accessdate = 2007-03-20]
length_round=2
direction_a=South
direction_b=North
starting_terminus=
junction=
ending_terminus=
previous_type=WI
previous_route=16
next_type=US
next_route=18

State Trunk Highway 17 (often called Highway 17, STH 17 or WIS 17) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The highway is a secondary route in northeastern Wisconsin that directly connects Rhinelander, Eagle River and the central and eastern parts of Michigan's Upper Peninsula with Wausau, Wisconsin and points south and west.

Route description

WIS 17 begins at WIS 64, about a half mile of WIS 64's interchange with US 51 near Merrill. From there, WIS 17 heads northeast, passing the Prairie Dells area and crossing several county routes in Bloomville and Gleason. The highway briefly crosses over out of Lincoln County into Langlade County, Wisconsincite map|url=http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/lincoln.pdf | format=pdf | title=Lincoln Co | publisher=Wisconsin Department of Transportation | accessdate=2007-12-29] The highway then passes through Parrish and turns northwestward and returns to Lincoln County, briefly cutting through Oneida County in the process.cite map|url=http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/langlade.pdf | format=pdf | title=Langlade Co | publisher=Wisconsin Department of Transportation | accessdate=2007-12-29] The route then turns north for seven miles and enters Oneida County heading north another five miles and joining US 8 east and WIS 47 south just south of Rhinelander.cite map|url=http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/oneida.pdf | format=pdf | title=Oneida Co | publisher=Wisconsin Department of Transportation | accessdate=2007-12-29] The two and a half mile concurrency is actually a "wrong-way" concurrency between WIS 17 North and WIS 47 south. WIS 17 turns north off the concurrency as the other two highways continue east. WIS 17 passes east of Rhinelander on an urban arterial then continues north, passing through Sugar Camp. WIS 17 then joins WIS 70 east, continuing into Eagle River. in the downtown area, WIS 17 leaves concurrency with WIS 70 and follows US 45 / WIS 32 north and out of the city. Four miles north, WIS 17 turns east off US 45/WIS 32 and heads northeast, entering the Nicolet National Forest and passing through Phelps. WIS 17 then heads east of Phelps, becoming Forest Route 16 upon entering Michigan.cite map|url=http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/vilas.pdf | format=pdf | title=Vilas Co | publisher=Wisconsin Department of Transportation | accessdate=2007-12-29]

History

WIS 17 originally began at the Illinois state line and passed through Kenosha, Racine, and into Milwaukee via present day WIS 32 to Whitefish Bay, then along WIS 57 through Cedarburg, Grafton and Saukville (along what is now CTH O). The route in Milwaukee was realigned to run along Lake Michigan in 1920. The route then headed north to Sheboygan and Manitowoc along present day WIS 42 and up the Lake Michigan Shoreline to Sturgeon Bay and Sister Bay.cite web|url=http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/Midwest/Wisconsin/unitedstates1926ra_036.html | title=Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas|year=1926|publisher=Rand McNally|accessdate=2007-12-31] The route's southern terminus became Manitowoc when US 141 debuted in 1926. The remainder was replaced with WIS 42 in 1932.

The portion the current WIS 17 between Merrill and Eagle River was previously WIS 63. This route began at WIS 10 in Merrill and ended at WIS 70 west of Eagle River. The portion northeast of Eagle River was numbered as WIS 70. This route was removed in 1934 when [U.S. Route 63 was opened into Wisconsin. The WIS 17 number was available at the time and applied to the route. the route was extended in 1947 when WIS 70 was changed to its current alignment. The southern terminus was relocated to its present location on WIS 64 in the late 1980s.

WIS 17 originally passed through Rhinelander. In 2004, The 3.25-mile long bypass east of the city was opened. The route was rerouted along US 8/WIS 47 south of the city to reach the new bypass route. The old alignment through Rhinelander followed Boyce Drive to Kemp Street, turning east on to Kemp for 1200 feet, then turning onto Arbutus and Pelham Streets and Stevens Street.cite map|url=http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=WI-17,+Wisconsin,+United+States&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=0,45.391520,-89.455930&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&ll=45.636847,-89.405193&spn=0.053412,0.160675&z=13&om=1 | title=from:WI-17, Wisconsin, United States - Google Maps | publisher=Google | cartography=NAVTEQ | accessdate=2008-01-01] This alignment was removed from the state trunkline books when the new route was opened and is now a city street.

Major intersections

Jctint
state=WI
county=Lincoln
cspan=7
location=Merrill
lspan=2
type=
road=jct|state=WI|WI|64|CTH|W
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|G
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=1
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|C
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|G
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=Bloomville
lspan=1
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|J
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=Gleason
lspan=1
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|X
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=1
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|B
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=Langlade
cspan=1
location=Parrish
lspan=1
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|H|CTH|Q
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=Lincoln
cspan=1
location=
lspan=1
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|D
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=Oneida
cspan=9
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|A
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=Rhinelander
lspan=5
type=mplex
road=jct|state=WI|US|8|WI|47|dir1=West|dir2=North
notes=WIS 17 North follow US 8 East/WIS 47 SouthJctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|G
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=mplex
road=jct|state=WI|US|8|WI|47|dir1=East|dir2=South
notes=WIS 17 South follow US 8 West/WIS 47 NorthJctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|P
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|C
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=1
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|W
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=Sugar Camp
lspan=2
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|A
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|D
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=Vilas
cspan=6
location=Eagle River
lspan=4
type=mplex
road=jct|state=WI|WI|70|dir1=West
notes=WIS 17 North follow WIS 70 EastJctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=mplex
road=jct|state=WI|US|45|WIS|32|WI|70|dir1=South|dir2=South|dir3=East
notes=WIS 17 North follow US 45/WIS 32 North WIS 17 South follow WIS 70 WestJctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|G
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=mplex
road=jct|state=WI|US|45|WIS|32|dir1=North|dir2=North
notes=WIS 17 South follow US 45/WIS 32 SouthJctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=Phelps
lspan=2
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|E
notes=Jctint
state=WI
county=
cspan=
location=
lspan=
type=
road=jct|state=WI|CTH|A
notes=

References