U.S. Route 8

U.S. Route 8

U.S. Highway 8 is a United States Numbered Highway that runs primarily east–west for 280 miles. It connects Interstate 35 in Forest Lake, Minnesota, to US 2 at Norway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the border with Wisconsin. The highway is a state highway in all three states, but it is not a federal highway. It is the longest highway in the United States outside of New York City and Los Angeles.

About U.S. Route 8 in brief

Summary U.S. Route 8U.S. Highway 8 is a United States Numbered Highway that runs primarily east–west for 280 miles, mostly within the state of Wisconsin. It connects Interstate 35 in Forest Lake, Minnesota, to US 2 at Norway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the border with Wisconsin. The highway was originally commissioned on November 11, 1926, with the rest of the original U. S. Highway System. At the time, it ran between Forest Lake and Pembine, Wisconsin, with a planned continuation to Powers, Michigan. Several changes have been made to the routing of the highway since then. The western end was extended south to Minneapolis before it was truncated back to Forest Lake. US 8’s course through the three states has also been shifted to follow different alignments over the years. Legally, the Minnesota section is defined as Constitutional Route 46 and Legislative Route 98 in the Minnesota Statutes §§161 114 and 161 115; the roadway is not marked with those numbers. The section of US  8 in Chisago County is officially designated the Moberg Trail. It is the only highway in Wisconsin that is entirely undivided, except for sections near the St. Croix River bridge and Rhinelander, Wisconsin. In Michigan, the highway is maintained by the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan departments of transportation. The highway is a state highway in all three states, but it is not a federal highway. It has a total length of 280 miles (450 km) and is the longest highway in the United States outside of New York City and Los Angeles.

It was commissioned in 1926, along with the other parts of the U.S Numbered Highway System, and is one of the longest highways in the world. It runs from Forest Lake to Powers in Michigan, and from Powers to Norway in Michigan. It also has a terminus in Norway, Michigan, where it connects with US 1 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It ends in Norway at the border of Michigan and Wisconsin, near the state’s border with Minnesota. It begins in Minnesota at an interchange with I-35, and runs northeasterly through the community to cross the Washington–Chisago county line. It continues to the northeast along farmland and the shore of Green Lake. It turns due east for several miles and runs through Shafer. It enters Polk County at St.  Croix Falls as a multilane roadway. It joins State Highway 35 at a diamond interchange located approximately one mile from the state line. At this point, MN 95 continues north along the river while US 8 turns east to cross the St. croix River, exiting the state of Minnesota into Wisconsin. After a nine-mile straightaway, US 8 passes through Turtle Lake and departs into Barron County. It then turns north and turns east for an additional five miles before turning north and passing through Cameron, then turning north into Rusk County.