Wisconsin Highway 153 Explained

State:WI
Type:WI
Route:153
Established:1925
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:WIS 153 highlighted in red
Length Mi:61.25
Length Ref:[1]
Length Round:2
Direction A:West
Terminus A: in Spencer
Junction: in Mosinee
Direction B:East
Terminus B: in Tigerton
Counties:Marathon, Shawano
Previous Type:WI
Previous Route:152
Next Type:WI
Next Route:154

State Trunk Highway 153 (often called Highway 153, STH-153 or WIS 153) is a 61.25miles state highway in Marathon and Shawano counties in central Wisconsin, United States, that runs in east–west from Spencer to Tigerton, passing through Mosinee and Stratford. The highway was originally designated in 1925 between WIS 97 in Stratford and WIS 10 in Mosinee. It was extended west to its present western terminus and east to WIS 49 in 1947. It was extended again to its present eastern terminus in the early 1960s.

Route description

The highway begins at its intersection with WIS 13 and 153rd Road north of Stratford and continues eastward from it. It passes by WIS 97 (North Weber Avenue) in Stratford and various small communities before it enters Moisinee. The highway runs through downtown Mosinee and intersects with County Trunk Highway B (CTH-B, Main Street) and continues east on Main Street before running south on Old Highway 51 for a short distance before continuing east, passing through an interchange with Interstate 39 (I-39) and US Highway 51 (US 51) and by Central Wisconsin Airport. The highway runs south through a short concurrency with CTH-J before running east from it. It later runs north towards Mission Lake Road and continues east along its alignment, intersecting WIS 49 before ending at US 45 in the town of Wittenberg.

History

The WIS 153 designation first appeared on the state highway map in 1925 as a largely unpaved route from WIS 97 in Stratford to WIS 10 in Mosinee. The section west of WIS 97 was signed as CTH-M.[2] In 1927, the same year WIS 10 was redesignated as US 51, a section east of US 51 was signed as CTH-K.[3]

In 1939, a bill proposing an extension of the highway was heard in the Wisconsin Legislature, though this was indefinitely postponed.[4] The first two extensions were built in 1947, extending the highway 11miles west along the alignment of CTH-B to WIS 13 and 16miles east along CTH-K to WIS 49 in Elderon.[5] [6] A third extension was built in 1961 or 1962, extending the highway 6miles further east from Elderon along CTH-K to its present eastern terminus at US 45 near Whitcomb.[7] [8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bessert . Chris . Wisconsin Highways: Highways 150-159 (Highway 153) . Wisconsin Highways . March 20, 2007.
  2. Wisconsin State Highway Commission . 1925 . Official Highway Map of Wisconsin: 'The Playground of the Middle West' . 1:1,203,840 . Madison . Wisconsin State Highway Commission . 829937616 . Wisconsin Historical Society . April 11, 2020 .
  3. Wisconsin State Highway Commission . 1927 . Official Highway Map of Wisconsin: 'The Playground of the Middle West' . 1:950,400 . Madison . Wisconsin State Highway Commission . 671337231 . Wisconsin Historical Society . April 11, 2020 .
  4. Book: Wisconsin Legislature . 1939 . Final Bulletin of the Proceedings of the Wisconsin Legislature . Madison . Wisconsin Legislature . 1033 . April 11, 2020 . .
  5. Official Highway Map of Wisconsin . E6, F6 . 1947 . 1:823680 . State Highway Commission of Wisconsin . Madison.
  6. Official Highway Map of Wisconsin . E6, F6 . 1948 . 1:823680 . State Highway Commission of Wisconsin . Madison.
  7. Official Highway Map of Wisconsin . G6 . 1961 . c. 1:887040 . Wisconsin Highway Commission . Madison.
  8. Official Highway Map of Wisconsin . G6 . 1962 . c. 1:887040 . Wisconsin Highway Commission . Madison.