U.S. Highway 45 (US 45) runs north–south through the eastern and northern portions of the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Also called Highway 45, it runs from the state line with

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

near the village of Bristol in

Kenosha County Kenosha County () is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,151, and was estimated to be 168,754 in 2024, making it the eighth-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its co ...

to the

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

state line at the town of Land O' Lakes in

Vilas County Vilas County ( ) is a county in the state of Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,047. Its county seat is Eagle River. The county partly overlaps the reservation of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior C ...

, a total of about .

Route description

US 45 enters from

at Pikeville and is a two-lane road up to its junction with

WIS 36 State Trunk Highway 36 (often called Highway 36, STH-36 or WIS 36) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs in a diagonal southwest–northeast direction across southeastern Wisconsin from Springfield which is north of La ...

southwest of

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. It runs concurrent with WIS 36 to its junction with

WIS 100 State Trunk Highway 100 (STH-100, commonly known as Highway 100 or WIS 100) is a road which encircles the outer edges of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Route description The road is designed as a bypass around the city of Milwau ...

. As it follows WIS 100 north, it becomes an urban multilane road. It merges onto

I-43 Interstate 43 (I-43) is a Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Wisconsin, connecting I-39/I-90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and I-41, U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and US 141 in Green Bay. State Trunk Highw ...

north in

Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Places Canada * Greenfield, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Greenfield, Colchester County, Nova Scotia * Greenfield, Hants County, Nova Scotia * Greenfield, Kings County, Nova Scotia * Greenfield, Q ...

then follows I-894,

I-41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located about south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropoli ...

, and

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part i ...

north from the Hale Interchange one mile (1.6 km) to the east. After I-894 ends at I-94, US 45 continues as a freeway north into

Wauwatosa Wauwatosa ( ; colloquially Tosa) is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 48,387 at the 2020 census. Wauwatosa is a suburb located immediately west of Milwaukee and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It ...

following I-41 and US 41 north of the Zoo Interchange. The two routes split further north with US 45 continuing to West Bend. The freeway section of US 45 ends north of West Bend and continues into Kewaskum as a four-lane highway. North of Kewaskum, it passes through Waucousta and Eden as it approaches Fond du Lac US 45 reaches a point just south of Fond du Lac, where it joins

US 151 U.S. Highway 151 (US 151) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of Iowa and Wisconsin. The southern terminus for US 151 is at a junction with Interstate 80 (I-80) in Iowa County, Iowa, and its northern termin ...

and, in a brief

wrong-way concurrency Wrong way may refer to: * a traffic sign to warn of wrong-way driving * nickname of Douglas Corrigan (1907–1995), an American aviator who flew east from New York to Ireland instead of west to California in 1938 * nickname of Roy Riegels (1908–1 ...

, jogs to the west, where it joins

. It then follows I-41 north around Fond du Lac to the junction with

WIS 23 State Trunk Highway 23 (often called Highway 23, STH-23 or WIS 23) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The highway's route is signed as a north–south route from Shullsburg to Wisconsin Dells and as an east–west ro ...

, and jogs back east, into the center of Fond du Lac, where it then turns north, and follows the shore of

Lake Winnebago Lake Winnebago (, , ) is a shallow freshwater lake in the north central United States, located in east central Wisconsin. At , it is the largest lake entirely within the state, covering an area of about by with of shoreline, an average depth ...

as a two-lane road, to Oshkosh. It runs through Oshkosh as Main Street, then turns onto Algoma Boulevard, which it follows out of Oshkosh. As it crosses I-41 it becomes a freeway facility to US 10 in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

. After briefly joining US 10, US 45 takes a northward track as a two-lane rural road and heads into North Central Wisconsin with the exception of a four-lane expressway between Clintonville and

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

. The route serves as the central street for Antigo and Eagle River and passes into various state and national forest land. The route leaves the state at

Land O' Lakes Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an American member-owned agricultural cooperative based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, focusing on the dairy industry. The cooperative has 1,959 direct producer-members, 751 me ...

Major intersections

References

External links

Route description

Major intersections

See also

References

External links