U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south–north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, to within of the

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

–

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highways ending with "1", it is a cross-country north–south route extending from the Gulf Coast region to the Great Lakes region. Much of the highway in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin runs parallel to or is cosigned with Interstate 39 (I-39) and much of the route in several states also parallels the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

. From

LaPlace, Louisiana LaPlace ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States, situated along the east bank of the Mississippi River, in the New Orleans metropolitan area. In 2020, it had a population of 28,841. LaPlace ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, much of that portion of US 51 runs largely parallel or is concurrent with Interstate 55 (I-55). The highway's northern terminus is between Hurley, Wisconsin, and Ironwood, Michigan, where it ends with a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

at US 2. Its southern terminus is in Laplace, Louisiana, ending at US 61. US 51 is routed through the states of

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, Mississippi,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and Wisconsin. In addition to singing about US 61 on his album ''

Highway 61 Revisited ''Highway 61 Revisited'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Having until then recorded mostly acoustic music, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on ever ...

'', musician

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

also commemorated US 51, covering the folk song "

Highway 51 Blues "Highway 51 Blues" is a song composed by American blues pianist Curtis Jones, released on a 78 record on January 12, 1938. Bob Dylan's track "Highway 51", released as the closing track of his debut album ''Bob Dylan'' on March 19, 1962, incorpo ...

", earlier recorded by both

Curtis Jones Curtis Jones may refer to: * Curtis Jones (pianist) (1906–1971), American blues pianist * Curtis Jones (singer) or Green Velvet (born 1968), American singer, record producer, and DJ * Curtis Jones (minister) (born 1986), American minister conv ...

and

Tommy McClennan Tommy McClennan (January 4, 1905 – May 9, 1961) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist. Life and career McClennan was born in Durant, Mississippi, and grew up in the town. He played and sang blues in a rough, energetic style. He ...

, on his eponymous album ''

''. The

North Mississippi Allstars North Mississippi Allstars is an American blues and southern rock band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is currently composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, lowebow, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, elect ...

also paid tribute to the highway in the title track of their album ''51 Phantom''. In Memphis, Tennessee, all of US 51 south of South Parkway East was renamed from Bellevue Boulevard to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Boulevard on January 17, 1972. Graceland is located on this section of the highway, in the subdivision of

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is th ...

. In 2004, the six states that US 51 traverses banded together as the ''Explore Hwy 51 Coalition'' to help promote this "All-American Road". The group now offers visitor information for traveling the length of the road.

Route description

Louisiana

US 51 begins at the intersection with US 61 in

Laplace Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace (; ; 23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French scholar and polymath whose work was important to the development of engineering, mathematics, statistics, physics, astronomy, and philosophy. He summarized ...

and heads northeast. It intersects

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

before running concurrently with I-55. Near the interchange with I-12, the route splits from I-55. It intersects US 190 in

Hammond Hammond may refer to: People * Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist * Hammond (surname) * Justice Hammond (disambiguation) Places Antarctica * Hammond Glacier, Antarctica Australia *Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in South ...

and remains running parallel with I-55 before entering

. In the 1930s, this highway was called Jefferson Davis Highway.Times Picayune, January 26, 1930

Mississippi

US 51 enters Mississippi from

in Osyka and runs parallel with I-55. It intersects US 98 in McComb and US 84 south of Brookhaven. Northwest of Crystal Springs, it runs concurrently with I-55 and then splits at the interchange with

I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...

in Jackson. The highway then runs through Jackson, intersecting US 80. Outside Ridgeland, it passes under I-55 as it continues northeast. It continues through

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

, Pickens, Goodman, and

Durant Durant may refer to: People * Durant (surname) Fictional characters * Durant (Pokémon), a species in ''Pokémon Black'' and ''White'' * ''John Durant'' (General Hospital), a character on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' Places * Durant, ...

. The highway continues to run along I-55, intersecting US 82 in

Winona Winona, Wynona or Wynonna may refer to: Places Canada * Winona, Ontario United States * Winona, Arizona * Winona, Indiana * Winona Lake, Indiana * Winona, Kansas * Winona, Michigan * Winona County, Minnesota ** Winona, Minnesota, the seat of Wi ...

and US 278 in Batesville. The route passes under I-69 before entering

. The Mississippi section of US 51 is defined at Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Tennessee

US 51 enters Tennessee from Mississippi and travels through Memphis. It intersects I-55 and then I-240 before intersecting US 78. It then runs concurrently with US 79 before intersecting I-69. As it exits Memphis, it intersects I-40 and heads northeasterly. In

Dyersburg Dyersburg is a city and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States. It is located in northwest Tennessee, northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 16,164 at the 2020 census, down 5.72% from the 2010 census ...

, it runs concurrently with US 412 for a half a mile before intersecting

I-155 Interstate 155 is the designation for two Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 55: *Interstate 155 (Illinois), a spur to Peoria *Interstate 155 (Missouri–Tennessee) Interstate 155 (I-155) is a ...

's eastern terminus. US 51 then continues northeasterly before entering

. US 51 between Memphis and Kentucky is planned on running concurrently with I-69.

Kentucky

US 51 enters Kentucky at

Fulton Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

, running concurrently with I-69 and continues northward through the towns of Clinton, Bardwell and Wickliffe to the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. The route intersects and runs concurrently with US 62 before separating from it in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

. Along the way it also intersects US 60. The route then enters

before running concurrently with I-57.

Illinois

1927 Mississippi flood Mounds-Cairo IL highway

US 51 enters Illinois from Kentucky at the city of

. The route heads northward to a village near Cairo called Mounds, and shares the pavement with I-57, following it for to

Dongola Dongola ( ar, دنقلا, Dunqulā), also spelled ''Dunqulah'', is the capital of the state of Northern Sudan, on the banks of the Nile, and a former Latin Catholic bishopric (14th century). It should not be confused with Old Dongola, an ancien ...

, before splitting and heading north. The route remains two lanes from Dongola to just before

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

with the exception of a section between Centralia and I-64. North of Assumption, US 51 becomes an expressway to Decatur. In Decatur, US 51 follows I-72 to bypass town. US 51 leaves I-72 after , and heads north to Bloomington– Normal as an expressway. At Bloomington–Normal, US 51 follows

I-74 } Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange ...

for a mile, then I-55 for , before following

I-39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the Midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois, at I-55 to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) in the town of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, which is approximately south of Wausau. I- ...

for . US 51 follows I-39, intersecting I-80 and I-88 along the way. The highway also follows US 20 south of Rockford (while still following I-39). I-39/US 51 joins

I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

, making US 51 one of the only toll roads in Illinois that is a U.S. Highway. US 51 exits I-39/I-90 just a mile south of the Wisconsin state line. US 51 follows Illinois Route 75 (IL 75) west to the intersection of IL 251, then turns north through South Beloit to enter

Wisconsin

In the state of Wisconsin, US 51 enters from

at Beloit. US 51 splits off from I-39/I-90 in

South Beloit, Illinois South Beloit, is a city located in Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. It is part of the Rockford Metropolitan Area, but it is also a suburban extension of Beloit, Wisconsin. South Beloit,is directly along the border of smaller cities and towns nort ...

, and continues northward through Janesville and Edgerton. In Edgerton, US 51 rejoins I-39/I-90 for before splitting off towards Stoughton and McFarland. US 51 runs almost parallel to I-39/I-90 through the eastern portion of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, crosses the Interstate in DeForest, and finally rejoins I-39 again at

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

. US 51 runs concurrently with I-39 until I-39's terminus in Wausau and continues on as a mixture of freeway and expressway until just north of the interchange with US 8. From there through Hazelhurst, US 51 is a two-lane road with sporadic three-lane sections (which were constructed in 2008). US 51 expands to four lanes, with a central fifth turn lane from Hazelhurst to Arbor Vitae; north of Arbor Vitae it returns to two lanes and continues to its northern end in

Hurley Hurley may refer to: Places ;In the United Kingdom: * Hurley, Berkshire * Hurley, Warwickshire * Hurley Common, Warwickshire ;In the United States: * Hurley, Alabama * Hurley, Mississippi * Hurley, Missouri * Hurley, New Mexico * Hurley, New Y ...

, where it terminates at US 2.

Major intersections

;Louisiana : in

LaPlace Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace (; ; 23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French scholar and polymath whose work was important to the development of engineering, mathematics, statistics, physics, astronomy, and philosophy. He summarized ...

: in LaPlace : northeast of LaPlace. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Hammond ;Mississippi : in McComb : south of Brookhaven : in Crystal Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Jackson. : in Jackson. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Jackson : in

: in Batesville ;Tennessee : in Memphis : in Memphis : in Memphis. US 51/US 64/US 70/US 79 travels concurrently through the city. : in Memphis : in Memphis : in Memphis : in Millington : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Dyersburg. I-69/US 51 travels concurrently to southwest of

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

. : northeast of Union City. The highways travel concurrently to South Fulton. : in South Fulton ;Kentucky : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Bardwell. The highways travel concurrently to

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...

. : in Wickliffe. The highways travel concurrently to Cairo, Illinois. ;Illinois : in Cairo. The highways travel concurrently to near

. : in Richview : in

Sandoval Sandoval is a habitational surname of Spanish origin. It primarily originates from Sandoval de la Reina, Spain, earlier called ''Sannoval'', which is a blend word of Latin ''saltus'' (meaning 'grove' or 'wood') and Latin ''novalis'' (meaning 'newl ...

. The highways travel concurrently through the village. : in Vandalia Township. The highways travel concurrently to Vandalia. : in Vandalia : in Harristown : in Harristown. The highways travel concurrently to Decatur. : in Bloomington Township. The highways travel concurrently to northwest of Normal. : in Bloomington. The highways travel concurrently to Normal. : in Bloomington : in Normal. I-39/US 51 travels concurrently to South Beloit. : in

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

: in LaSalle : in LaSalle : on the

Troy Grove Troy Grove is a village in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 225 at the 2020 census, down from 250 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Troy Grove is notable as the birthplace ...

– Ophir township line : in Mendota Township : on the

Amboy Amboy may refer to: Places * Amboy, Córdoba, village in Calamuchita Department, Córdoba province, Argentina United States * Amboy Crater, feature in Mojave National Preserve, California Settled U.S. places * Amboy, California * Amboy, Ge ...

–

Franklin Grove Franklin Grove is a village in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,021 at the 2010 census, down from 1,052 in 2000. History Franklin Grove was named for James R. Franklin, a pioneer who settled in a grove near the town site ...

township line : in Dement Township : in Rockford. The highways travel concurrently to Cherry Valley. : in Cherry Valley. The highways travel concurrently to South Beloit. ;Wisconsin : in the Town of Janesville : in the Town of Albion. The highways travel concurrently through the town. : in

: in Madison : in the Town of Burke : in the Town of Fort Winnebago. The highways travel concurrently to the Town of Rib Mountain. : in Stevens Point. The highways travel concurrently to the Town of Hull. : in the Town of King : in the Town of Kimball

References

External links

Endpoints of US 51
{{Authority control 51 51 051 051