State Trunk Highway 66 (often called Highway 66, STH-66 or WIS 66) is a
state highway in the U.S. state of
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 ...
. It runs east–west in central Wisconsin from
Rosholt to
Stevens Point
Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858.
Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...
and along what used to be County Trunk Highway P (CTH-P) to
Wisconsin Rapids
Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...
. The entire length of this highway is designated the Polish Heritage Highway.
Route description
WIS 66 originally began at the corner of Reserve and Main streets in downtown
Stevens Point
Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858.
Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...
however once
US Highway 10 (US 10) finished the expansion of the bypass around Stevens Point deserting the old US 10, plans arose to expand WIS 66 to use the former highway. This is how WIS 66 got its current-day route, which begins in Wisconsin Rapids traveling east on the Old CTH-P, it then adjoins the former US 10 which routes through downtown Stevens Point, passing the
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (UW–Stevens Point or UWSP) is a public university in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and grants associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees, as well a ...
campus, and later joins with current US 10,
US 51
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, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered High ...
, and
Interstate 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- ...
(I-39) traveling north.
WIS 66 then departs from I-39/US 10/US 51 and continues northwest past the
Stevens Point Municipal Airport
Stevens Point Municipal Airport is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of the central business district of Stevens Point, a city in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. It is owned and operated by the city of Stevens ...
, heading east at
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
near the Jordan County Park of
Portage County. This stretch and the remainder of the highway is the only part of the original WIS 66 before the 2009 highway expansion project.
After crossing CTH-J near the unincorporated town of
Ellis
Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis.
Surname
A
* Abe Ellis (Stargate), a fictional character in the TV series ' ...
, WIS 66 turns northwest again to
Rosholt, where it becomes Grand Avenue. WIS 66 ends at the western intersection with
WIS 49. Grand Avenue continues on as WIS 49 eastward.
History
Initially, WIS 66 used to be on the other side of the Wisconsin River. It traveled along present-day WIS 54 from WIS 13 in Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids) to WIS 10/WIS 18 (now part of Bus. US 51 and CTH-B respectively) in Plover. In 1920, WIS 66 extended northeastward to WIS 16/WIS 39 (now WIS 29 and US 45 respectively) in Wittenburg. In 1924, WIS 54 extended westward, superseding the oldest portion of WIS 66 in the process. Also, WIS 49 extended northward, superseding the northeasternmost portion of WIS 66 (from Rosholt to Wittenburg).
In the early 2010s, WIS 66 extended southwestward along former CTH-P to WIS 13 and WIS 34 near Wisconsin Rapids.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
*{{commons category-inline
066 66 may refer to:
* 66 (number)
* One of the years 66 BC, AD 66, 1966, 2066
* "66" (song), a song by Lil Yachty featuring Trippie Redd
*66, a song by The Afghan Whigs, from the album 1965
*Sixty-Six (card game), a German card game
* ''Sixty Six'' (f ...
Transportation in Wood County, Wisconsin
Transportation in Portage County, Wisconsin