U.S. Route 14 or U.S. Highway 14 (US 14), an east–west route, is one of the original

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

s of 1926. It is about long. It is roughly parallel to Interstate 90 (I-90). The highway's eastern terminus is in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Its western terminus is the east entrance of

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, with the western terminus of US 16 and the western terminus of the eastern segment of US 20.

Route description

, - , WY , , - , SD , , - , MN , , - , WI , , - , IL , , - , Total ,

Wyoming

US 14 begins at the east entrance to

, along with US 16 and the eastern segment of US 20. It travels through Shoshone National Forest to Cody, where US 14A splits off to the north. Both routes traverse the dry

Bighorn Basin The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles (160 km) wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Pryor Mountains on the north, the Bigho ...

, followed by a steep ascent up the

Bighorn Mountains The Bighorn Mountains ( or ) are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a northwest-trending spur from the Rocky Mountains extending approximately northward on the Great Plains. They are separa ...

and through the

Bighorn National Forest The Bighorn National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northern Wyoming, United States and consists of over 1.1 million acres (4,500 km2). Created as a US Forest reserve, Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government- ...

, where they rejoin at Burgess Junction. The highway descends the eastern slope of the Bighorn Mountains between Burgess Junction and

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. US 14 briefly follows I-90 south from Ranchester to Sheridan. The highway turns east and then south to again join I-90 near

Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...

. It splits off for a short time to Carlile, then rejoins I-90 which it follows to the state line.

South Dakota

The South Dakota section of US 14 enters the state from

concurrent with I-90. It passes through

Spearfish Spearfish may refer to: Places * Spearfish, South Dakota, United States * North Spearfish, South Dakota, United States * Spearfish Formation, a geologic formation in the United States Biology * ''Tetrapturus'', a genus of marlin with shorter ...

, Sturgis,

Rapid City Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed. It is the second-mo ...

, and

Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...

, before leaving I-90. US 14 then passes through

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

, Midland,

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, Highmore,

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

, Wolsey,

Huron Huron may refer to: Native American ethnography * Huron people, who have been called Wyandotte, Wyandot, Wendat and Quendat * Huron language, an Iroquoian language * Huron-Wendat Nation, or Huron-Wendat First Nation, or Nation Huronne-Wendat * N ...

, De Smet, Arlington, and Brookings, then leaving the state at the

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

state line. US 14A winds through the northern part of the scenic

Black Hills The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to , is the range's highest summit. The name of the range ...

taking travelers from Sturgis to Spearfish. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway incorporates US 14 from De Smet in the west to

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

, in the east. US 14 and US 83 serve Pierre, one of only four state capitals not on the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

. The South Dakota section of US 14 is legally defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-134.

Minnesota

US 14 enters the state from South Dakota west of Lake Benton. It goes east through several small towns such as Balaton, Tracy, Revere, Lamberton, Sanborn, and Sleepy Eye, on a two-lane road until New Ulm, where it is briefly a divided highway. From New Ulm to

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The population was 44,488 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Mi ...

, the highway lies north of the

Minnesota River The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It rises in southwestern ...

. Shortly before coming to the Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area, US 14 becomes a freeway bypass, which becomes an expressway east of Mankato. This section is part of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway as it passes through Walnut Grove. It currently continues east south of Waseca, and, at Owatonna, it crosses

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexico–Uni ...

at a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange (road), interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passe ...

. It then heads east toward Rochester, with an expressway segment beginning at Minnesota State Highway 56 (MN 56) and continuing east into Rochester. Once it enters Rochester, it has a concurrency with US 52. After the concurrency, it continues through Rochester as a divided highway. After Rochester, the highway parallels

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 states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

until Winona, where US 14 gets picked up by US 61. The two highways run concurrently the rest of the way in Minnesota and cross the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

at La Crescent over the La Crosse West Channel Bridge. US 14 was extended to a full,

limited-access A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, partial controlled-access highway, and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a contro ...

freeway from approximately west of Janesville to I-35 at Owatonna. Most of the new route is located south of the existing alignment so as to avoid overlapping I-35. The expansion was opened to traffic on August 31, 2012, creating a continuous four-lane route from North Mankato to Owatonna. The section from Waseca to Janesville has yet to be upgraded to freeway standards; it currently exists as an expressway. The four-lane expressway was extended from North Mankato to Nicollet including a southwest bypass of Nicollet and an

interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

for MN 111 in 2016. Between Owatonna and Dodge Center, US 14 was upgraded to a freeway in 2021. The new freeway opened to traffic in late 2021. The segment from Nicollet to New Ulm has been upgraded to a four-lane expressway including a bypass of Courtland. Construction began in 2022 and was completed in November of 2023 after a month long delay due to concrete paving delays. New US Highway 14 at Courtland MN

US 14 is being planned to be upgraded to a freeway between

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

and Rochester with three new interchanges planned. An interim safety project will construct two reduced conflict intersections in 2022. The Minnesota section of US 14 is defined as part of Constitutional Route 7 and Trunk Highways 121 and 122 in the Minnesota Statutes. and

Wisconsin

US 14 enters the state of Wisconsin along with US 61 across the

into

La Crosse La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 20 ...

. Running through rural southern Wisconsin, it then meets with US 12 outside of Madison. Following the Beltline Highway around Madison, it meets US 18 and US 151, before turning south, passing through some southern Madison suburbs,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and

Evansville Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in S ...

before approaching Janesville. Bypassing Janesville to the north, US 14 intersects US 51, as well as

and I-39. It then travels southeast, past

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 ...

, to the village square of

Walworth Walworth ( ) is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the ...

. US 14 then turns south and exits into

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 ...

at Big Foot Prairie.

Illinois

In the state of Illinois, US 14 runs southeast from north of

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

via

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

and the northwest suburbs. Southeast of Illinois Route 47 (IL 47), US 14 has four lanes, and, at times, it is a high-speed divided highway. Continuing southeastward from just after the overpass above IL 31, US 14 passes beneath and then closely parallels the tracks of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

Harvard Subdivision The Harvard Subdivision is a rail transport, railway line which runs from Chicago, Chicago, Illinois to Evansville, Wisconsin. It is owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. It hosts both freight traffic and Metra's Union Pacific / Northwest Line co ...

. Through the northwest suburbs of Chicago, this route is commonly referred to as "Northwest Highway" and is a very busy thoroughfare. East of Des Plaines, US 14 becomes

Dempster Street Dempster Street is a major east–west street in the northern suburbs of Chicago. It is assigned 8800 North in the Chicago address system, being located north of Madison Street. The road begins at Illinois Route 62 (Algonquin Road) in Mo ...

until its intersection with Waukegan Road. From here, US 14 follows Waukegan Road, Caldwell Avenue, Peterson Avenue, and Ridge Avenue to its eastern end, at the corner of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and US 41 (

Foster Avenue Foster Avenue (5200 N) is a major east-west street on the North Side of Chicago as well as the northwestern suburbs. Foster Avenue serves as the boundary line for the Chicago community areas of Edgewater to the north and Uptown to the sout ...

). At an earlier point, US 14 extended south on Lake Shore Drive onto Michigan Avenue.

History

US 14 was originally the Black and Yellow Trail, so named as it connected Minnesota with the Black Hills and Yellowstone National Park. In

's northwest suburbs, it is known as Northwest Highway due to its direction as well as it paralleling the old

Chicago and North Western Transportation Company The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

railroad (now

). It was originally called the Northwest Highway from Chicago to

New Ulm, Minnesota New Ulm ( ) is a city and the county seat of Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River a ...

, and some street signs in New Ulm, Chicago, and towns in between still show the old designation. From Ucross west to Sheridan, Wyoming, US 14 was initially designated U.S. Route 116 (US 116) in 1926. US 116 was extended west to Cody in 1933, absorbing the Deaver–Cody US 420. The next year, US 116 became an extension of US 14. Part of this extension, including all of US 420, is now US 14A.

Major intersections

;Wyoming : at the East Entrance to

, southeast of Pahaska Tepee. The highways travel concurrently to Greybull. : west-northwest of Greybull : northeast of Ranchester. The highways travel concurrently to Sheridan. : southeast of Sheridan. The highways travel concurrently to Moorcroft. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Moorcroft. : in

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...

: in Sundance. The highways travel concurrently to east-southeast of

Wall, South Dakota Wall (Lakota language, Lakota: ''Makȟóšiča Aglágla Otȟuŋwahe'', "Town alongside the Badlands National Park, Badlands") is a town in Pennington County, South Dakota, Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 699 at ...

. ;South Dakota : in North Spearfish. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in

: in Fort Pierre. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of

Blunt Blunt may refer to: * Blunt (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name) * Blunt (cigar), a term used in the cigar industry to designate blunt-tipped, usually factory-rolled cigars * Blunt (cannabis), a slang term used in cannabis cult ...

. : north-northwest of Wolsey. The highways travel concurrently to south-southeast of Wolsey. : in Arlington. The highways travel concurrently to south of Arlington. : in Brookings US 14-61 and I-90 junction 02

;Minnesota : in Lake Benton. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : north of Garvin : north of Sanborn : on the North Mankato–

city line : in Owatonna. US 14/US 218 travel concurrently to southeast of Owatonna. : in Rochester. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Winona. The highways travel concurrently to Readstown, Wisconsin. : in Dakota. The highways travel concurrently to north of La Crescent. ;Wisconsin : in

: in Middleton. The highways travel concurrently to Madison. : in Madison. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Janesville : in Janesville : in Darien ;Illinois : in Des Plaines : in Des Plaines : in

: in Edgewater, Chicago

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 14

Illinois Highway Ends: US 14

{{Authority control 14 14 14 Transportation in Brown County, Minnesota New Ulm, Minnesota