WIS 13 begins at Interstate 90/Interstate 94 (I-90/I-94) and passes east through Wisconsin Dells as an urban multilane highway, crossing US 12 and merging with WIS 16 and WIS 23 east through the city.[2] WIS 13 then turns north, while WIS 23 heads east and WIS 16 heads south one mile (1.6 km) east of the city.[3] WIS 13 follows the Wisconsin River north through Adams County, passing through Plainville, Adams and Friendship. The highway then crosses WIS 21 three miles (4.8 km) north of Friendship and finally passes through Cottonville, Big Flats and Rome before entering Wood County.[4]
In Wood County, WIS 13 crosses WIS 73 four miles (6.4 km) east of Nekoosa before entering Wisconsin Rapids. WIS 13 joins WIS 54 south at the Riverview Expressway, a short bypass of the downtown area. The two highways split two miles (3.2 km) west of their join point, and WIS 13 merges with WIS 73 north. At the junction with WIS 34, WIS 73 turns westerly via West Grand Ave, and WIS 13 continues due northerly concurrent with WIS 34 for approximately 12 miles (19 km) before intersecting the US 10 freeway three miles (4.8 km) west of Junction City at exit 204. There, WIS 13 turns to follow US 10 west toward Marshfield, following the US 10 expressway bypassing Milladore, Blenker, and Auburndale. At exit 186 (CTH-A/Veterans Parkway) on the south side of Marshfield, WIS 13 exits the US 10 expressway to head north into Marshfield on Veterans Parkway. WIS 13 enters Marathon County after passing through Marshfield.[5]
The four-lane road in Marshfield is also known as Veterans Parkway. This section was built to alleviate congestion in downtown Marshfield along Central Avenue.
In Price County, WIS 13 reaches the WIS 86 terminus at Ogema and crosses US 8 near Prentice. The highway then turns northwest to Phillips. The route turns north again out of Phillips to head into Fifield where WIS 70 crosses. WIS 13 then meets WIS 182 at its terminus in Park Falls before heading northwest out of the county into Ashland County.[8] WIS 13 passes through Butternut and Glidden upon entering the county. Two miles (3.2 km) northwest of Glidden, the highway joins with WIS 77 north, and the two highways head north, passing through Cayuga and split with WIS 77 heading east at Mellen and WIS 13 heading northwest, passing through Highbridge, Minersville and Marengo. WIS 13 then heads north to Ashland and joins US 2 west for two miles (3.2 km) and then turns north (as US 2 continues west) along the Lake Superior shoreline in Bayfield County[9]
Along the Lake Superior shoreline (Ashland to Superior)
With some variation due to realignments over time, the original 1918 routing this highway followed much of today's WIS 13, beginning at what was then Kilbourn (present-day Wisconsin Dells), travelling north through Adams, Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids), Marshfield, Prentice and Ashland, ending in Bayfield. It was later that STH-13 was routed around the Bayfield Peninsula and westerly to just before Superior. WIS 13 ends in the Town of Parkland at CTH-Z.
The route of WIS 13 previously ran the length of the state from Beloit on the Illinois state line to the Minnesota state line. From Beloit, WIS 13 followed the roads that are now US 51, US 14, US 12 through Janesville and Madison. Additionally, WIS 13 was extended westerly from Bayfield first to Port Wing, then into Superior then across the border to Duluth. In the 1920s, the southern end of WIS 13 was realigned from Evansville to Beloit along what is now WIS 213 after US 14 was commissioned.
WIS 13 was truncated to its present southern terminus in 1961 after I-90 and I-94 were commissioned.[1]
As of late August 2012, WIS 13 was removed as a concurrency with WIS 73 between Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield. WIS 13 now departs Wisconsin Rapids concurrent with WIS 34 to the new US 10 expressway west of Junction City, and then follows the new US 10 west to Marshfield.[12]
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Two special routes exist for WIS 13. The first, in Wisconsin Rapids, runs downtown from Riverview Expressway (WIS 13 and WIS 54) along North 8th Street, then west along Avon Street, Jackson Street and West Grand Avenue, ending at the junction of WIS 34, WIS 13 and WIS 73. The second, in Marshfield, follows the old alignment of WIS 13 along Central Avenue through downtown.[1]
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