U.S. Route 41 - History

History

When their routes were originally laid out in 1926, US 41's southern endpoint was in Naples, Florida, at the western endpoint of US 94, which ran east to Miami. In 1949, US 94 was decommissioned, and the entire route became part of US 41, giving it an east–west section that retained the hidden SR 90 designation. The former US 94 ended in Miami at the same intersection where US 41 (and SR 90) do now. In 1953, US 41 was extended along US 1 and State Road A1A (SR A1A) to terminate in Miami Beach, Florida, but it was truncated back to the earlier terminus in 2000. Prior to 1993, when the Florida Department of Transportation color-coded U.S. highways in Florida, the color used for US 41 was orange.

US 41 initially took a more westerly route between Nashville, Tennessee, and Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The current US 41 was US 241. In 1930, the two routes became US 41W and US 41E, but in 1943 the western route became US 41 Alternate, with the main US 41 moving to the east route.

In July 2005, efforts started in Congress to re-designate US 41 between Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, as I-41. The new Interstate would also include US 45 between current US 41 and the intersection with I-94 and I-894. It is believed that US 41 at that time would then be re-routed to remain concurrent with I-41.