US Highway 2 In Ashland Reopened After Being Closed Most Of Tuesday
UPDATE 5:45 pm 2/22/22:
The Bayfield County Sheriff’s Department shared that US Highway 2 through Ashland, referred to as “the bayfront” is now open once again. It was closed since midnight due to “impassable” conditions brought on by snow and blowing/drifting snow.
Through the day, road crews worked to keep the road open for emergency usage only. As of 5:30 pm, it has been reopened to general traffic.
Original Post 06:02 am 2/22/22:
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is reporting that US Highway 2 in the area of Ashland is closed due to the weather.
The closure was issued around midnight, impacting US Highway 2 from Wisconsin 137/Kanes Road to 11th Avenue East. According to our news partners at WDIO, the Ashland County Sheriff's Department says this stretch of roadway is impassable. Here's a map of the closed area.
For anyone unfamiliar with this stretch of road, it is right along Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay. The wide-open nature of this portion of shoreline means that with gusty winds and heavy snow, along with no sort of wind break to slow wind and blowing snow, this area susceptible to wind-driven snow and snow drifts that can make the road difficult or impossible to use.
The alternate route is Highway 137 around the south part of town, as seen in this update from the Ashland County Sheriff's Office:
We will update this story as more information becomes available.