WIS 172 maybe should be a rerouted WIS 29 .....?

[I94RoadRunner]

Does anyone else think that maybe WIS 172 should be considered for a renumbering for WIS 29 between I-41/US 41 and I-43 .....? This would continue the freeway of WIS 29 to connect to I-43 if that happened and also take 29 off the city streets. Any thoughts .....?

[SSOWorld]

If they did, that would be a massive waste of money spent to build the flyover interchange they just completed at the current junction with US(I)-41.  Think about that.

[tkiller314]

Perhaps if WI 29 becomes an interstate as either a three digit auxiliary route to I 41 or 43 or in even more fictional highway territory a high 90s east west interstate it would be logical to follow the limited access WI 172 road.

[I94RoadRunner]

If they did, that would be a massive waste of money spent to build the flyover interchange they just completed at the current junction with US(I)-41.  Think about that.

Not necessarily. WI 29 would use the new interchange and then jump onto I-41 south and then exit onto what is now eastbound WI 172 .....

[SSOWorld]

Oh - duh!

That would probably not happen.  Given that it's a study right now It's unknown what the dream would be.  Good theory though.  Truthfully, the only purpose for that would be to encourage use of I-43 - which unless you were going to Manitowoc or Sheboygan, would be highly unlikely.

Besides - east of US-41, the highway becomes local. (at the split between 32-29 as 32 carries the traffic over - technically )

[mgk920]

If anything, I would decommission WI 29 east of US(I)-41, giving the part east of I-43 a new number.

WI 172 should become a rerouted WI 54.

Mike

[SEWIGuy]

If anything, I would decommission WI 29 east of US(I)-41, giving the part east of I-43 a new number.

I would give it a new number west of Menomonie as well.  (My original idea was to give WI-29 a new number between I-94 and Green Bay...WI-1...but that isn't happening.)

[I94RoadRunner]

If anything, I would decommission WI 29 east of US(I)-41, giving the part east of I-43 a new number.

I would give it a new number west of Menomonie as well.  (My original idea was to give WI-29 a new number between I-94 and Green Bay...WI-1...but that isn't happening.)

I personally like the idea of extending US 212 along MN 62, MN 55, then take over all of WI 29 & WI 172 to I-43. Based on the plans for the new I-94/WI-29 interchange in Elk Mound, WISDot is trying to upgrade WI 29 to an interstate standard highway in the future .....

[SSOWorld]

Do US Routes get extensions?  I am under the impression they don't.

[Molandfreak]

Why wouldn't they?

[SEWIGuy]

Do US Routes get extensions?  I am under the impression they don't.

Sure they can.  US-63 was extended south into Louisiana about 15 years ago.

But why mess with AASHTO when you don't have to, and its not as though extending US-212 would aid in navigation in any way.

[I94RoadRunner]

If anything, I would decommission WI 29 east of US(I)-41, giving the part east of I-43 a new number.

WI 172 should become a rerouted WI 54.

Mike

Good point. WI 54 and 29 multiplexed maybe would make sense .....?

[TheStranger]

Do US Routes get extensions?  I am under the impression they don't.

Sure they can.  US-63 was extended south into Louisiana about 15 years ago.

But why mess with AASHTO when you don't have to

Hey, the tale of the extended US 377 shows the practical power of any DOT vs. AASHTO's limited ability to stop individual states from signing extensions at will...

[merrycilantro]

Hoping not to be teetering on the edge of Fictional Highways here I'd like to see a I-541 or even a I-543...hard to tell which they'd go with because 43 sort of wraps around Green Bay, whereas 41, which clearly is the more dominant freeway, should definitely have a Child Route.

Be That as it may, I do agree with SSOWorld that unless you're going to Sheboygan or Manitowoc, I couldn't see much of a use for extending any potential Wis 29 Interstate of the Future along Wis 172 when one can just as easily hop onto 41 and get to Milwaukee just the same as I-43. Good thought though.

[Molandfreak]

But why mess with AASHTO when you don't have to, and its not as though extending US-212 would aid in navigation in any way.

Yes it would.  An extension to Hastings would give a single number to a south metro corridor that currently has three numbers.  An extension to Green Bay would put a major cross-state corridor on a national network, which should have been done in the first place.

[SEWIGuy]

But why mess with AASHTO when you don't have to, and its not as though extending US-212 would aid in navigation in any way.

Yes it would.  An extension to Hastings would give a single number to a south metro corridor that currently has three numbers.  An extension to Green Bay would put a major cross-state corridor on a national network, which should have been done in the first place.

I will agree with you on the first point, but not the second.  For the vast majority of people, changing WI-29 to US-212 is simply a change in numbers.  It isn't going to help them that it is connected with what is basically a rural highway west of the cities. 

[SSOWorld]

WIS 29 is a very lightly traveled road west of Menomonie due to the Interstate.  29 carries direct EC to Men traffic but not as much as that which goes the other way from I-94.  Same holds true for the road east of Green Bay.

[I94RoadRunner]

That is all true about WI 29 being lightly travelled, however if US 212 WERE to be numbered onto WI 29, I would rather see it on the routing I proposed than to multiplex I-94 .....

[SEWIGuy]

That is all true about WI 29 being lightly travelled, however if US 212 WERE to be numbered onto WI 29, I would rather see it on the routing I proposed than to multiplex I-94 .....

Or have it multiplex over the St. Croix River on I-94, head south on WI-35 to River Falls, then take over WI-29 from there.

[triplemultiplex]

Hoping not to be teetering on the edge of Fictional Highways here I'd like to see a I-541 or even a I-543...hard to tell which they'd go with because 43 sort of wraps around Green Bay, whereas 41, which clearly is the more dominant freeway, should definitely have a Child Route.

In the event of an interstate promotion, it should be an even first digit.  If it connects two interstates, it probably should be even.  Plus it functions as a bypass/beltline/whatever making that the more logical choice.  Personally, I've always upgraded WI 172 to I-243 on all of my fictional musings.  It makes for a more "natural" x43 in my opinion.

WI 172 should become a rerouted WI 54.

This seems reasonable.
But I do like that the psuedo-freeway on Mason Street over the Fox River is a state highway.

[merrycilantro]

^^I agree. That makes sense to me. Looking at a map it almost looks like Wis 172 was a sort of "original routing of I-43" which i know is not the case...but definitely makes it more suitable to an I-x43. I never would have thought of an even numbered route because I was under the assumption that an even numbered route had to connect to its parent twice, not just 2 interstates, thus only the Spur option seemed viable. Makes sense though and I totally agree with you.

Just had a passing thought, probably too fictional...but to quickly mention...what if it would in fact be a Spur, odd numbered route, follow 172, be concurrent with I-43 from 172 to the new 54 on the northeast side, and continued to Sturgeon Bay...and that's where I'll leave it. Although in that case it'd almost have to be an Odd x41...

[I94RoadRunner]

True. It would make sense if WIS 172 was part of the interstate system however be careful - this IS Wisconsin we are talking about. What in reality would happen most likely would be a 3di interstate designation multiplexed with WIS 172! Bad WISDOT!! 

[merrycilantro]

This is very true...Case in Point: Milwaukee.

[FightingIrish]

Hoping not to be teetering on the edge of Fictional Highways here I'd like to see a I-541 or even a I-543...hard to tell which they'd go with because 43 sort of wraps around Green Bay, whereas 41, which clearly is the more dominant freeway, should definitely have a Child Route.

Be That as it may, I do agree with SSOWorld that unless you're going to Sheboygan or Manitowoc, I couldn't see much of a use for extending any potential Wis 29 Interstate of the Future along Wis 172 when one can just as easily hop onto 41 and get to Milwaukee just the same as I-43. Good thought though.

I think an even more logical numbering would be I-194. On the west end, it would branch off I-94 near Eau Claire and end in Green Bay. At roughly 200 miles, it would be by far the longest 3di. The rationale for the odd x94 designation is that it would connect interstate traffic between Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, while signifying that it would be going off in a different direction than I-94. Besides, an x41 or x43 just doesn't make much sense.

An alternate designation could be a "western" I-96. Or maybe even I-98.

[merrycilantro]

^^I LIKE THAT TRAIN OF THOUGHT!!!

though, knowing WisDOT they'll  multiplex I-194 and I-43...i guess that'd mean effectively turning it into a Super Long Badgerland Beltway of sorts....say I-294 and south of GB it'd be I-43/294.

I jest...