US-41 Interstate Conversion

[NE2]

Jordanah? Your talking points have grown mold...

[Revive 755]

The AASHTO SCOH meeting minutes brought up in the I-69 in TX thread seems to indicate that I-41 will be entering Illinois:
http://route.transportation.org/Documents/SCOH%20Report%2011-16-2012.pdf (Page 3/7, top item)

Though there are these interesting two sentences:

No letter included showing the member department has contacted FHWA. AASHTO to prepare information letter to FHWA headquarters and copying Illinois.

So Illinois is getting overridden with I-41?  If this is true, why not override and use I-55?

[GeekJedi]

I wouldn't call 0.9 miles "overridden".

On another subject, "Zoon" interchange?   

We also will be saying goodbye to US-41 over city streets in Milwaukee.  It's the end of an era in these parts!

[SEWIGuy]

The AASHTO SCOH meeting minutes brought up in the I-69 in TX thread seems to indicate that I-41 will be entering Illinois:
http://route.transportation.org/Documents/SCOH%20Report%2011-16-2012.pdf (Page 3/7, top item)

Though there are these interesting two sentences:

No letter included showing the member department has contacted FHWA. AASHTO to prepare information letter to FHWA headquarters and copying Illinois.

So Illinois is getting overridden with I-41?  If this is true, why not override and use I-55?

I doubt Illinois even signs it.

Will Wisconsin continue to sign US-41 where it duplexes with I-41?

[gbgoose]

I'd guess you'd see I-41 and US-41 together on the freeway.

Illinois won't use I-41 except at the Russell Rd. exit near the state line.  This would make too much sense...have it travel along 94 in IL, and replace 294 to I-80. 

[mgk920]

US 41 should have been removed from Milwaukee city streets and placed on that freeway routing decades ago - that has long been one of my top weaknesses in the entire state highway system!

That said, there is *no* room for an additional shield on any of the signs along US 41(I-xx).  None. Zip.  Nada.  Even on the new overhead BGSes that were installed here in the Appleton to Oshkosh area within the past year.

My best bet, then, is that I-route shields will be replacing US 41 shields along the way.  "[For US 41/follow I-xx]", like in Minnesota.  It will be interesting to see how WisDOT does that along I-894 and US 45 in Milwaukee County.

Mike

[kharvey10]

Illinois isn't obligated to even sign it.  The FHWA isn't obligated to go with AASTHO either.  The FHWA could make them go with 55 or 57,

[Alps]

Illinois isn't obligated to even sign it.  The FHWA isn't obligated to go with AASTHO either.  The FHWA could make them go with 55 or 57,

The hope remains.

[Molandfreak]

i would love to see it happen, but at this point, i think there are to many homes in the way(brown deer is increadibly wealthy, and all those doctors and lawyers arent gonna like eminent domain very much) i also think the public in general in the area would be against a project like that. thats why all the old plans got killed in the first place, though traffic is HORRIBLE now, when it wasnt as bad 20-30 years ago.

How about a Mequon Rd. or a County Line Rd. freeway?

[SEWIGuy]

i would love to see it happen, but at this point, i think there are to many homes in the way(brown deer is increadibly wealthy, and all those doctors and lawyers arent gonna like eminent domain very much) i also think the public in general in the area would be against a project like that. thats why all the old plans got killed in the first place, though traffic is HORRIBLE now, when it wasnt as bad 20-30 years ago.

How about a Mequon Rd. or a County Line Rd. freeway?

You'd have a better chance breeding unicorns that sh*t gold bricks.

[Molandfreak]

i would love to see it happen, but at this point, i think there are to many homes in the way(brown deer is increadibly wealthy, and all those doctors and lawyers arent gonna like eminent domain very much) i also think the public in general in the area would be against a project like that. thats why all the old plans got killed in the first place, though traffic is HORRIBLE now, when it wasnt as bad 20-30 years ago.

How about a Mequon Rd. or a County Line Rd. freeway?

You'd have a better chance breeding unicorns that sh*t gold bricks.

That's a shame.

[mgk920]

i would love to see it happen, but at this point, i think there are to many homes in the way(brown deer is increadibly wealthy, and all those doctors and lawyers arent gonna like eminent domain very much) i also think the public in general in the area would be against a project like that. thats why all the old plans got killed in the first place, though traffic is HORRIBLE now, when it wasnt as bad 20-30 years ago.

How about a Mequon Rd. or a County Line Rd. freeway?

You'd have a better chance breeding unicorns that sh*t gold bricks.

That's a shame.

That comes with the territory - The Milwaukee suburb of the City of Mequon has one of the highest average AGI's in the entire State of Wisconsin.



Mike

[mgk920]

I've been noticing over the past couple of months that WisDOT is installing bases for light fixtures between the median barrier walls on US 41(I-xx) from at least the Lake Butte des Morts Causeway in Oshkosh (which has streetlights) northwards to the Breezewood Ln/Bell St interchange in Neenah (which also has streetlights).  I have no word on any immediate plans for lighting on the section of the highway between those parts, though.

Mike

[DaBigE]

I've been noticing over the past couple of months that WisDOT is installing bases for light fixtures between the median barrier walls on US 41(I-xx) from at least the Lake Butte des Morts Causeway in Oshkosh (which has streetlights) northwards to the Breezewood Ln/Bell St interchange in Neenah (which also has streetlights).  I have no word on any immediate plans for lighting on the section of the highway between those parts, though.

Mike

IIRC, WisDOT did a similar thing 10-15 years ago, along a stretch of US 41/45 in the Germantown/Menomonee Falls area (south of County Line Rd). First, they filled/paved the median and installed a continuous Jersey-barrier, complete with cut-outs/bases for median lighting. The lights, however, didn't get installed until several years later.

[SSOWorld]

I've been noticing over the past couple of months that WisDOT is installing bases for light fixtures between the median barrier walls on US 41(I-xx) from at least the Lake Butte des Morts Causeway in Oshkosh (which has streetlights) northwards to the Breezewood Ln/Bell St interchange in Neenah (which also has streetlights).  I have no word on any immediate plans for lighting on the section of the highway between those parts, though.

Mike

Check out 41 in Green Bay around Mason St.

[Jordanah1]

I've been noticing over the past couple of months that WisDOT is installing bases for light fixtures between the median barrier walls on US 41(I-xx) from at least the Lake Butte des Morts Causeway in Oshkosh (which has streetlights) northwards to the Breezewood Ln/Bell St interchange in Neenah (which also has streetlights).  I have no word on any immediate plans for lighting on the section of the highway between those parts, though.

Mike

they installed them along the entire length from neenah to south of oshkosh, you can see them as you drive over overpasses and such. i believe they also exist around the US41/US10 interchange aswell, though im not sure if they extend north or south of there. you can see them in a few places, they look like they are in too rough of shape to be used though, and for all i know they are old sign bases and not light pole bases at all.

[Revive 755]

Rumor through an IDOT employee has it IDOT will be signing I-41 for the short overlap with I-94, though there is the off chance there could be a push to extend the I-41 designation in the future.

[mgk920]

I've been noticing over the past couple of months that WisDOT is installing bases for light fixtures between the median barrier walls on US 41(I-xx) from at least the Lake Butte des Morts Causeway in Oshkosh (which has streetlights) northwards to the Breezewood Ln/Bell St interchange in Neenah (which also has streetlights).  I have no word on any immediate plans for lighting on the section of the highway between those parts, though.

Mike

they installed them along the entire length from neenah to south of oshkosh, you can see them as you drive over overpasses and such. i believe they also exist around the US41/US10 interchange aswell, though im not sure if they extend north or south of there. you can see them in a few places, they look like they are in too rough of shape to be used though, and for all i know they are old sign bases and not light pole bases at all.

WisDOT changed the US 41 signage at the Bridgeview Interchange (US 10/WI 441) around a bit a couple of years ago, removing all of the overhead sign bridges.  There were never any light pole bases installed on US 41 there.  Keep in mind that US 41 there was upgraded to six lanes in 1991-1992.  WisDOT did install light mounting racks on the overhead BGSes by the street interchanges in that project (WI 15/Northland Ave to Breezewood Ln/Bell St), but the lights were never installed and the racks were removed from most of them during routine sign upgrades since.

The US 10/WI 441 bridge has lightpole bases that were installed when the bridge was built in 1975, but they are now unusable due to decades of salt corrosion.  They are likely to never be used, anyways, due to proposed/pending US 10/WI 441 freeway six-lane upgrades that will remove the median wall on the bridge.

Mike

[on_wisconsin]

Rumor through an IDOT employee has it IDOT will be signing I-41 for the short overlap with I-94, though there is the off chance there could be a push to extend the I-41 designation in the future.

*on_wisconsin is very happy with this revelation.

[mukade]

Rumor through an IDOT employee has it IDOT will be signing I-41 for the short overlap with I-94, though there is the off chance there could be a push to extend the I-41 designation in the future.

If that is true, then why didn't they go with an I-65, I-57, or I-55 designation? If nothing has to immediately be signed through Chicago (and it definitely does not), it makes no sense at all to use a new number.

[SEWIGuy]

Rumor through an IDOT employee has it IDOT will be signing I-41 for the short overlap with I-94, though there is the off chance there could be a push to extend the I-41 designation in the future.

If that is true, then why didn't they go with an I-65, I-57, or I-55 designation? If nothing has to immediately be signed through Chicago (and it definitely does not), it makes no sense at all to use a new number.

Exactly.  First, where would you extend it?  Second, *if* you extend it, what do you do with US-41?

This is exactly why 55 or 57 would have been better.

[merrycilantro]

I guess the only thing that sorta makes sense is routing it down I-294 to end at I-80...but I agree with everyone that 55/57/65 should have been used if IDOT will truly sign the highway as WI will be...but then, won't they have to go thru the same rigamarole as Wisconsin did/does to get I-41 and US 41 in the same state? Who here thinks they'd actually do that...honestly...

FHWA, talk some sense here and say "No I-41, you make it (example) 55 or you get nothing." *i'm in a "gently stir the pot type of mood today...*

[mgk920]

I guess the only thing that sorta makes sense is routing it down I-294 to end at I-80...but I agree with everyone that 55/57/65 should have been used if IDOT will truly sign the highway as WI will be...but then, won't they have to go thru the same rigamarole as Wisconsin did/does to get I-41 and US 41 in the same state? Who here thinks they'd actually do that...honestly...

FHWA, talk some sense here and say "No I-41, you make it (example) 55 or you get nothing." *i'm in a "gently stir the pot type of mood today...*

I'm on board with you here.  As I have mentioned many times before, '55', '57' or '65' all make much better sense here, with my fav being '65'.

Mike

[SSOWorld]

We can easily leave it to the FHWA to decide.  What's the record of them giving in to wishes? (I-99 anyone? )

[kharvey10]

FHWA didn't give in to IDOT back in the mid 90s with at least one of their interstates (even went against AASTHO for that matter).  I don't believe that IDOT or WisDOT is getting their way with this one, the FHWA should have enough common sense to go their own way and tell both states my way or forget it.