Unused WISDOT ROW

[peterj920]

Traveling around the state there's a few areas that WISDOT purchased ROW and doesn't have any intentions to use it for expansion. Here's a few places.

Wis 11/Wis 81 from Balls Mills Rd to the Wis 81/11 east junction.

Wis 35/65 River Falls Bypass

Wis 21 east of Omro

US 14 from Brooklyn to Oregon

US 151 from Wis 23 to Peebles

US 12 Whitewater Bypass

There's probably more that isn't in this list.

Seems like these highways are going to have unused ROW for many years and may never be used as there aren't any plans to use it for expansion.

[invincor]

Traveling around the state there's a few areas that WISDOT purchased ROW and doesn't have any intentions to use it for expansion. Here's a few places.

Wis 35/65 River Falls Bypass

There's probably more that isn't in this list.

Seems like these highways are going to have unused ROW for many years and may never be used as there aren't any plans to use it for expansion.

I'm not sure which bits of ROW around 35/65 you're thinking about, but I do know some of the background on it.

When they first started the expansion in the 90s, they laid out plans to eventually convert the whole of 35 between I-94 in Hudson and River Falls to a full 4-lane freeway over a period of 20 years, with the last stage taking place around 2015 or so.  They made good on all but the last central chunk of that, where there's still a 3-mile stretch in the middle that's only expressway with at-grade crossings, and I've heard no rumblings on the current DOT people wanting to complete that anytime soon given the costs involved.  They'd have to provide two new frontage roads on either side of the freeway to connect up all the private residences (and the trailer park) whose current access would be severed, and build a new flyover ramp or partial interchange at Glover Road, while at the same time preserving the electrical substation that's there. 

The only "unused" area I can think of really is the extra room they've left themselves to the southeast side after the road contracts back to 2-lane highway in town.  That area was new alignment when it was built, and included a large road cut.  They left and reserved that extra room along the side so they can extend the 4-lane section further south to the Highway 29 junction someday should that ever be warranted, and since it was all-new to start with, that was easy to do.  That ROW should be left reserved, imo.

[peterj920]

Traveling around the state there's a few areas that WISDOT purchased ROW and doesn't have any intentions to use it for expansion. Here's a few places.

Wis 35/65 River Falls Bypass

There's probably more that isn't in this list.

Seems like these highways are going to have unused ROW for many years and may never be used as there aren't any plans to use it for expansion.

I'm not sure which bits of ROW around 35/65 you're thinking about, but I do know some of the background on it.

When they first started the expansion in the 90s, they laid out plans to eventually convert the whole of 35 between I-94 in Hudson and River Falls to a full 4-lane freeway over a period of 20 years, with the last stage taking place around 2015 or so.  They made good on all but the last central chunk of that, where there's still a 3-mile stretch in the middle that's only expressway with at-grade crossings, and I've heard no rumblings on the current DOT people wanting to complete that anytime soon given the costs involved.  They'd have to provide two new frontage roads on either side of the freeway to connect up all the private residences (and the trailer park) whose current access would be severed, and build a new flyover ramp or partial interchange at Glover Road, while at the same time preserving the electrical substation that's there. 

The only "unused" area I can think of really is the extra room they've left themselves to the southeast side after the road contracts back to 2-lane highway in town.  That area was new alignment when it was built, and included a large road cut.  They left and reserved that extra room along the side so they can extend the 4-lane section further south to the Highway 29 junction someday should that ever be warranted, and since it was all-new to start with, that was easy to do.  That ROW should be left reserved, imo.

Where the rock cut is what I'm referring to as the unused ROW on the bypass. It doesn't seem like there's any plans to use it. River Falls is strange to me. There's a 4 lane connection with Wis 35 to I-94 and there aren't any 4 lane roads in River Falls anywhere.

[invincor]

Where the rock cut is what I'm referring to as the unused ROW on the bypass. It doesn't seem like there's any plans to use it. River Falls is strange to me. There's a 4 lane connection with Wis 35 to I-94 and there aren't any 4 lane roads in River Falls anywhere.

That road cut went in in the 1990s.  It was undeveloped hill before that.  And like I said, it's been reserved in case they ever want to extend the 4-lane section further south. 

The city of River Falls has seen a lot of population growth in my lifetime.  When I was a kid, there was only one stoplight in town and the population was something like 9000.   Today, we're on something like 10-12 stoplights and the population is over 16,000.  The 4-lane WI 35 is solely to give an expressway connection from River Falls up to Hudson and I-94 and allow fast commuting to the Twin Cities metro. 

I work in the press box of our baseball field near the 2-lane part of the bypass, and when I look out at it during games there is continual, constant heavy traffic on it in both directions until at least 9pm. 

[The Ghostbuster]

Maybe the DOT should hang on to the purchased right-of-way just in case they one day decide to utilize it for road improvements. It will probably never happen, but one can dream.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Do WISDOT and MDOT own a corridor for the proposed US 8 reroute (will never be built but was never taken off the books)?

[peterj920]

Do WISDOT and MDOT own a corridor for the proposed US 8 reroute (will never be built but was never taken off the books)?

It's just a proposal that's still mapped but no ROW. There's lots of these throughout the state. Look at the proposal to extend the Stadium Freeway north to near Wis 145. Still mapped but not going to happen. US 8 in Barron Co. has some mapped bypasses. The Cameron Bypass makes the most sense since US 8 is 4 lanes and abruptly ends at a T intersection with Hwy SS. US 12 is also mapped from Elkhorn to Whitewater.

[JREwing78]

There may not be immediate plans for using the unused ROW, but for the most part this ROW is in places where one can forsee a need to use it in the future. Better tp have it and not need it than to not have it when it's needed.

I think the 4-lane Hwy 11/81 east of Monroe was partially a victim of the GM plant shutdown in Janesville. There were clear plans to 4-lane Hwy 11 west of Janesville, roughly south of Hanover, Orfordville, and Brodhead (and the US-14 multiplex east of it), but the plant closure meant the loss of a traffic generator. I also suspect the completion of the 4-lane US-151 pulled Milwaukee-based traffic off Hwy 11.  I see WisDOT extending the 4-lane Hwy 11/81 section east to the intersection with County GG where the multiplex splits. I'm not holding my breath for anything eastward to Janesville.

The Hwy 14 ROW south of Oregon is a sore topic with me. It could've just been built initially for 2 lanes, even if it just ends up at a roundabout outside Brooklyn as it does now. It makes no sense to keep dumping investment into the old alignment. The ROW will get used eventually - the growing commuter traffic from Evansville and points south will eventually force WisDOT's hand. They would be stupid to sell it because increasing property values will make it more expensive later, not to mention the very real risk of sprawl blocking the path south.

[mgk920]

There may not be immediate plans for using the unused ROW, but for the most part this ROW is in places where one can forsee a need to use it in the future. Better tp have it and not need it than to not have it when it's needed.

I think the 4-lane Hwy 11/81 east of Monroe was partially a victim of the GM plant shutdown in Janesville. There were clear plans to 4-lane Hwy 11 west of Janesville, roughly south of Hanover, Orfordville, and Brodhead (and the US-14 multiplex east of it), but the plant closure meant the loss of a traffic generator. I also suspect the completion of the 4-lane US-151 pulled Milwaukee-based traffic off Hwy 11.  I see WisDOT extending the 4-lane Hwy 11/81 section east to the intersection with County GG where the multiplex splits. I'm not holding my breath for anything eastward to Janesville.

The Hwy 14 ROW south of Oregon is a sore topic with me. It could've just been built initially for 2 lanes, even if it just ends up at a roundabout outside Brooklyn as it does now. It makes no sense to keep dumping investment into the old alignment. The ROW will get used eventually - the growing commuter traffic from Evansville and points south will eventually force WisDOT's hand. They would be stupid to sell it because increasing property values will make it more expensive later, not to mention the very real risk of sprawl blocking the path south.

That was part of the really original plan for what became today's I-43 to Beloit, What is now I-43 was to continue west-northwestward from that curve at Clinton, run due westward halfway between Janesville and Beloit and feed into that ghost ROW on the south side of Brodhead.  From there it was to be a four lane upgrade of WI 11 to feed into US 61/151 and cross the Mississippi River into Iowa.

Mike

[fuller523]

Wow, there would have been a parallel of freeways in Wisconsin if all of them were built.