Wisconsin notes

[SEWIGuy]

I was on the Waukesha bypass today and saw crews out putting up new signs that included hwy 18 on them. The opening of the west bypass must be really close.

The bypass opened today. US 18 is fully signed around the Les Paul Pkwy and the new alignment.

Temp US-18 signs were still up on I-94 as of Saturday.

[SSOWorld]

The Temp signs will probably remain up for the winter into next year.  There is an incomplete portion between WIS 318 and Madison St which the NB carriageway is not finished (2-way traffic on the other side) but the route is open.

[GeekJedi]

The Temp signs will probably remain up for the winter into next year.  There is an incomplete portion between WIS 318 and Madison St which the NB carriageway is not finished (2-way traffic on the other side) but the route is open.

It hurts my brain a little bit. I grew up on Westmoreland Rd. (now MacArthur Rd.) when it was CTH DE just off of Merrill Hills. My school bus stop was at Westmoreland and Merrill Hills. I still remember when Merrill Hills Rd. ended at US-18 at a quiet little rural "T" intersection. Time (and progress) march on!

[The Ghostbuster]

Well, Google Maps has been updated (partially). It doesn't show the new construction of the West Waukesha bypass, but it does show STH-59 meeting Genesse Rd. (old 59) meeting the bypass at an intersection just to the north of the old intersection: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.977155,-88.2706212,2890m/data=!3m1!1e3

[SSOWorld]

I did a full drive of the bypass on Tuesday.  The new alignment (STH 318 to STH 59 takes new right of way and replaces CTH TT fully.  The BGSs on I-94 replace TT with US 18 (The TO part already was there).  Also, a secondary sign with "Waukesha Bypass" was put in on the Interstate for the same exit - As if they knew it would be a roadgeek tourist attraction 😁

There are a few spots on the existing ROW with 59 and 164 where they just added 18's signs on separate posts, and others where they completely replaced signs, but in general, the signage accurately reflects today's alignment.  Photos were collected, coming soon.

[SEWIGuy]

The Temp signs will probably remain up for the winter into next year.  There is an incomplete portion between WIS 318 and Madison St which the NB carriageway is not finished (2-way traffic on the other side) but the route is open.

It hurts my brain a little bit. I grew up on Westmoreland Rd. (now MacArthur Rd.) when it was CTH DE just off of Merrill Hills. My school bus stop was at Westmoreland and Merrill Hills. I still remember when Merrill Hills Rd. ended at US-18 at a quiet little rural "T" intersection. Time (and progress) march on!

I spent part of my childhood in the same area.  I went to Tor Horst Elementary in 1st Grade, which is now part of the building at Faith Baptist Church on Tor Horst Road off of US-18 just west of Merrill Hills Road.  This was in 1975.  It seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere.

[dvferyance]

I am surprised the traffic light at Sunset and Merrill Hills Rd has not been removed. With that no longer being the main route traffic counts at the intersection have gone way down.

[The Ghostbuster]

When visiting my grandmother with my mother on Friday, I instructed my mother to follow the new West Waukesha bypass. Although she asked me, "are you sure?" a few times en route about the highway's routing, my directing her to follow the bypass worked like a charm. If you ask me, the West Waukesha bypass should have been constructed decades ago. I saw that the bypass wasn't 100% finished, but it was finished enough to provide a much-needed bypass of the west side of Waukesha.

[mgk920]

When visiting my grandmother with my mother on Friday, I instructed my mother to follow the new West Waukesha bypass. Although she asked me, "are you sure?" a few times en route about the highway's routing, my directing her to follow the bypass worked like a charm. If you ask me, the West Waukesha bypass should have been constructed decades ago. I saw that the bypass wasn't 100% finished, but it was finished enough to provide a much-needed bypass of the west side of Waukesha.

It is one of those 1950s-60s era freeway proposals that I also honestly believed would never be built, this back in the 1980s.

Mike

[I-39]

Regarding US 12 between Madison and the Dells.......

It's 2020 now, so the moratorium on discussing/planning for a US 12 Sauk City bypass is now officially up right?

Also, when will construction to straighten the curve on US 12 by the Badger ammunition plant start? Wasn't that suppose to happen last year?

[DaBigE]

Also, when will construction to straighten the curve on US 12 by the Badger ammunition plant start? Wasn't that suppose to happen last year?

Scheduled for this year: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us12-saukcounty/default.aspx

[mgk920]

WisDOT just announced a new interchange for WI 29, this at Brown County 'VV' just west of Green Bay, construction to start in 2021.  It will be a conventional diamond in a rapidly developing area along the border between Hobart and Howard and will replace the semi-Michigan Left that was installed there several years ago, extending the freeway most of the way to the Outagamie County corner 'tick'.

https://fox11online.com/news/local/new-agreement-secures-plans-for-highway-29-vv-interchange-project-in-brown-county

Mike

[The Ghostbuster]

If I had to make an estimate, I'd guess the proposed interchange at CTH-VV will be numbered Exit 253.

[thspfc]

WisDOT just announced a new interchange for WI 29, this at Brown County 'VV' just west of Green Bay, construction to start in 2021.  It will be a conventional diamond in a rapidly developing area along the border between Hobart and Howard and will replace the semi-Michigan Left that was installed there several years ago, extending the freeway most of the way to the Outagamie County corner 'tick'.

https://fox11online.com/news/local/new-agreement-secures-plans-for-highway-29-vv-interchange-project-in-brown-county

Mike

cue the bi-annual "WI-29 to I-98" thread.

[dvferyance]

If I had to make an estimate, I'd guess the proposed interchange at CTH-VV will be numbered Exit 253.

I think it would be 252.

[peterj920]

Once the project is complete Wis 29 will be freeway west of I-41 in all of Brown County and the speed limit will most likely be increased to the County Line at St. Augustine St. Wis 156 traffic will then have to use the designated exit. Right now most of the traffic is turning left on Hwy U and using Old 29 to get to Wis 156 because it is shorter.

[mgk920]

What are the currently anticipated upgrade plans for that part of WI 29 between WI 32/156 and WI 55/160 at Angelica, just southwest of Pulaski in SE Shawano County, particularly at the intersection with Laney Rd?  There are a couple of small retail businesses there that, IMHO, can by economically moved to new buildings by the WI 55/160 interchange and that intersection simply cut off.  I am expecting some new frontage road construction work southeast of there, too.

Are there also any near-term plans for that intersection by that Harley-Davidson dealership between Angelica and Bonduel?

Once the project is complete Wis 29 will be freeway west of I-41 in all of Brown County and the speed limit will most likely be increased to the County Line at St. Augustine St. Wis 156 traffic will then have to use the designated exit. Right now most of the traffic is turning left on Hwy U and using Old 29 to get to Wis 156 because it is shorter.

From that standpoint I can see the wisdom of not having an interchange nor intersection at County 'U', but there should (long term) be a grade separation bridge overcrossing there.  Is WisDOT planning a near term upgrade at the intersection turn on WI 156 at Old WI 29 just south of WI 29/32 there (ie, a roundabout)?

Mike

[The Ghostbuster]

Maybe try this webpage on the DOT website: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/ne/wis29study/default.aspx.

[SEWIGuy]

Heard an interesting "origin story" regarding WI-172.

The highway was given that number because it is the sum of the four state highways running through Green Bay (29, 32, 54 and 57), and was originally planned to serve as a bypass for each of those highways.  But Green Bay objected to that plan because they wanted to ensure state maintenance of these highways in the city.

I had never heard that, and can't find anything to support it, but 172 being the sum of those highways can't be a coincidence right?

[Dougtone]

Come visit the wonderful Smith Rapids Covered Bridge over the South Fork of the Flambeau River in Price County, Wisconsin. It's located on Rustic Road 105 near Fifield.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/02/smith-rapids-covered-bridge.html

[peterj920]

Heard an interesting "origin story" regarding WI-172.

The highway was given that number because it is the sum of the four state highways running through Green Bay (29, 32, 54 and 57), and was originally planned to serve as a bypass for each of those highways.  But Green Bay objected to that plan because they wanted to ensure state maintenance of these highways in the city.

I had never heard that, and can't find anything to support it, but 172 being the sum of those highways can't be a coincidence right?

Wis 172 was a state highway in Eau Claire. WISDOT likes to "recycle"  numbers. A couplr of examples:
Old Wis 15:Between Milwaukee and Beloit
New Wis 15: Appleton to New London
Old Wis 91: Shortcut route in Tomahawk
New Wis 91: Berlin to Oshkosh

Wis 172 would be another number added to the list. 

[SEWIGuy]

Heard an interesting "origin story" regarding WI-172.

The highway was given that number because it is the sum of the four state highways running through Green Bay (29, 32, 54 and 57), and was originally planned to serve as a bypass for each of those highways.  But Green Bay objected to that plan because they wanted to ensure state maintenance of these highways in the city.

I had never heard that, and can't find anything to support it, but 172 being the sum of those highways can't be a coincidence right?

Wis 172 was a state highway in Eau Claire. WISDOT likes to "recycle"  numbers. A couplr of examples:
Old Wis 15:Between Milwaukee and Beloit
New Wis 15: Appleton to New London
Old Wis 91: Shortcut route in Tomahawk
New Wis 91: Berlin to Oshkosh

Wis 172 would be another number added to the list. 

Right. But that doesn't necessarily preclude why that's specific number was chosen. Of course it might have been one of a few available.

Anyway it was an interesting story by someone who knows those kind of things.

[The Ghostbuster]

Also, prior to 1988, the Highway 172 roadway west of US 41 (now Interstate/US 41) was CTH-GG. It became a 172 extension to supply state highway access to the Austin Straubel International Airport.

[billpa]

The Struggle to Mend America's Rural Roads

https://nyti.ms/39CDZ2q

Pixel 2

[SEWIGuy]

Pulled this out of the Indiana US-27 topic, but it looks as though if you read these documents, I-43 between Milwaukee and Green Bay was originally supposed to be an extension of I-57.

AASHTO's denial is available at Wikisource (transcription) or Wikimedia Commons (scanned document).