US 41 WI freeway conversion history

[I-39]

As recently as the 1990s, a fair amount of sections of US 41 between Milwaukee and Abrams were at-grade expressway.

I was wondering what exact years in the 1990s were the remaining sections converted to freeway? Looking at historical satellite images from 1992, roughly the sections from Green Bay to Abrams, Appleton to De Pere, Fond Du Lac to Oshkosh and Richfield to Fond du Lac were all at-grade expressway, but by 2001, they were freeway.

[Big John]

The northern part was converted in 2000. The southern part was converted in 1994.

[SEWIGuy]

From Chris Bessert

http://www.wisconsinhighways.org/indepth/US-41_history.html

The fact that there were driveways with mailboxes on US-41 just south of Green Bay until the early 2000s is amazing.

[mgk920]

The I-(US)41/WI 125 (College Ave) interchange (Appleton) was an at-grade intersection until 1969, IIRC.  A couple of intersections south of it were cut off then, too.

There were a pair of RIROs between WI 441 and County II (Winchester Rd) in Neenah that were cut off when then US 41 was upgraded to six lanes in the early 1990s.

Several at-grade intersections were also cut off south of County 'BB' between Appleton and Neenah when the original WI 441 bridge (then County 'Q') was built in the early-mid 1970s.

Mike

[skluth]

I'm going by memory here. I don't know any completion dates, but I remember the US 41 freeway being built in sections in Brown County which were completed from Suamico to Main St DePere sometime in the 70's. By then, US 41 was limited access in the following sections north of Milwaukee:

• Zoo Interchange in Milwaukee to US 45/WI 145 interchange
• 9th St to Algoma Blvd around Oshkosh
• Somewhere west of Neenah to Highland Av at Kaukauna
• Main St DePere to Suamico

There may also have a short section around Fond du Lac between Main or Hickory and WI 23, but I was going between GB and Madison at the time so I've only been south of Oshkosh on US 41 a few times.

There were several interchanges along the expressway portion including most of the numbered highways. WI 28 was an exception, but that's the only one I recall. There were several rather dangerous crossroads including CTH JJ near Wrightstown and CTH OOO at Fond du Lac not to mention at least one at-grade rail crossing SW of Oshkosh.

I don't know the history after about 1980 when I left WI for good (except for 1985-7 to complete my BS at UWGB).

[Big John]

I'm going by memory here. I don't know any completion dates, but I remember the US 41 freeway being built in sections in Brown County which were completed from Suamico to Main St DePere sometime in the 70's. 

Suamaco to  Lombardi Ave was circa 1968.  Lombardi Ave to Main Ave was circa 1974.

[dvferyance]

As I recall back in 1996 I saw all the at grade intersections were eliminated up to Hwy Y that's just north of Hwy 49 that overpass was under construction at the time. The at grade intersections. north of there remained. They first started with Western Ave the first at grade intersection and moved northward.

[mgk920]

IIRC, the last crossroad that was cut off south of the Appleton-Oshkosh area was Sales Rd.  That was the first crossroad southeast of the now County 'N' interchange northwest of Fond du Lac.

There were garish-looking sex toy shops there and at the Rolling Dr intersection that was between the rest areas south of Lomira and WI 28.  That road was cut off a few years earlier and I was so wanting to watch that building slowly crumble, but it was demoed before that could happen.

As I recall back in 1996 I saw all the at grade intersections were eliminated up to Hwy Y that's just north of Hwy 49 that overpass was under construction at the time. The at grade intersections. north of there remained. They first started with Western Ave the first at grade intersection and moved northward.

US 41's intersections on that hill in far southern Fond du Lac County (US/I-41's assault of the Niagara Escarpment) were as notorious of a speed trap as was Rosendale on WI 26.  Everyone in Eastern Wisconsin called it 'Radar Hill' as the State Patrol and especially the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department loved to camp out at those intersections (several of them were somewhat set into hillsides).  It has settled down a bit since the highway's freeway upgrade, but it still retains some of that reputation.  Especially watch for them on the bridge and on the ramps at the County 'B' interchange.

Mike

[hobsini2]

I'm going by memory here. I don't know any completion dates, but I remember the US 41 freeway being built in sections in Brown County which were completed from Suamico to Main St DePere sometime in the 70's. By then, US 41 was limited access in the following sections north of Milwaukee:

• Zoo Interchange in Milwaukee to US 45/WI 145 interchange
• 9th St to Algoma Blvd around Oshkosh
• Somewhere west of Neenah to Highland Av at Kaukauna
• Main St DePere to Suamico

There may also have a short section around Fond du Lac between Main or Hickory and WI 23, but I was going between GB and Madison at the time so I've only been south of Oshkosh on US 41 a few times.

There were several interchanges along the expressway portion including most of the numbered highways. WI 28 was an exception, but that's the only one I recall. There were several rather dangerous crossroads including CTH JJ near Wrightstown and CTH OOO at Fond du Lac not to mention at least one at-grade rail crossing SW of Oshkosh.

I don't know the history after about 1980 when I left WI for good (except for 1985-7 to complete my BS at UWGB).

I was born in Oshkosh and my grandparents lived there until they died about 5 years ago. From my memory, 41 was a freeway between Wis 26 and Jackson St my entire life. There was a railroad crossing on 41 north of 20th Ave (Hwy K) up until about 1990. The section between Wis 26 and Hwy OO in Fond du Lac was at grade expressway until about 1993ish. And DV is correct. It was about 1996 that Fond du Lac to Richfield was converted. The Junction with WIS 28 was 2 intersections. One at the current interchange location and the other at what is now Farm Ln.

MGK, I too remember the "Adult Shop" as a kid off 41 at Hwy N. My dad when he was in college at UWO was a pizza delivery driver for one of the local joints in Oshkosh. He told me once that the guy who owned or managed the adult shop would order regularly and pay for his food by check. The checks would bounce a lot. He was told that if he wanted a pizza that he would have to pay in cash next time. Well, next time rolls around and he paid a check and it bounced too. He would also complain that the pizza was cold. So after that last time, the guy ordered another pizza about a week later. My dad's boss didn't want him as a customer anymore. So they literally made a cardboard pizza with the sauce, toppings, cheese etc. on the cardboard circle and put it in the oven. My dad took it out to him and he told him that this one is free of charge. They never heard from him again.

[triplemultiplex]

^^
Best. Anecdote. Ever.



It was a pleasure as a youth on road trips between our home Up North and Milwaukee watching US 41 undergo its freeway upgrades between Oshkosh and the Richfield interchange through the 90's (and making notations for manual updates of my Delorme Atlas. )  It was always a fun surprise to see what had been done in an era before one could look at plans online or browse Google Earth for changes.