Wisconsin notes

[Revive 755]

Is there some reason Wisconsin seems to hang new signal heads on the mast arms horizontally initially and then rotating the heads, or is Wisconsin going back and forth between vertical and horizontal signals?  Take these two signals on WI 100:

[Big John]

^^ They leave them horizontal until they are ready to be activated then they become vertical.  Makes for less confusion so the motorist better understands to still follow the temporary signal.

[FightingIrish]

Is there some reason Wisconsin seems to hang new signal heads on the mast arms horizontally initially and then rotating the heads, or is Wisconsin going back and forth between vertical and horizontal signals?  Take these two signals on WI 100:

Guess they're just waiting to fasten them into the right place. The new Greenfield Av. bridge was like that prior to being operational.

On a separate note, looks like you did quite a bit of driving today. Eastbound on Greenfield, then north on WI 100.

[JREwing78]

What was the reception from those in attendance to the proposal at I-39/90 and 26?

Mostly meh. A couple older gentleman asked questions about it, but nobody seemed all that excited one way or the other.

[Revive 755]

On a separate note, looks like you did quite a bit of driving today. Eastbound on Greenfield, then north on WI 100.

And a lovely tour of US 41 between US 45 and I-94, plus south on Miller Park Way to find out the hard way U-turns are prohibited at National Avenue.  Figured it was a good time to go exploring since gas is relatively cheap.

[SEWIGuy]

By they way, I would guess that the WI-26 bypass of Milton is within a week or two of opening.  They are going to be opening the future NB lanes as a single lane bypass to work on the connection on the SB lanes on either side of the bypass.  The entire thing is supposed to open as a full four lane bypass this November.

It's really damn close. They've had the concrete pavement in place for at least a month or two, and the asphalt shoulders and transitions are in place. All the ramps at County N and Hwy 59 are in place. All it's missing are signs, really, and the transitions at each end.

Just found this....August 23 is the date the Milton bypass opens with just the one lane.  Three weeks from today.

http://www.hngnews.com/milton_courier/news/local/article_064795a6-f9ed-11e2-9f3e-001a4bcf6878.html

The August 23 date has now been confirmed by WIDOT at a PIM yesterday.

[WarrenWallace]

Saw on the news that Wisconsin may try to get the ball rolling on raising the speed limit to 70 now that Illinois has done so.  To keep in line with all the neighboring states.  I see that the Chicagoland area is staying at 65, not sure if there would be similar efforts for the Milwaukee area, Fox Valley, and/or Madison area.

[Jordanah1]

The Milwaukee area and Madison area will for sure keep lower speed limits where they are already less than 65, as those places aren't designed to carry their traffic volumes faster. I could see the fox valley from breeze wood lane to kaukauna remaining at 65, mainly because of the curve north of Winchester ave, which is kind of hard over 70mph. Also, WI441, even after the new project will also likely remain at 65. I'm not so sure the efforts to remove the 's' curves will yield a 70mph highway, though, the rest of the hwy is pretty much straight. Green Bay, with some closely spaced interchanges could potentially stay at 65 for us41, though, after the Green Bay portion of the project is completed in 2017? There should be sufficient auxiliary lanes and whatnot. 

[JREwing78]

Saw on the news that Wisconsin may try to get the ball rolling on raising the speed limit to 70 now that Illinois has done so.  To keep in line with all the neighboring states.  I see that the Chicagoland area is staying at 65, not sure if there would be similar efforts for the Milwaukee area, Fox Valley, and/or Madison area.

The Milwaukee area and Madison area will for sure keep lower speed limits where they are already less than 65, as those places aren't designed to carry their traffic volumes faster. I could see the fox valley from breeze wood lane to kaukauna remaining at 65, mainly because of the curve north of Winchester ave, which is kind of hard over 70mph. Also, WI441, even after the new project will also likely remain at 65. I'm not so sure the efforts to remove the 's' curves will yield a 70mph highway, though, the rest of the hwy is pretty much straight. Green Bay, with some closely spaced interchanges could potentially stay at 65 for us41, though, after the Green Bay portion of the project is completed in 2017? There should be sufficient auxiliary lanes and whatnot.

I'm pretty sure at least one factor that would keep Chicagoland speed limits lower are Clean Air Act considerations. Most of the suburban freeways/tollways have suitable design characteristics for 70+ mph travel (in fact, they generally free flow at that pace).

I certainly expect any Wisconsin highways currently posted for 65mph outside of the metros to go to 70mph; none of them have any serious design problems. If there's only one curve on Hwy 441 that's too fast for 70mph, they could simply post a lower advisory speed for that curve and leave the remainder posted higher.

[triplemultiplex]

A 70 mph limit will not change one bit how I drive in Wisconsin (70 frwy/expy, 60 rural 2 lane).  I think the same is true for the majority of highway users.  I am completely ambivalent about this proposal.

[texaskdog]

I got my first 2 speeding tickets in Wisconsin.  Jerks.

[Jordanah1]

A 70 mph limit will not change one bit how I drive in Wisconsin (70 frwy/expy, 60 rural 2 lane).  I think the same is true for the majority of highway users.  I am completely ambivalent about this proposal.

the difference is, when I'm going 75 down US(I) 41 between Oshkosh and FDL on my way to work (or home), and trooper Dave pulls me over for speeding, I won't be going ten over anymore, I will be going 5 over, and likely not pulled over. At least trooper Dave was good to me and gave me a warning for my first time being pulled over, he seen that I had just finished a long 12 hour shift and wanted to get home.
Additionally, I want to know if should this pass, how will it be structured? Will it be such that all non-metro interstates will be mandatory 70mph? Optional? Will full freeway US and state routes receive the same considerations? Also, would current 65 mph expressways like WI 57 north of Green Bay, US 41 and US 141 north of Green Bay, WI 29 and US 10 all get similar considerations for their 65mph expressway segments?

[Big John]

i got a first glimpse of the bill.  It basically says that 70 MPH will be allowed, but WisDOT can lower it if it wants.  Not sure what highway classifications if any are specified in the bill.

[Jordanah1]

My expectation is that it won't apply to any non-freeways, and additionally, it will only apply to rural interstates, where not even full rural freeways that are only US highways or state routes (US 45, US10, WI441, US 53, WI16 and many other stretches) will remain at 65mph, such as in Ohio. The biggest one is US(I)41, though it won't be a problem if/when congress passes a bill to grandfather the weight limit. Ohio having only recently made the jump to 70 on only a limited basis is what is scaring me that Wisconsin may do this in the stupidest way possible.

[Joe The Dragon]

make I-94 70 from IL line to milwaukee area

[SEWIGuy]

make I-94 70 from IL line to milwaukee area

They'll keep that at 65...traffic goes near 80 already.

[JREwing78]

I went out to Waukesha today for a job, and took a "scenic" route back. I followed Hwy 16 over to Watertown, then north to the Hwy 60 junction.

I'm sure I've ranted about this before, but the speed limits on the Hwy 16/67 bypass around Oconomowoc are ridiculously underposted. 45 mph north to County Z, then 55mph to the west end of the bypass. There's no side traffic except at Lisbon Rd and County Z. No driveways. Light traffic (even at rush hour). Plenty of cops lying in wait. Headed westbound from Waukesha, it's 65mph up until shortly before the bypass. The inconsistency is frustrating.

Crews are certainly working fast on the Hwy 16/26 stretch; they have most of the new roadbed carved out, and appear to be making steady progress on the temporary bypass around the existing interchange. It wasn't quite as obvious how much the old road followed the land until most of that land was graded away; it looks a lot like a roller-coaster ride now.

The Fort Atkinson to County N stretch of Hwy 26 is coming together quickly as well; they appear to be close to laying concrete on the NBD lanes from the county line north. It appears the goal is two-way traffic on the new NBD lanes in time for winter.

The Milton bypass is scheduled to open tomorrow. They have the lane striping and construction barrels set up to guide traffic onto the new stretch, ready to be switched over quickly. They even have all the signs installed to make a 4-way stop at County N on the soon-to-be-former Hwy 26 stretch. The construction equipment is out in force, ready to tear up the old road north of County N as soon as traffic gets moved onto the bypass.

News reports suggested the bypass would be just on the NBD lanes, but from what I was able to see, they appear to be using the new SBD lanes between County N and Hwy 59, merging back to two-way traffic on the NBD lanes to get around the short stretch of SBD not yet completed south of Milton. I'll be out again after work tomorrow to confirm this is the case.

They have the new bridge beams set on the Hwy 11/Racine St overpass over I-39/90, and are making solid progress on the roadway west of the interchange. The east side is mostly under a bunch of concrete rubble at this point; they'll have to hustle to complete it in time for winter.

[SEWIGuy]

I made a run past the new Milton bypass as well, and I think you are correct about the use of the four-lanes.

I also noticed that the County N interchange doesn't appear to be "BGS worthy" in the eyes of WIDOT with just one "SGS" with a half mile indication southbound.  I have no idea if that will change once the four lanes are in place all the way to Fort Atkinson.  I also don't know if there will be a different sign northbound.  I guess in thinking about it I have no idea what the appropriate control cities would be anyway.  Whitewater and Edgerton?  (No one would actually use that route to get to either city though.)

NB the control cities for the WI-59 BGS are Whitewater and Milton...makes sense.  I assume they will be the same SB.

[mgk920]

Too bad they're not continuing the four lanes northward from WI 60 to US 151, preferably to connect at the curve at the southeast 'corner' of Beaver Dam.



OTOH, County 'A' from WI 26 just north of WI 60 to US 151 at the northeast corner of Beaver Dam (by the Walmart* distribution center) was rebuilt over the past few years with some of the very BEST two-lane concrete that I've seen anywhere - except at its major intersections at WI 26, WI 33 and County 'E', this as of my most recent drive-by this past spring.  (Will the latter two be rebuilt as roundabouts?)  My current expectation is for it to become a reroute for WI 26, with the existing part of WI 26 north of there to be both reflagged as a different state highway (WI 28?) south of WI 33 and turned back to the county (north of WI 33 to US 151 on Waupun's NE side).

I'll have to explore this again in the next few days.



Mike

[JREwing78]

Well, I'll say this much - traffic was surprisingly heavy on the new Milton bypass this afternoon. It's a very nicely-done stretch of highway, and Rock County is going to make a killing writing tickets for 70 in a 55 for a while. I saw a deputy nail just such a speeder near the County N exit tonight while checking things out.

The SBD "SGS" sign for County N is definitely temporary. NBD, the control cities on the BGS for County N are indeed Whitewater and Edgerton.

At least for the time being, County N and Old Hwy 26 is a 4-way stop (it's kind of an awkward intersection to drive through at speed). No leftover reassurance signs indicating Hwy 26 on the old stretch, but Rock County has not yet switched out its street signs. No indication (as of yet) that it will be recast as a County highway, let alone what letter designation it would earn (a northerly extension of County Y would likely make the most sense).   

[SEWIGuy]

Well, I'll say this much - traffic was surprisingly heavy on the new Milton bypass this afternoon. It's a very nicely-done stretch of highway, and Rock County is going to make a killing writing tickets for 70 in a 55 for a while. I saw a deputy nail just such a speeder near the County N exit tonight while checking things out.

The SBD "SGS" sign for County N is definitely temporary. NBD, the control cities on the BGS for County N are indeed Whitewater and Edgerton.

At least for the time being, County N and Old Hwy 26 is a 4-way stop (it's kind of an awkward intersection to drive through at speed). No leftover reassurance signs indicating Hwy 26 on the old stretch, but Rock County has not yet switched out its street signs. No indication (as of yet) that it will be recast as a County highway, let alone what letter designation it would earn (a northerly extension of County Y would likely make the most sense).   

How many lanes are open?  I think Old 26 isn't supposed to be a county highway...just a street.

[JREwing78]

All 4 lanes are open between County N and Hwy 59. They take it down to two lanes between Hwy 59 and Harmony Town Hall Rd, then back to 4 lanes to I-39/90.

[mgk920]

A couple of images of a little 'before' item that some in here may have missed, this was shot on NB County 'NN' (old WI 26) between County 'N' and WI 26 just a few weeks before it was obliterated by the Milton Bypass construction.

Enjoy!





and a close-up:



Mike

[Big John]

^^ I have never seen a cutout sign that used the whole "WISCONSIN" word before (excluding pre 1960's era signs that were of a slightly different design).  The non-neutered signs always had the abbreviation "WIS"

[SEWIGuy]

Well, I'll say this much - traffic was surprisingly heavy on the new Milton bypass this afternoon. It's a very nicely-done stretch of highway, and Rock County is going to make a killing writing tickets for 70 in a 55 for a while. I saw a deputy nail just such a speeder near the County N exit tonight while checking things out.

The SBD "SGS" sign for County N is definitely temporary. NBD, the control cities on the BGS for County N are indeed Whitewater and Edgerton.

At least for the time being, County N and Old Hwy 26 is a 4-way stop (it's kind of an awkward intersection to drive through at speed). No leftover reassurance signs indicating Hwy 26 on the old stretch, but Rock County has not yet switched out its street signs. No indication (as of yet) that it will be recast as a County highway, let alone what letter designation it would earn (a northerly extension of County Y would likely make the most sense).   

I drove it this afternoon.  I *really* had to work to keep my speed down.  Very smooth....and it was very busy.  Well done.