Wisconsin notes

[GeekJedi]

Wow.  Good find.

If the planned Waukesha bypass goes heads north to I-94 as that map indicates, I think it would be better to have US-18 routed along the I-94 to Bluemound Road.  At first glance, the Les Paul Parkway is longer.

Or even better, route US-18 north to I-94 and end it there.  Then come up with another number for Bluemound Road and  WI-164 south of I-94.  That gets rid of that dumb duplex with I-94.

I originally assumed that the I-94 routing was what they were going to do, until I saw that they were turning it back at Wolf Rd. That would put 18 onto the parkway. I think the reason they're doing that is the relative importance (and traffic volumes) of US-18 between I-94 and Wolf Rd.

I also think that past Wolf Rd., US-18 is mostly a local route so it probably makes more sense to route it over the parkway than I-94.

[GeekJedi]

I am unable to open the link, but am I correct in assuming then that the new Waukesha Bypass will bear Highway 18 then?

It looks like at least the proposed section from WI-59/CTH-X to the current intersection of CTH-TT and US-18 would, yes.

[DaBigE]

Additional highways will be moving to 70 mph: Madison.com story

In Dane County, the two stretches of roads getting new signs include nine miles of Highway 14 from the Beltline south to Highway 138 in Oregon and 22 miles of Highway 151 from Sun Prairie north to Columbus.

The other seven segments of Wisconsin highways going to 70 include:
-Highway 29 in Brown County, five miles from east of Highway VV to I-41.
-Highway 57 in Brown County, five miles from I-43 to Highway 54.
-Highway 12 in Walworth County, 18 miles from one mile southeast of the Highway 67 interchange to one mile northwest of Highway H.
-Highway 45 in Washington County, 13 miles from I-41 to the Highway D interchange.
-Highway 16 in Waukesha County, 14 miles from Highway P/Brown Street to I-94.
-Highway 53 in Chippewa and Barron counties, 53 miles from Highway 29 to 26th Avenue.
-Highway 29 in Chippewa County, 22 miles from Highway T in Chippewa Falls to Highway 27 in Cadott.

[Right on Red]

Wow, that was fast.

According to Facebook, the 70 MPH signs are up on 45 already to the West Bend Elevator (CTH D), and apparently also on US 12 near Lake Geneva.

I'm also surprised to see US 41 from Green Bay to Abrams not mentioned. Unless they just forgot.

Edit: Story from JSOnline.

[peterj920]

I just drove on US 41 north of Howard today.  Signs still say 65.  Would think that US 10 from I-41 to Fremont and US 45 from US 10 to I-41 would have been eligible as well to raise to 70.  Surprised that Wis 29 and Wis 57 would be raised on short stretches. 

[JREwing78]

I'm also surprised to see US 41 from Green Bay to Abrams not mentioned. Unless they just forgot.

Also conspicuous by its absence: the freeway stretch of US 51 north of Hwy 29.

[The Ghostbuster]

Back to STH 74 being decommissioned, I see old 74 from STH 190 to Sussex becoming an extension of CTH F, but what about the rest of 74 from Sussex to Interstate 41/US 41-45/STH 100? Does anyone know what that stretch's new designation will be? Probably another county highway.

[Big John]

Back to STH 74 being decommissioned, I see old 74 from STH 190 to Sussex becoming an extension of CTH F, but what about the rest of 74 from Sussex to Interstate 41/US 41-45/STH 100? Does anyone know what that stretch's new designation will be? Probably another county highway.

From Sephyroth's link, it will be CTH F to Menomonee Falls, then Main Street in Menomonee Falls will revert to a local street.

[triplemultiplex]

WI 74 wouldn't have been my first choice to eliminate if WisDOT is looking for mileage truncate.
Makes me wonder if they are forcing themselves to do that within the same region.

In my opinion, US 18 is unnecessary east of Dodgeville, so rerouting it in Waukesha is a big 'whatever'.  Nobody is going thru on US 18 anyway, so it doesn't matter what path it takes through town.

[FightingIrish]

I'm not really surprised about WIS 74 being decommissioned. It used to be a more important road that went all the way out to WIS 83. But since the extension and rerouting of 164, 74 seems to have lost its purpose. On a related note, I always wondered why WIS 100 was rerouted up 41/45 to Main St. rather than a concurrency to Brown Deer Rd. with WIS 145 along 124th St.

[triplemultiplex]

I'm not really surprised about WIS 74 being decommissioned. It used to be a more important road that went all the way out to WIS 83. But since the extension and rerouting of 164, 74 seems to have lost its purpose. On a related note, I always wondered why WIS 100 was rerouted up 41/45 to Main St. rather than a concurrency to Brown Deer Rd. with WIS 145 along 124th St.

WI 100 used to slide east on Good Hope and up 107th to Brown Deer.
Also, the interchange at 124th is relatively new.  There was no access there prior to ~2000.

[FightingIrish]

I read the Menomonee Falls report, and it does claim that the WIS 74 removal is related to the rerouting of US 18 along the Bypass/Les Paul Parkway,and onto CTY TT. For this to occur, state highway miles had to be taken from somewhere, and arrangements were made between WISDOT, Waukesha County and Menomonee Falls to take over the remaining WIS 74. CTY F now extends along the former 74 from WIS 190, through Sussex, and to the Menomonee Falls city limits, where it becomes a locally maintained street until the intersection with 41/45, where it continues east as 100.

Incidentally, it looks like CTY TT will be maintained by WISDOT between I-94 and US 18. Will this become some sort of unsigned spur route? Brief extension of WIS 16? Who knows?

WIS 74 is one of the earliest route designations in the state, going back 98 years to 1917. Since then, it has moved around quite a bit along the same section of road. It originally ran north along Lake Michigan starting Silver Spring and onto Brown Deer Rd. Later, that section became part of 32, and 74 extended farther west. It was eventually pushed farther west out of Milwaukee County and into Waukesha County. When 164 was extended, 74 became truncated there, and soon ran south to 190 when 164 was rerouted along CTY J. By this point, 74 had essentially become decommissioning fodder, as the route didn't really make much sense from a navigation standpoint. WIS 74 was the obvious sacrificial route.

[GeekJedi]

Incidentally, it looks like CTY TT will be maintained by WISDOT between I-94 and US 18. Will this become some sort of unsigned spur route? Brief extension of WIS 16? Who knows?

I'm guessing WI-16 won't work there - there is no direct connection between WI-16 EB and CTH-TT. In order to go from WI-16 EB to I-94 WB (to get to CTH-TT) you have to exit WI-16 at CTH-JJ and take that to I-94. They could sign CTH-TT as a 3 digit "X"18 state route like they did with WI-341 and WI-794. Or just leave it, like Layton Ave. between I-43 and WI-100.

[SEWIGuy]

WI 74 wouldn't have been my first choice to eliminate if WisDOT is looking for mileage truncate.
Makes me wonder if they are forcing themselves to do that within the same region.

In my opinion, US 18 is unnecessary east of Dodgeville, so rerouting it in Waukesha is a big 'whatever'.  Nobody is going thru on US 18 anyway, so it doesn't matter what path it takes through town.

US-18 is worthy of a state highway designation between Cambridge and Waukesha.  So that means either keeping it at US-18 or giving it a new number and changing all the signage.  Clearly the former is the easier choice for everyone.

[SEWIGuy]

I read the Menomonee Falls report, and it does claim that the WIS 74 removal is related to the rerouting of US 18 along the Bypass/Les Paul Parkway,and onto CTY TT. For this to occur, state highway miles had to be taken from somewhere, and arrangements were made between WISDOT, Waukesha County and Menomonee Falls to take over the remaining WIS 74. CTY F now extends along the former 74 from WIS 190, through Sussex, and to the Menomonee Falls city limits, where it becomes a locally maintained street until the intersection with 41/45, where it continues east as 100.

Incidentally, it looks like CTY TT will be maintained by WISDOT between I-94 and US 18. Will this become some sort of unsigned spur route? Brief extension of WIS 16? Who knows?

WIS 74 is one of the earliest route designations in the state, going back 98 years to 1917. Since then, it has moved around quite a bit along the same section of road. It originally ran north along Lake Michigan starting Silver Spring and onto Brown Deer Rd. Later, that section became part of 32, and 74 extended farther west. It was eventually pushed farther west out of Milwaukee County and into Waukesha County. When 164 was extended, 74 became truncated there, and soon ran south to 190 when 164 was rerouted along CTY J. By this point, 74 had essentially become decommissioning fodder, as the route didn't really make much sense from a navigation standpoint. WIS 74 was the obvious sacrificial route.

I'm assuming they are going to improve County TT (Merrill Hills Road) because right now I think it is substandard for a state highway.  Also do they own some ROW to get from County D (Sunset Drive) to the bypass?

[GeekJedi]

Looking at the map, it looks like they left open the option to route it over Sunset Dr. (CTH-D) to St. Paul Ave. (CTH-X) back to WI-59. So if they can't get the ROW, they'll go with that.

[SEWIGuy]

Looking at the map, it looks like they left open the option to route it over Sunset Dr. (CTH-D) to St. Paul Ave. (CTH-X) back to WI-59. So if they can't get the ROW, they'll go with that.

That is just so odd.  Why not run it north on TT to I-94 instead?

[GeekJedi]

The "ultimate" plan is to have a belt line bypass of Waukesha running from US-18 and Wolf Rd. all the way around the west and north sides to I-94. Mostly because a good part of the growth in that area will be along that corridor.

[mgk920]

Incidentally, it looks like CTY TT will be maintained by WISDOT between I-94 and US 18. Will this become some sort of unsigned spur route? Brief extension of WIS 16? Who knows?

This sounds almost like S. Oneida St between US 10/WI 441 and downtown Appleton, which to the best of my knowledge is an unnumbered state highway.  At one point, its entire routing was either US 10 or US 41, with US 10 being rerouted off of it not long after the WI 441 freeway was completed during the early 1990s.  US 41 left the northern part of it during the late 1920s.  The present Oneida St Fox River bridge was opened in late 1980.

Mike

[FightingIrish]

What made me think of the spur thing was that weird little half mile stretch of Howard Avenue in St. Francis between 794 and 32. On the books, it's an unmarked spur of 794. WISDOT maintains it.

[merrycilantro]

I just drove Wis 16 last night from Oconomowoc over to I-94 East (to Milwaukee). Makes me wonder, what was the original intention of Wis 16...uh...Freeway? Expressway? whatever it is...I know about the Freeway History of Milwaukee's past, and how there was to be a Bay Freeway basically on Capitol Drive (Wis 190) going out that way, but I was just curious to know about why Wis 16 was upgraded and built the way it was from I-94 to Oconomowoc, if anybody has some info

[GeekJedi]

The traffic counts certainly support it.

[peterj920]

Incidentally, it looks like CTY TT will be maintained by WISDOT between I-94 and US 18. Will this become some sort of unsigned spur route? Brief extension of WIS 16? Who knows?

This sounds almost like S. Oneida St between US 10/WI 441 and downtown Appleton, which to the best of my knowledge is an unnumbered state highway.  At one point, its entire routing was either US 10 or US 41, with US 10 being rerouted off of it not long after the WI 441 freeway was completed during the early 1990s.  US 41 left the northern part of it during the late 1920s.  The present Oneida St Fox River bridge was opened in late 1980.

Mike

According to the State Trunk Highway map, S Oneida St was removed as a state highway.  The Skyline Bridge may be owned by WISDOT, as many large bridges are that aren't a part of the state highway system, such as the Sturgeon Bay Bridges and the Water St Bridge in Eau Claire that is under construction. 

[The Ghostbuster]

I really don't like the idea of taking away some mileage of a state highway in order to extend another state highway. What is the reasoning behind this?

[SEWIGuy]

The "ultimate" plan is to have a belt line bypass of Waukesha running from US-18 and Wolf Rd. all the way around the west and north sides to I-94. Mostly because a good part of the growth in that area will be along that corridor.

Well I understand that to a point.  They should have done it years ago