Wisconsin notes

[JREwing78]

State's first diverging diamond interchange opens in Rock County

http://www.channel3000.com/news/states-first-diverging-diamond-interchange-opens-in-rock-county/42235042

Sort of. Only one lane of traffic in each direction, and there's a ton of landscaping and signal work needed yet. But traffic is using the new pattern.

My co-worker HATES it; she doesn't like the layout or being stuck at the lights, and she has to drive it every day. But it works well enough.

[The Ghostbuster]

I'd like to see a diverging diamond interchange here in Madison. Stoughton Road (US 51) may have two of them in the future; at US 12/18 (the Beltline), and at State Highway 30.

[hobsini2]

A DDI at Wis 11 Avalon Rd??? Maybe that might signal sometime in the near future a reroute of Wis 11 east of I-39/90 along it?

[SSOWorld]

A DDI at Wis 11 Avalon Rd??? Maybe that might signal sometime in the near future a reroute of Wis 11 east of I-39/90 along it?

Would that be the case, roundabouts would have been more appropriate.

[hobsini2]

A DDI at Wis 11 Avalon Rd??? Maybe that might signal sometime in the near future a reroute of Wis 11 east of I-39/90 along it?

Would that be the case, roundabouts would have been more appropriate.

Not necessarily. They are doing a DDI at Wis 26 that has much more traffic. I think they might be thinking of the Janesville south bypass with Avalon Rd as being a major enough bypass to use a DDI instead of a roundabout.

[20160805]

I drove down US (I)-41 today, and each direction I too noticed "US 45 AHEAD" BGSes in Fond du Lac, WI.  I'm guessing based on the presence of these signs, and the reassurance markers for US 45 along the route, that the rerouting mentioned above has indeed taken place.

Does anybody know specifically what the new route is?

[peterj920]

I drove down US (I)-41 today, and each direction I too noticed "US 45 AHEAD" BGSes in Fond du Lac, WI.  I'm guessing based on the presence of these signs, and the reassurance markers for US 45 along the route, that the rerouting mentioned above has indeed taken place.

Does anybody know specifically what the new route is?

It's the new frontage road along US 151 to US 151, I-41 and Wis 23 back to Main St.  The reassurance signs are posted along Wis 23 as well as I-41.

[20160805]

I drove down US (I)-41 today, and each direction I too noticed "US 45 AHEAD" BGSes in Fond du Lac, WI.  I'm guessing based on the presence of these signs, and the reassurance markers for US 45 along the route, that the rerouting mentioned above has indeed taken place.

Does anybody know specifically what the new route is?

It's the new frontage road along US 151 to US 151, I-41 and Wis 23 back to Main St.  The reassurance signs are posted along Wis 23 as well as I-41.

Interesting.  Does this mean that the section along US 151 is now home to a wrong-way concurrency?

Either way, it's nice to see another US Highway routed off a whole bunch of city streets.  The old alignment didn't even make sense to me anyway because it followed a road with only 1,600 cars on it per day and had to yield to Park Avenue (a local street).

(EDIT to add: Google Maps hasn't updated their map yet.  )

[peterj920]

Last I checked it didn't officially take affect yet.  The US 45 signs at the US 151 ramps were covered up and there weren't any signs posted on Main St telling US 45 to turn onto Wis 23.  US 45 is also signed well along its original alignment. 

[SEWIGuy]

I drove down US (I)-41 today, and each direction I too noticed "US 45 AHEAD" BGSes in Fond du Lac, WI.  I'm guessing based on the presence of these signs, and the reassurance markers for US 45 along the route, that the rerouting mentioned above has indeed taken place.

Does anybody know specifically what the new route is?

It's the new frontage road along US 151 to US 151, I-41 and Wis 23 back to Main St.  The reassurance signs are posted along Wis 23 as well as I-41.

Interesting.  Does this mean that the section along US 151 is now home to a wrong-way concurrency?

Either way, it's nice to see another US Highway routed off a whole bunch of city streets.  The old alignment didn't even make sense to me anyway because it followed a road with only 1,600 cars on it per day and had to yield to Park Avenue (a local street).

(EDIT to add: Google Maps hasn't updated their map yet.  )

Yes it will be a wrong way concurrency. 

I will say it again, but they should extend the US-45 route along I-41 all the way up to Oshkosh.  Extend WI-76 south from Oshkosh to FdL ending at WI-23.   

[hobsini2]

I drove down US (I)-41 today, and each direction I too noticed "US 45 AHEAD" BGSes in Fond du Lac, WI.  I'm guessing based on the presence of these signs, and the reassurance markers for US 45 along the route, that the rerouting mentioned above has indeed taken place.

Does anybody know specifically what the new route is?

It's the new frontage road along US 151 to US 151, I-41 and Wis 23 back to Main St.  The reassurance signs are posted along Wis 23 as well as I-41.

Interesting.  Does this mean that the section along US 151 is now home to a wrong-way concurrency?

Either way, it's nice to see another US Highway routed off a whole bunch of city streets.  The old alignment didn't even make sense to me anyway because it followed a road with only 1,600 cars on it per day and had to yield to Park Avenue (a local street).

(EDIT to add: Google Maps hasn't updated their map yet.  )

Yes it will be a wrong way concurrency. 

I will say it again, but they should extend the US-45 route along I-41 all the way up to Oshkosh.  Extend WI-76 south from Oshkosh to FdL ending at WI-23.   

That would make a lot of sense. And would work except that you would be missing the US 45 stretch on Algoma Blvd between 41 and 21. I think i would just have the old route be something like Wis 245 or a 3di number that is unsigned.

[JREwing78]

A DDI at Wis 11 Avalon Rd??? Maybe that might signal sometime in the near future a reroute of Wis 11 east of I-39/90 along it?

It certainly wouldn't preclude one. The official line is the heavy amount of left turning (truck) traffic (NBD I-39/90 to WBD Hwy 11, EBD Hwy 11 to NBD I-39/90)  made this interchange style the most advantageous option. The area Hwy 11 traverses is a fairly large industrial area.

You could make similar arguments for one at the Racine St. exit. I don't have a great explanation for why one got roundabouts over the other.

[hobsini2]

A DDI at Wis 11 Avalon Rd??? Maybe that might signal sometime in the near future a reroute of Wis 11 east of I-39/90 along it?

It certainly wouldn't preclude one. The official line is the heavy amount of left turning (truck) traffic (NBD I-39/90 to WBD Hwy 11, EBD Hwy 11 to NBD I-39/90)  made this interchange style the most advantageous option. The area Hwy 11 traverses is a fairly large industrial area.

You could make similar arguments for one at the Racine St. exit. I don't have a great explanation for why one got roundabouts over the other.

Yeah I don't get why they changed that interchange to a bunch of roundabouts considering the truck traffic that would utilize Wis 11 going east.

[JREwing78]

There have been a few posts recently on the Historic Madison group considering various road construction activities, including construction of the Beltline Highway, Hwy 30, and more.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/159700503902/?ref=nf_target&fref=nf

[JREwing78]

I took a drive yesterday. Highlights:

- WisDOT is furiously working to complete paving work from Janesville to Beloit to allow both directions of travel in the SBD carriageway. Detail work is progressing on the Avalon Rd interchange.

- I-39/90 at Hwy 59 in Newville is progressing. The NBD bridge over Lake Koshkonong is partially complete; WisDOT is working to complete paving work just north of the bridge to allow all NBD traffic to shift over to the bridge; currently only NBD traffic exiting for Hwy 59 is using the bridge. It appears most of the paving work for the roundabouts is done, but it's still an obstacle course, particuarly at night with no lighting.

- I drove through Prairie Du Chein and observed the US 18 work. They're actively trying to complete the EBD side before winter strikes; the WBD side is carrying both directions of traffic at the moment. It feels tight for what's advertised as a 4-lane facility; I thought at first it was to be a 2-lane facility with a median, which struck me as odd for the level of traffic in this location. Possible they haven't paved the outside shoulders yet.

- Nice work on the I-90 bridge connecting Wisconsin to Minnesota. I-90 work east of the bridge appears to be 95% complete, with minor detail work remaining before all 4 (6?) lanes can be opened up.

- NOT Wisconsin-related, but US-14/61 is an interesting drive north to Winona. Pleasantly high-speed, nice 4-lane. But sections have a narrow median with just a short curb separating traffic; these parts are crying for Jersey barrier or at least heavy guardrail. Also moderately surprising are the stoplights through Winona; it's a large enough town that interchanges would be more appropriate.

- I observed a ton of progress on the US-12 Baraboo bypass; it appears to be mostly complete aside from paving shoulders and detail work up until it meets the current 4-lane stretch south of Baraboo. If good weather holds, they could open up at least one lane of traffic in each direction where the existing road and bypass meet; opening all lanes in both directions seems optimistic unless the good weather continues.

[triplemultiplex]

- I observed a ton of progress on the US-12 Baraboo bypass; it appears to be mostly complete aside from paving shoulders and detail work up until it meets the current 4-lane stretch south of Baraboo. If good weather holds, they could open up at least one lane of traffic in each direction where the existing road and bypass meet; opening all lanes in both directions seems optimistic unless the good weather continues.

I doubt very much they would try and open it before the winter.  There is no paving yet on the ramps for the two new interchanges.  But I would expect the bypass to open next year well ahead of the four lane expansion south of town.  Earthwork has only just begun through the Baraboo Hills. 

They have some cool decorations on some of the overpasses.

(looking north at the Gasser Road overpass)
The same motif adorns the bridges over WI 136.  I didn't check out CTH W to look for it there.

Not sure if we covered this already, but with the demise of WI 123, surely WI 159 has little time remaining.  Once the US 12 bypass opens, it will connect to no state highways if left alone.  It has to be on the chopping block.

[colinstu]

Late Sept 2016 brought some minor sign improvements to I-94. Old on left, new on right.

[The Ghostbuster]

In Baraboo, WIS 159 will become an extension of WIS 136 once the US 12 bypass is completed in 2017.

[pianocello]

Late Sept 2016 brought some minor sign improvements to I-94. Old on left, new on right.

(image snipped)

What's the deal with the exit being numbered 293C? Is it to account for a parclo/cloverleaf upgrade to the interchange to the west?

[colinstu]

What's the deal with the exit being numbered 293C? Is it to account for a parclo/cloverleaf upgrade to the interchange to the west?

Historically (prior to ~2000 when this interchange was reconstructed) there were 293A and B ramps, yes, a parclo.

[GeekJedi]

What's the deal with the exit being numbered 293C? Is it to account for a parclo/cloverleaf upgrade to the interchange to the west?

Historically (prior to ~2000 when this interchange was reconstructed) there were 293A and B ramps, yes, a parclo.

Even crazier was that it was "A-B" prior to that, when then US-16 had a ramp to WB 94, and the loop ramp was the exit for CTH-T North and South, though even earlier than that, Grandview ended at 94.

[triplemultiplex]

In Baraboo, WIS 159 will become an extension of WIS 136 once the US 12 bypass is completed in 2017.

Really?  That's stupid.  They should make it part of that CTH BD which is replacing and has replaced the old alignment of US 12.

[The Ghostbuster]

That would make sense, triplemultiplex, but it appears that's not the route WisDOT is taking in the area.

[JREwing78]

In Baraboo, WIS 159 will become an extension of WIS 136 once the US 12 bypass is completed in 2017.

Really?  That's stupid.  They should make it part of that CTH BD which is replacing and has replaced the old alignment of US 12.

If they extend it out to Hwy 113 SE of Baraboo, it's not totally worthless. If it dead-ends at Devil's Lake State Park as currently configured, I agree with your assessment that it's stupid.

[The Ghostbuster]

If WISDOT wanted to extend WIS 159 to WIS 113, I think they would have done so decades ago.