Wisconsin notes

[JREwing78]

In a rare moment of clarity, the Republican legislature actually acknowledges raising gas taxes is necessary. But they're just as sketchy as Walker about implementing it, trying to tie it to tax reductions elsewhere. C'mon!

[Milwaukee, WY]

Yesterday near my house in Metro Appleton, I saw an AAB-5555 (number modified to protect the dude's privacy).

Your new(ly acquired) car?



I saw a car with 'AAE-4202' in the wild here in Appleton yesterday.

Up to 'AAH-16##' in the Madison area. I've seen at least 3 others appear around our apartments over the past couple weeks.

With all due respect, do we really need anymore of these reports?  The new license plates are out and people will start to see them.

That's the beauty of a catch-all thread. If something doesn't interest you, you can scroll past it. I don't have a particular interest in discussing state highway bypasses in some far-afield upstate town. But I recognize that others might want to talk about that, so I don't come in here and ask them to stop.


iPhone

[tribar]

Yesterday near my house in Metro Appleton, I saw an AAB-5555 (number modified to protect the dude's privacy).

Your new(ly acquired) car?



I saw a car with 'AAE-4202' in the wild here in Appleton yesterday.

Up to 'AAH-16##' in the Madison area. I've seen at least 3 others appear around our apartments over the past couple weeks.

With all due respect, do we really need anymore of these reports?  The new license plates are out and people will start to see them.

That's the beauty of a catch-all thread. If something doesn't interest you, you can scroll past it. I don't have a particular interest in discussing state highway bypasses in some far-afield upstate town. But I recognize that others might want to talk about that, so I don't come in here and ask them to stop.


iPhone

What more is there to discuss though? The new plates are out. I don't see the purpose of continuing to post random driver's license plates here.

[dvferyance]

In a rare moment of clarity, the Republican legislature actually acknowledges raising gas taxes is necessary. But they're just as sketchy as Walker about implementing it, trying to tie it to tax reductions elsewhere. C'mon!

I would be open to a a slight increase in the gas tax only if ethanol was done away with to help relief elsewhere. However I would like to know where the money is going to be spent on directly.

[DaBigE]

Yesterday near my house in Metro Appleton, I saw an AAB-5555 (number modified to protect the dude's privacy).

Your new(ly acquired) car?



I saw a car with 'AAE-4202' in the wild here in Appleton yesterday.

Up to 'AAH-16##' in the Madison area. I've seen at least 3 others appear around our apartments over the past couple weeks.

With all due respect, do we really need anymore of these reports?  The new license plates are out and people will start to see them.

That's the beauty of a catch-all thread. If something doesn't interest you, you can scroll past it. I don't have a particular interest in discussing state highway bypasses in some far-afield upstate town. But I recognize that others might want to talk about that, so I don't come in here and ask them to stop.


iPhone

What more is there to discuss though? The new plates are out. I don't see the purpose of continuing to post random driver's license plates here.

The only reason I posed something more was because I thought it was interesting how rapidly the series and sightings of tags were progressing for only having been out for a little over a month (then again, I never really followed tag numbers much until a change like this came along). While I can understand SEWIGuy (and others) being tired of the topic, it's not much different than being tired of discussing pointless sign replacement projects or the ever-changing political favor of roundabouts. Unless it's your thread or your forum, just scroll on.

[SEWIGuy]

Yesterday near my house in Metro Appleton, I saw an AAB-5555 (number modified to protect the dude's privacy).

Your new(ly acquired) car?



I saw a car with 'AAE-4202' in the wild here in Appleton yesterday.

Up to 'AAH-16##' in the Madison area. I've seen at least 3 others appear around our apartments over the past couple weeks.

With all due respect, do we really need anymore of these reports?  The new license plates are out and people will start to see them.

That's the beauty of a catch-all thread. If something doesn't interest you, you can scroll past it. I don't have a particular interest in discussing state highway bypasses in some far-afield upstate town. But I recognize that others might want to talk about that, so I don't come in here and ask them to stop.


iPhone

What more is there to discuss though? The new plates are out. I don't see the purpose of continuing to post random driver's license plates here.

The only reason I posed something more was because I thought it was interesting how rapidly the series and sightings of tags were progressing for only having been out for a little over a month (then again, I never really followed tag numbers much until a change like this came along). While I can understand SEWIGuy (and others) being tired of the topic, it's not much different than being tired of discussing pointless sign replacement projects or the ever-changing political favor of roundabouts. Unless it's your thread or your forum, just scroll on.

Because license plates aren't roads.  They really aren't even on-topic.

[ixnay]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

[SEWIGuy]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

No it is closed until November.  Reconstruction.

[dvferyance]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

No it is closed until November.  Reconstruction.

Because they are doing a roundabout a the intersection of 175 and Lannon Rd. Everytime they do a roundabout the road has to be shut down.

[DaBigE]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

No it is closed until November.  Reconstruction.

Because they are doing a roundabout a the intersection of 175 and Lannon Rd. Everytime they do a roundabout the road has to be shut down.

Wis 60 at Cty P (Dodge Co) wasn't...Wis 60 at Cty G (Washington Co) wasn't...

However, when they are shut down, it does take months off the construction duration.

[GeekJedi]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

No it is closed until November.  Reconstruction.

Because they are doing a roundabout a the intersection of 175 and Lannon Rd. Everytime they do a roundabout the road has to be shut down.

STH 83 and 59 wasn't. STH 83 and CTH DE wasn't. STH 83 and US 18 wasn't.

[SEWIGuy]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

No it is closed until November.  Reconstruction.

Because they are doing a roundabout a the intersection of 175 and Lannon Rd. Everytime they do a roundabout the road has to be shut down.

That may be one thing they are doing.  It's not the only thing.

[ixnay]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

No it is closed until November.  Reconstruction.

Because they are doing a roundabout a the intersection of 175 and Lannon Rd. Everytime they do a roundabout the road has to be shut down.

That may be one thing they are doing.  It's not the only thing.

Well, judging from Google maps and http://www.usopen.com/fan-info.html#!1 , the closures on WI 175 don't seem to have much effect on access to the red and blue lots where fans can park and board shuttles to Erin Hills.  The blue lot (south) is near I-94's WI 67 exit, and the red lot (northeast) is at the Washington County fairgrounds.

ixnay

[ixnay]

Parts of WI 175 are closed in Richfield right now per Google Maps.  Does this pertain to the U.S. Open beginning today at nearby Erin Hills?

ixnay

No it is closed until November.  Reconstruction.

From the dirt up?  I imagine Wisconsin roads have a rather thick base (but surely no treble [apologies to Meghan Trainor]). 

ixnay

[tribar]

With I-41 following the same route, why is there still a need for I-894?

[SEWIGuy]

With I-41 following the same route, why is there still a need for I-894?

There hasn't been a need since I-43 was duplexed over the e/w portion. 

However it is still signed as a bypass of I-94.  That's the only value it has.

[SSOWorld]

Update on the US 151 BGS replacements - Various Exit BGSs have been replaced further northeast to Dodgeville.  Updated so far:

* Exit 1 (WIS 11) - none
* Exit 2 and 3 (Badger Rd/Eagle Pt Rd) - none
* Exit 5 (CTH HHH/H) - Swapped H and HHH - which one had the TO banner was previously the opposite from the one the ramp junctioned with.  The swapped corrected the problem.
* Exit 8 (US61/WIS35/CTH HH) - NB removed Lancaster as a control city leaving only Dickeyville. Neither SB signthe ramp sign is now replaced. nor the SB and NB advance signs were not yet replaced. (NOTE: Great River Road is still shown on SB signs - this would ideally removed and paired with the "Scenic Byway" shields on unisigns to match northbound and Exit 1's updates from 2015.)
* Exit 19 (CTH D/Bus 151 Platteville) - Signs were replaced with CTH D being featured route and US 151 shield now a wide one.  (BR 151 is still shown NB only).
* Exit 18 (WIS 80/81) - Control City updates: SB removed Lancaster and replaced with Cuba City, NB removed Darlington and replaced with Cuba City - still have PLatteville (obviously).
* Exit 21 (CTH XX/Bus 151 Platteville) - Signs were replaced with CTH XX being featured route and US 151 shield now a wide one.   (BR 151 is still shown SB only). Contractors did not replace the sign prior to the SB ramp yet.
* Exit 26 (WIS 126/CTH G) - Rewey added as secondary CC SB (already was such NB).   Contractors did not replace the sign prior to the SB ramp yet.Now replaced.  WIS 126 is now a wide shield on replaced signs.
* Exit 37 (CTH O/Bus 151 Mineral Point) -  Signs were replaced with CTH O being featured route and US 151 shield now a wide one.  (BR 151 is still shown NB only). Contractors did not replace the SB signs.Now replaced.
* Exit 40 (WIS 23/WIS 39/Bus 151 Mineral Point) -  Signs were replaced with WIS 23/WIS 39 being featured routes and US 151 shield now a wide one.  Darlington (SB) and Hollandale (NB) were replaced with Linden (a town on WIS 39 west of MP)  (BR 151 is still shown SB only). Contractors did not replace the NB 1 Mile Advance sign yet Now replaced.
** Pandervais Historic Site was returned to a brown sign from a blue one (as a "logo") in both directions - "Historic Downtown Mineral Point" was added SB only.  SWAG says the NB side might be at exit 37(For the layman - SWAG == Scientific wild-ass guess ) Exit 40 has Darlington and Hollandale as cities noted on a separate sign in both directions which was Linden's condition previously.
* Exit 44 (WIS 23) - No apparent replacements yet.  Speculations (based on Exit 47 below) point to Spring Green (NB secondary) being removed and The House on the Rock (before project on green BG co-signed with brown BG Governor Dodge State Park) - now being on a brown background.  Signs on the SB overhead bridge have not been touched yet. Signage replaced - the exit sign drops Spring Green.  Wide shield is present on the through route sign
* Exit 47 (US 18 West) - Prairie du Chein was removed from advanced sign going WB.  A second advance sign at "1/8 mile" was pulled completely.  The treatment for HOTR took place here (as noted in Exit 44).  Signs on the SB overhead bridge have not been touched yet. Signage replaced - the through route sign previously only had one arrow and directed both Platteville and Dubuque.  The new one has both down arrows (no APL here ) and Platteville was dropped.  Wide shield is present
So far this is the extent of the work - some other notes:
* Exit overview signs (Platteville, Mineral Point) were replaced with order of route ID and wide US 151 shields in both directions
* Blue Ad signs were all replaced or in progress of being replaced in affected areas.
All of the signs are narrower - leaving very little space on each side of the widest line.  The signs are also way cleaner than their predecessors which were put together quite sloppy.

Also add signs around Verona:
* Exit 70 (CTH PD/P) No wording changes, just new signs.
* Exit 75 (CTH G)No wording changes, just new signs
* Exit 76 (Bus 18/151 Verona Ave/Epic Lane) CTH MV was removed (seems the route was removed - being redundant).  The WB Sign does omit the BRs  Ironically the 151 shield is still a 2d.
* Exits 77 (US 69 Verona/Monroe) and 79 (CTH PB/M) no wording changes, just new signs
* Exit 81 (Bus 18/151 Verona Ave) Previously had Verona (the city) as its control, now has the street - 151 is a wide shield.

No signs touched between Dodgeville and CTH PD yet.

[Big John]

A TV clip showing Wisconsin 7-digit plates being produced.  It is showing ABB-xxxx plates being made. http://www.wbay.com/video?vid=429281263

[DaBigE]

Update on the US 151 BGS replacements - Various Exit BGSs have been replaced further northeast to Dodgeville.  Updated so far:

* Exit 1 (WIS 11) - none
* Exit 2 and 3 (Badger Rd/Eagle Pt Rd) - none
* Exit 5 (CTH HHH/H) - Swapped H and HHH - which one had the TO banner was previously the opposite from the one the ramp junctioned with.  The swapped corrected the problem.
* Exit 8 (US61/WIS35/CTH HH) - NB removed Lancaster as a control city leaving only Dickeyville. Neither SB signthe ramp sign is now replaced. nor the SB and NB advance signs were not yet replaced. (NOTE: Great River Road is still shown on SB signs - this would ideally removed and paired with the "Scenic Byway" shields on unisigns to match northbound and Exit 1's updates from 2015.)
* Exit 19 (CTH D/Bus 151 Platteville) - Signs were replaced with CTH D being featured route and US 151 shield now a wide one.  (BR 151 is still shown NB only).
* Exit 18 (WIS 80/81) - Control City updates: SB removed Lancaster and replaced with Cuba City, NB removed Darlington and replaced with Cuba City - still have PLatteville (obviously).
* Exit 21 (CTH XX/Bus 151 Platteville) - Signs were replaced with CTH XX being featured route and US 151 shield now a wide one.   (BR 151 is still shown SB only). Contractors did not replace the sign prior to the SB ramp yet.
* Exit 26 (WIS 126/CTH G) - Rewey added as secondary CC SB (already was such NB).   Contractors did not replace the sign prior to the SB ramp yet.Now replaced.  WIS 126 is now a wide shield on replaced signs.
* Exit 37 (CTH O/Bus 151 Mineral Point) -  Signs were replaced with CTH O being featured route and US 151 shield now a wide one.  (BR 151 is still shown NB only). Contractors did not replace the SB signs.Now replaced.
* Exit 40 (WIS 23/WIS 39/Bus 151 Mineral Point) -  Signs were replaced with WIS 23/WIS 39 being featured routes and US 151 shield now a wide one.  Darlington (SB) and Hollandale (NB) were replaced with Linden (a town on WIS 39 west of MP)  (BR 151 is still shown SB only). Contractors did not replace the NB 1 Mile Advance sign yet Now replaced.
** Pandervais Historic Site was returned to a brown sign from a blue one (as a "logo") in both directions - "Historic Downtown Mineral Point" was added SB only.  SWAG says the NB side might be at exit 37(For the layman - SWAG == Scientific wild-ass guess ) Exit 40 has Darlington and Hollandale as cities noted on a separate sign in both directions which was Linden's condition previously.
* Exit 44 (WIS 23) - No apparent replacements yet.  Speculations (based on Exit 47 below) point to Spring Green (NB secondary) being removed and The House on the Rock (before project on green BG co-signed with brown BG Governor Dodge State Park) - now being on a brown background.  Signs on the SB overhead bridge have not been touched yet. Signage replaced - the exit sign drops Spring Green.  Wide shield is present on the through route sign
* Exit 47 (US 18 West) - Prairie du Chein was removed from advanced sign going WB.  A second advance sign at "1/8 mile" was pulled completely.  The treatment for HOTR took place here (as noted in Exit 44).  Signs on the SB overhead bridge have not been touched yet. Signage replaced - the through route sign previously only had one arrow and directed both Platteville and Dubuque.  The new one has both down arrows (no APL here ) and Platteville was dropped.  Wide shield is present
So far this is the extent of the work - some other notes:
* Exit overview signs (Platteville, Mineral Point) were replaced with order of route ID and wide US 151 shields in both directions
* Blue Ad signs were all replaced or in progress of being replaced in affected areas.
All of the signs are narrower - leaving very little space on each side of the widest line.  The signs are also way cleaner than their predecessors which were put together quite sloppy.

Also add signs around Verona:
* Exit 70 (CTH PD/P) No wording changes, just new signs.
* Exit 75 (CTH G)No wording changes, just new signs
* Exit 76 (Bus 18/151 Verona Ave/Epic Lane) CTH MV was removed (seems the route was removed - being redundant).  The WB Sign does omit the BRs  Ironically the 151 shield is still a 2d.
* Exits 77 (US 69 Verona/Monroe) and 79 (CTH PB/M) no wording changes, just new signs
* Exit 81 (Bus 18/151 Verona Ave) Previously had Verona (the city) as its control, now has the street - 151 is a wide shield.

No signs touched between Dodgeville and CTH PD yet.

A few weeks ago, the 151 BGSs from the interstate to the Reiner Rd/Grand Ave interchange were replaced as well. The biggest change I noticed were some arrows being moved on a few of the overheads and the borders being added to the 'Exit Only' tabs. I imagine more will be replaced to the north as work progresses on 151 through the city of Sun Prairie.

[triplemultiplex]

* Exit 76 (Bus 18/151 Verona Ave/Epic Lane) CTH MV was removed (seems the route was removed - being redundant).  The WB Sign does omit the BRs

CTH MV was retired years ago (close to 10?). Was it still on that BGS before the replacement?  I can't recall.
It's standard for WisDOT to only sign business routes for interchanges as one approaches a city. I guess their logic is that way, drivers only see one exit for a business route in a given community.  Doesn't seem to cause confusion in other states, though.

[JREwing78]

I ran up to da U.P. this past weekend, eh! Some thoughts:

- Traffic definitely isn't lighter following the I-41/US-41 widening and reconstruction work. It was heavy from the US-141 split at Abrams all the way down to Oshkosh, with only the 8-lane sections through Green Bay opening up traffic flow significantly. The 4-lane section around Appleton and north to Green Bay is definitely a candidate for 6-laning in the next 10 years. I would also not be surprised to see a 6-laning north to Abrams in the next 20 years. Yeah, it was that busy.

- About 20 years out would be a good estimate for extending the 4-lane US-141 north past Wausaukee. The passing lanes are doing their job to manage the traffic load, but the same safety factors that lead to 4-laning US-141 south of Hwy 64 are coming into play north of it now. It calms down enough north of Wausaukee that 2-lanes will suffice a while longer.

- If people are avoiding Hwy 26 near Rosendale because WisDOT changed the signs, I see absolutely no evidence of it. Some out-of-town folks may opt to follow the freeway/expressway route, but GPS and locals know they still save time following Hwy 26, particularly if the 4-lane I-41/US-41 clogs up. They also clearly knew about the Rosendale traffic enforcement.

- Hwy 26 south of Hwy 16 down to Janesville was also quite heavy. I'd be pretty surprised if the rural sections aren't hitting 15,000 vpd now - I'd peg it at about 20,000 or so. The traffic growth over even a year or two ago is quite dramatic, both in cars and in heavy truck traffic. Some of WisDOT's 4-laning projects may seem overkill, but this one clearly wasn't.

[JMAN_WiS&S]

A quick note on Wisconsin's new-format license plates.

I've seen a small handful of new-format plates 'in the wild' here in the Appleton area over the past few days. They have all been 'AAB-xxxx', with the highest being 'AAB-6467'.

Did WisDOT decide to skip the 'AAA-xxxx' block?

Mike

No they didn't. I saw an AAA-xxxx plate here in Milwaukee. Perhaps the batch they sent to the DMV in Appleton were the AAB-xxxx block.

I've spotted a couple AAB-XXXX series plates in the Eau Claire area in the past few weeks.

The Eau Claire area must have gotten the AAA-XXXX batch, as the plates I got for my (new to me) car last week are AAA-XXXX. Also, nice to see another person from the area on here. Howdy!

[SSOWorld]

* Exit 76 (Bus 18/151 Verona Ave/Epic Lane) CTH MV was removed (seems the route was removed - being redundant).  The WB Sign does omit the BRs

CTH MV was retired years ago (close to 10?). Was it still on that BGS before the replacement?  I can't recall.
It's standard for WisDOT to only sign business routes for interchanges as one approaches a city. I guess their logic is that way, drivers only see one exit for a business route in a given community.  Doesn't seem to cause confusion in other states, though.

both Point and Wausau have business routes signed in both directions - but both routes are the only state maintained business routes.

[SEWIGuy]

I ran up to da U.P. this past weekend, eh! Some thoughts:

- Traffic definitely isn't lighter following the I-41/US-41 widening and reconstruction work. It was heavy from the US-141 split at Abrams all the way down to Oshkosh, with only the 8-lane sections through Green Bay opening up traffic flow significantly. The 4-lane section around Appleton and north to Green Bay is definitely a candidate for 6-laning in the next 10 years. I would also not be surprised to see a 6-laning north to Abrams in the next 20 years. Yeah, it was that busy.

- About 20 years out would be a good estimate for extending the 4-lane US-141 north past Wausaukee. The passing lanes are doing their job to manage the traffic load, but the same safety factors that lead to 4-laning US-141 south of Hwy 64 are coming into play north of it now. It calms down enough north of Wausaukee that 2-lanes will suffice a while longer.

- If people are avoiding Hwy 26 near Rosendale because WisDOT changed the signs, I see absolutely no evidence of it. Some out-of-town folks may opt to follow the freeway/expressway route, but GPS and locals know they still save time following Hwy 26, particularly if the 4-lane I-41/US-41 clogs up. They also clearly knew about the Rosendale traffic enforcement.

- Hwy 26 south of Hwy 16 down to Janesville was also quite heavy. I'd be pretty surprised if the rural sections aren't hitting 15,000 vpd now - I'd peg it at about 20,000 or so. The traffic growth over even a year or two ago is quite dramatic, both in cars and in heavy truck traffic. Some of WisDOT's 4-laning projects may seem overkill, but this one clearly wasn't.

The only way WIDOT keeps traffic out of Rosendale is to close a portion of the highway.  (Which won't happen obviously.)

And yeah I have noticed increases in traffic at times on WI-26.  But summer weekends shouldn't be the sole judge of that.  There are still times between Jefferson and Milton where I can be the only car I see going my direction. 

[20160805]

Unrelated, but last week I was driving around near the east side of Appleton, and along Kensington Drive between College Ave (County CE?) and Newberry St, I noticed two buildings with the following addresses: N629 and N710 Kensington Drive (at least one was a house).  This is weird because I thought that whole area (being that it's inside of WI 441 after all) was part of the City of Appleton and thus should get Appleton-style addresses as opposed to on the county's rural system.

So is this area part of the COA, and if not, why doesn't the COA just annex them?

And on a related note, if County CE supposedly begins at the John St/Walter Ave roundabout, why are there no signs in either direction until the WI 441 interchange?