Wisconsin notes

[DaBigE]

The solution is obvious: just put me in charge of the numbering and I'll do what I think is best for a useful system of numbered highways (working as much as I can with an existing system) and everyone just accept my decisions without whining.

I've heard the gov-elect still has a Transportation Secretary opening...

[MantyMadTown]

There is traffic that transits the Madison area between US 151 to the northeast and US 151 to the southwest and it is difficult to describe the 'best' routing (the interstate and the Beltline) to some of those drivers, who are unfamiliar with the area.  This is very similar to what the situation WRT US 41 through Milwaukee County was for travelers between Chicagoland and the Fox Valley (Appleton, Oshkosh, etc) before I-41 was marked.  For that reason, I would reroute US 151 to follow that all-freeway routing and give the current through town route a new number.

As for US 141, I'd decommission it south of the Abrams interchange (US 41 split north of metro Green Bay).

Mike

And while we're at it, decommission highway 29's routing along US 141 and give the section east of Green Bay a new number! I honestly think the routing of US 141 in Green Bay should become a state highway and WIS 29 should end at Monroe Ave.

I would end WI 29 at the I-41 Shawano Interchange, including a slight reroute of WI 29 there, turning the street over to the City of Green Bay and Village of Howard.  Interesting in that the freeway itself at that interchange is *not* WI 29, rather it is only WI 32.  Right now, WI 29 hops off of that freeway at Packerland Dr.

Mike

Does that mean highway 32 should be rerouted along Shawano Ave instead of Mason St and I-41?

[Big John]

^^ Where would it reconnect to?  Green Bay doen't want to allow trucks on Ashland Ave. north of W. Mason St.

[SEWIGuy]

There is traffic that transits the Madison area between US 151 to the northeast and US 151 to the southwest and it is difficult to describe the 'best' routing (the interstate and the Beltline) to some of those drivers, who are unfamiliar with the area.  This is very similar to what the situation WRT US 41 through Milwaukee County was for travelers between Chicagoland and the Fox Valley (Appleton, Oshkosh, etc) before I-41 was marked.  For that reason, I would reroute US 151 to follow that all-freeway routing and give the current through town route a new number.

As for US 141, I'd decommission it south of the Abrams interchange (US 41 split north of metro Green Bay).

Mike

And while we're at it, decommission highway 29's routing along US 141 and give the section east of Green Bay a new number! I honestly think the routing of US 141 in Green Bay should become a state highway and WIS 29 should end at Monroe Ave.

I would end WI 29 at the I-41 Shawano Interchange, including a slight reroute of WI 29 there, turning the street over to the City of Green Bay and Village of Howard.  Interesting in that the freeway itself at that interchange is *not* WI 29, rather it is only WI 32.  Right now, WI 29 hops off of that freeway at Packerland Dr.

Mike

Does that mean highway 32 should be rerouted along Shawano Ave instead of Mason St and I-41?

No it's fine where it is now.

[MantyMadTown]

Then what should we do about highway 29 along Shawano Ave? Decommission it? What purpose does that serve? I would still like to see a state highway there for mileage purposes.

[SEWIGuy]

Then what should we do about highway 29 along Shawano Ave? Decommission it? What purpose does that serve? I would still like to see a state highway there for mileage purposes.

I would end WI-29 at I-41, then extend US-141 along WI-29 east of Green Bay.  Shawano Avenue doesn't need to be a state highway. 

[MantyMadTown]

Then what should we do about highway 29 along Shawano Ave? Decommission it? What purpose does that serve? I would still like to see a state highway there for mileage purposes.

I would end WI-29 at I-41, then extend US-141 along WI-29 east of Green Bay.  Shawano Avenue doesn't need to be a state highway.

I don't think 141 should exist south of the 41-141 interchange. The portion of 141 in Green Bay can become a new state highway and 29 east of Green Bay can become a separate highway as well.

[SEWIGuy]

The solution is obvious: just put me in charge of the numbering and I'll do what I think is best for a useful system of numbered highways (working as much as I can with an existing system) and everyone just accept my decisions without whining.

I've heard the gov-elect still has a Transportation Secretary opening...

Get ready for more transportation dollars going toward the streetcar and empty buses in Wausau and Manitowoc with roads as less of a priority under Evers.

Or not.

https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2018/10/02/tony-evers-wisconsin-roads-would-top-priority-governor/1489721002/

[MantyMadTown]

The solution is obvious: just put me in charge of the numbering and I'll do what I think is best for a useful system of numbered highways (working as much as I can with an existing system) and everyone just accept my decisions without whining.

I've heard the gov-elect still has a Transportation Secretary opening...

Get ready for more transportation dollars going toward the streetcar and empty buses in Wausau and Manitowoc with roads as less of a priority under Evers.

What's this about empty buses in Manitowoc?

But yeah, our bus system there is pretty stupid. It's often very late, has the worst hours, and doesn't even go to all the destinations on the route map. I don't see more people riding it anytime soon and it's bound to get worse. I don't see it getting fixed anytime soon, but even if our bus system gets an increase in state funding (which I'm not sure is even much), I'm sure more money will still be allocated to fixing roads, with an increase in road funding greater than public transit.

[tchafe1978]

We'll soon be able to add exit 52 to the exit list for US 151. The new interchange with County BB/County HHH/Ridgevue Rd just west of Ridgeway is almost complete, and all signing is up. I'm not sure of an opening date, but it should be soon. This interchange will eliminate at grade intersections with County BB, County HHH, and Ridgevue Rd, and a handful of private driveways. The at grade intersections with County HHH on the east side of Ridgeway remains.... for now.

[SSOWorld]

We'll soon be able to add exit 52 to the exit list for US 151. The new interchange with County BB/County HHH/Ridgevue Rd just west of Ridgeway is almost complete, and all signing is up. I'm not sure of an opening date, but it should be soon. This interchange will eliminate at grade intersections with County BB, County HHH, and Ridgevue Rd, and a handful of private driveways. The at grade intersections with County HHH on the east side of Ridgeway remains.... for now.

Likely won't be done given the new direction the state has taken nowadays.

[The Ghostbuster]

Maybe not, but one can dream, can't they?

[dvferyance]

There's probably not a lot of traffic on 318 yet because:

A. it's new

B. the road it's going to feed into isn't really built yet/under construction

New? nope not at all the Meadowbrook extension was done like 25 years ago. The route number means nothing the road itself has been there a long time.

[GeekJedi]

There's probably not a lot of traffic on 318 yet because:

A. it's new

B. the road it's going to feed into isn't really built yet/under construction

New? nope not at all the Meadowbrook extension was done like 25 years ago. The route number means nothing the road itself has been there a long time.

It's new in that it's a new connector route that will get more traffic once the US18 bypass is done. And the route number will have meaning once it's done. Certainly much more than WI-74 had.

[ET21]

Construction seems to be moving nicely with the 39/90 expansion. Saw it this past weekend for the first time in 2 years since my last trip up north. The hell that will come with the I-43/39/90 interchange though..... 

[tchafe1978]

We'll soon be able to add exit 52 to the exit list for US 151. The new interchange with County BB/County HHH/Ridgevue Rd just west of Ridgeway is almost complete, and all signing is up. I'm not sure of an opening date, but it should be soon. This interchange will eliminate at grade intersections with County BB, County HHH, and Ridgevue Rd, and a handful of private driveways. The at grade intersections with County HHH on the east side of Ridgeway remains.... for now.

Likely won't be done given the new direction the state has taken nowadays.

It's still part of long range plans to convert US 151 to a full freeway from Dodgeville to Verona, though there is no set timetable for the work to be done. It will probably be one project at a time and not all at once.

[triplemultiplex]

Drove past Ridgeway today and the new interchange is open.  All lanes are open and even the temporary crossovers have been removed.  Nice to have a couple more miles of full access control on US 18/151.
Next, WisDOT should focus on getting the part between Verona and Mt. Horeb all freewayized.  It'll be relatively easy and help the safety on that stretch as Mt. Horeb continues its growth as an outer suburb of Madison.

[tchafe1978]

I agree. Lots of commuter traffic between Verona and Mt. Horeb. The east bound side is getting pretty rough also and needs redone. And I think an auxiliary lane between county G and county MV would be helpful.

[The Ghostbuster]

Like other expressway-to-freeway conversions proposed around the state, a lot of patience is required. These conversions, of course, are long-term in length, and won't happen quickly. And like tchafe1978 said, the conversions will be one-project-at-a-time.

[mgk920]

Like other expressway-to-freeway conversions proposed around the state, a lot of patience is required. These conversions, of course, are long-term in length, and won't happen quickly. And like tchafe1978 said, the conversions will be one-project-at-a-time.

IMHO, US 41 between Milwaukee and Green Bay is a classic case - despite being at least four lanes divided the whole way since about 1968 (when the last two-lane parts between Kaukauna and Green Bay and across the Oshkosh Causeway were upgraded to four lanes divided), it was not fully up to interstate standards and thus able to be so designated until 2015.  The last at-grade intersection was cut off in about 2000.

Besides US 151 between Fond du Lac and the Iowa state line, WI 29 between I-94 (Elk Mound interchange) and the Green Bay area is the same way.  Ditto US 10 between I-39 and I-41.

Mike

[tchafe1978]

https://projects.511wi.gov/i-39-90/us1218publichearing/

There is a public hearing set for the beltline interchange improvements. There us a link to a YouTube video explaining why they chose the alternative with 2 lanes northbound through the interchange. It makes a little more sense once they put the numbers behind the reasoning. But I also think it makes for an unnecessary lane drop going northbound.

[SEWIGuy]

https://projects.511wi.gov/i-39-90/us1218publichearing/

There is a public hearing set for the beltline interchange improvements. There us a link to a YouTube video explaining why they chose the alternative with 2 lanes northbound through the interchange. It makes a little more sense once they put the numbers behind the reasoning. But I also think it makes for an unnecessary lane drop going northbound.

So they are keeping the two "cloverleaf ramps?"  (SB-I39 to EB US12/18 and WB12/18 to SB I39?) 

[SEWIGuy]

Like other expressway-to-freeway conversions proposed around the state, a lot of patience is required. These conversions, of course, are long-term in length, and won't happen quickly. And like tchafe1978 said, the conversions will be one-project-at-a-time.

IMHO, US 41 between Milwaukee and Green Bay is a classic case - despite being at least four lanes divided the whole way since about 1968 (when the last two-lane parts between Kaukauna and Green Bay and across the Oshkosh Causeway were upgraded to four lanes divided), it was not fully up to interstate standards and thus able to be so designated until 2015.  The last at-grade intersection was cut off in about 2000.

Besides US 151 between Fond du Lac and the Iowa state line, WI 29 between I-94 (Elk Mound interchange) and the Green Bay area is the same way.  Ditto US 10 between I-39 and I-41.

There were still driveways on US-41 just south of Green Bay about 20 years ago.

[JREwing78]

https://projects.511wi.gov/i-39-90/us1218publichearing/

There is a public hearing set for the beltline interchange improvements. There us a link to a YouTube video explaining why they chose the alternative with 2 lanes northbound through the interchange. It makes a little more sense once they put the numbers behind the reasoning. But I also think it makes for an unnecessary lane drop going northbound.

It appears their reasoning is that at the point they have to maintain 3 NBD lanes through the interchange, they will have to go to 4 or 5 lanes where EBD Beltline traffic merges into NBD I-39/90 traffic. They are at least making 3 lanes an available option when they reach that point. There's also a safety benefit in forcing the NBD traffic down to 2 lanes before the interchange vs. making EBD Beltline traffic force a merge after the interchange.

I would argue adding the additional lane between the Beltline and Hwy 30/I-94 needs to happen sooner rather that later. Fortunately, the work they'd have to accomplish this is rather minimal beyond grading and paving the additional lane.

[triplemultiplex]

The preferred alternative at the Beltline looks very much like an 'interim' solution.  There are accommodations being made in the new bridges for the future aspirations we've seen in other alternatives for this system interchange. ( )
Specifically, the new NB bridge over the ramp to the WB beltline has the length to fit all those unweaving ramps designed to separate Beltline traffic from traffic getting off right away at Stoughton Rd.
When money becomes available, the interchange can be improved further without impacting any new structures constructed with this stage.

The lane drop may suck for a while, but it will only last until we get a fourth lane between the Beltline and I-94 (which has to be in the cards ~10 years out.).