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Wisconsin notes

Started by mgk920, May 30, 2012, 02:33:31 AM

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SEWIGuy

Quote from: mgk920 on October 08, 2013, 10:50:54 PM
I recall a few years ago when WisDOT released the results of a study that showed that US(I)-41 between Kaukauna and De Pere was the fastest segment of highway (average actual measured traffic speeds) in the entire state.  I believe it - you can be going near autobahn speed (130 km/h - 80 MPH) on it and it does not seem to be that fast at all.


Milwaukee south to the IL border is pretty darn fast too.


mgk920

I-(41)/94 in Racine and Kenosha Counties was much faster before the current sheriffs took over in their respective counties.  Both are looking at it as a departmental piggy-bank.

:rolleyes:

I recall roadtrips to Chicagoland in the 1980s and 1990s where I was cruising with traffic in the 140 km/h+ (85-90 MPH+) range on that highway.

Mike

Jordanah1

The only times I have ever cruised at 85-90mph are holiday weekends on US 45 heading up to da nort or back, and one morning when I had to drive to work from lacrosse, so I left at 3:00am, and cruised at 90 until I saw a state trooper out gunning the northbound lanes of I 90/94, so I slowed it down from there for the rest of my commute! 4:30AM!!! What kinda trooper is out ther at 4:30AM!!
"Oshkosh"- "Oh, you mean like 'Oshkosh BGosh'?"

SSOWorld

Quote from: Jordanah1 on October 10, 2013, 05:36:33 PM
The only times I have ever cruised at 85-90mph are holiday weekends on US 45 heading up to da nort or back, and one morning when I had to drive to work from lacrosse, so I left at 3:00am, and cruised at 90 until I saw a state trooper out gunning the northbound lanes of I 90/94, so I slowed it down from there for the rest of my commute! 4:30AM!!! What kinda trooper is out ther at 4:30AM!!

You asked the question - there's your answer :pan:
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

DaBigE

Quote from: Jordanah1 on October 10, 2013, 05:36:33 PM
What kinda trooper is out ther at 4:30AM!!

One who's bored on the graveyard shift...
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

JREwing78

WisDOT is mulling a Diverging Diamond Interchange at the Hwy 11/Avalon Rd interchange for the upcoming I-39/90 widening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pMopeJp1Uk&feature=youtu.be

I think this would go over considerably better with truckers & RV drivers than roundabouts.

Brandon

Quote from: mgk920 on October 09, 2013, 10:56:52 AM
I-(41)/94 in Racine and Kenosha Counties was much faster before the current sheriffs took over in their respective counties.  Both are looking at it as a departmental piggy-bank.

:rolleyes:

I recall roadtrips to Chicagoland in the 1980s and 1990s where I was cruising with traffic in the 140 km/h+ (85-90 MPH+) range on that highway.

Mike

They have a particularly nasty habit of singling out FIB plates along that stretch as well.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

DaBigE

Quote from: JREwing78 on October 15, 2013, 01:22:57 PM
WisDOT is mulling a Diverging Diamond Interchange at the Hwy 11/Avalon Rd interchange for the upcoming I-39/90 widening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pMopeJp1Uk&feature=youtu.be

I think this would go over considerably better with truckers & RV drivers than roundabouts.

From what I've been told, it's much more than mulling.
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

on_wisconsin

#283
Quote from: JREwing78 on October 15, 2013, 01:22:57 PM
WisDOT is mulling a Diverging Diamond Interchange at the Hwy 11/Avalon Rd interchange for the upcoming I-39/90 widening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pMopeJp1Uk&feature=youtu.be
Embedded:




QuoteHigher speed limit clears Assembly

Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 2:21 am


MADISON — Republicans pushed a bill to raise the speed limit on Wisconsin's interstates to 70 mph through the state Assembly on Tuesday, brushing aside minority Democrats' fears that the change would lead to more serious crashes.

The measure goes next to the state Senate. A spokesman for Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said a vote could come in that house as early as next month. Gov. Scott Walker hasn't taken a public position on the proposal.

The bill would give the state Department of Transportation six months after the bill becomes law to change interstate speed limits from 65 mph to 70 mph. The agency would have to submit a study within a year on the feasibility of raising the limit to 70 on other four-lane highways to the Legislature.

The Assembly also approved an amendment on a voice vote that would allow the DOT to set a 65 mph limit for commercial vehicles if the agency determines it would improve highway safety. The bill's author, Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc, introduced the amendment on the Assembly floor to address last-minute concerns from truckers that the new limit would increase their fuel consumption.

Democrats said the change to 70 mph could lead to serious injuries on the road.

"You want to make our roads safer, you want to reconsider this. Speed does kill, Mr. Speaker," Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, said.

Rep. Chris Danou, D-Trempealeau, a former police officer, said he knows firsthand higher speeds lead to more severe injuries. He questioned why no one from DOT or the State Patrol spoke at a public hearing on the bill earlier this month, leaving a dearth of information about the dangers of raising the limit.

"I realize this is a politically popular thing to do ... but we don't know the risks," Danou said. "This may be a good idea but the problem I have is relevant experts were not consulted."

Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo, said Green Bay-based trucking company Schneider National sent lawmakers an email Tuesday opposing the increase. The email cited data from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program that showed a 35 percent increase in fatalities in states with a 70 mph limit and said increasing the speed limit to 70 mph would increase fuel consumption.

Tittl defended the measure, noting Wisconsin is the only Midwestern state without a 70 mph limit. He went on to say he didn't know why no one from DOT or the State Patrol spoke about the bill at the hearing but took the lack of comments as a sign neither agency opposes the measure.

In the end the Assemwbly passed the measure 63-32. A half-dozen Democrats joined majority Republicans in voting for the bill.
http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/daily_updates/article_8a4eb1cc-3633-11e3-b255-001a4bcf887a.html

:cool:
"Speed does not kill, suddenly becoming stationary... that's what gets you" - Jeremy Clarkson

Brandon

^^ Wisconsin even sees the light.  Now, what about Oregon and much of the Northeast/Middle Atlantic?

Funny though, some of them are concerned about a 5 mph change being a major change in injuries?  Yeah, right.  People already go 70-75 in Wisconsin anyway.  Now they'll just be legal and less of a choice picking for the Racine and Kenosha County Tax Patrol..er..Sheriff's Departments.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

SSOWorld

Quote from: Brandon on October 16, 2013, 05:45:52 PM
^^ Wisconsin even sees the light.  Now, what about Oregon and much of the Northeast/Middle Atlantic?

Funny though, some of them are concerned about a 5 mph change being a major change in injuries?  Yeah, right.  People already go 70-75 in Wisconsin anyway.  Now they'll just be legal and less of a choice picking for the Racine and Kenosha County Tax Patrol..er..Sheriff's Departments.
The Assembly does.  The senate (and likely Walker) doesn't.  They're focused on "Creating jobs"  Since when do politicians create jobs?
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

NE2

Quote from: SSOWorld on October 16, 2013, 07:47:05 PM
Since when do politicians create jobs?
There was this thing called the WPA... not that Walker would support a socialist program like that...
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

JREwing78

Today was a cold, grey day to be on the Merrimac ferry. The fall colors are maybe at 30-40% - it's going to be at least another week or two before the colors peak. Maybe by then the sun will come out.

Construction on the Hwy 16/26 expansion north of Watertown appears to be winding down for this year. Crews are working to put in place a relocated roadway (partially new alignment on the future NBD lanes, partially old alignment) in time for winter, and to allow the sections of old roadway crossing the new roadway's path to be obliterated.

Farther south on the Fort Atkinson to Milton stretch, crews are close to switching traffic to the future NBD lanes north of the Jefferson/Rock line, and on the future SBD lanes south of the line to County N. They have not yet set up the crossover needed to switch between the lanes, but that appears to be coming soon.

Between the Harmony Town Hall exit and the Hwy 59 exit, the SBD carriageway has been completed, and traffic is now one lane in each direction on their own carriageway. Lane closures remain while crews complete work in the median.

SEWIGuy

Quote from: JREwing78 on October 21, 2013, 01:17:39 AM
Today was a cold, grey day to be on the Merrimac ferry. The fall colors are maybe at 30-40% - it's going to be at least another week or two before the colors peak. Maybe by then the sun will come out.

Construction on the Hwy 16/26 expansion north of Watertown appears to be winding down for this year. Crews are working to put in place a relocated roadway (partially new alignment on the future NBD lanes, partially old alignment) in time for winter, and to allow the sections of old roadway crossing the new roadway's path to be obliterated.


So, if I read your post correctly, are they trying to get all four lanes done by the start of winter? 

JREwing78

Quote from: SEWIGuy on October 21, 2013, 09:42:47 AM
So, if I read your post correctly, are they trying to get all four lanes done by the start of winter? 

No. What they've done is completed a substantial portion of the future NBD carriageway. They will shift traffic onto it for the winter, and while the SBD carriageway is constructed next year. There's still a considerable amount of grading to be done where the future SBD carriageway will go, not to mention the temporary section bypassing the 16/26 interchange and the RR underpass.

There's a stretch of about 1-2 miles in the middle where the old highway would have to be obliterated to complete construction of the NBD carriageway; they're postponing completion of this section until the SBD carriageway is completed (and traffic can then be shifted to it). The temporary arrangement is thus a mix of the old roadway and the new NBD carriageway.

SEWIGuy

Quote from: JREwing78 on October 21, 2013, 08:50:06 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on October 21, 2013, 09:42:47 AM
So, if I read your post correctly, are they trying to get all four lanes done by the start of winter? 

No. What they've done is completed a substantial portion of the future NBD carriageway. They will shift traffic onto it for the winter, and while the SBD carriageway is constructed next year. There's still a considerable amount of grading to be done where the future SBD carriageway will go, not to mention the temporary section bypassing the 16/26 interchange and the RR underpass.

There's a stretch of about 1-2 miles in the middle where the old highway would have to be obliterated to complete construction of the NBD carriageway; they're postponing completion of this section until the SBD carriageway is completed (and traffic can then be shifted to it). The temporary arrangement is thus a mix of the old roadway and the new NBD carriageway.


OK thanks.  That is what I thought they were doing but wasn't sure.

mgk920

I noticed while driving around today (Wednesday, 2013-10-23) that WisDOT has begun to install yellow backboard outlines around the stop-and-go lights along College Ave (WI 125) on Appleton's west side.  They are an allowable option in the latest Federal MUTCD.  As of this typing, they are now on the heads facing the side streets at two intersections (College/Perkins and College/Lilas).

Mike

DaBigE

Quote from: mgk920 on October 23, 2013, 09:03:33 PM
I noticed while driving around today (Wednesday, 2013-10-23) that WisDOT has begun to install yellow backboard outlines around the stop-and-go lights along College Ave (WI 125) on Appleton's west side.  They are an allowable option in the latest Federal MUTCD.  As of this typing, they are now on the heads facing the side streets at two intersections (College/Perkins and College/Lilas).

Mike

WisDOT is, or is it the city of Appleton? I wouldn't put it past the NE Region to experiment, but I believe this stretch (especially intersecting with local roads) would fall in the Connecting Highways category of maintenance.
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

mgk920

#293
Quote from: DaBigE on October 23, 2013, 10:51:18 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on October 23, 2013, 09:03:33 PM
I noticed while driving around today (Wednesday, 2013-10-23) that WisDOT has begun to install yellow backboard outlines around the stop-and-go lights along College Ave (WI 125) on Appleton's west side.  They are an allowable option in the latest Federal MUTCD.  As of this typing, they are now on the heads facing the side streets at two intersections (College/Perkins and College/Lilas).

Mike

WisDOT is, or is it the city of Appleton? I wouldn't put it past the NE Region to experiment, but I believe this stretch (especially intersecting with local roads) would fall in the Connecting Highways category of maintenance.

Well, a private contractor was doing the actual work, with a WisDOT truck parked right by it.  OTOH, the City of Appleton uses its own DPW-Electrical trucks for working on the city's signals and even has a contract with Grand Chute Township to maintain the township's signals in their westside/Fox River Mall area.

Mike

DaBigE

WisDOT to study the possiblity of adding more lanes to IH90/94 in the Wisconsin Dells area: Portage Daily Register article.

Nothing posted on the WisDOT site yet...
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

mgk920

If I had the available cash, I'd add an additional lane in each direction from the Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison to the I-90/94 split at Tomah.

Mike

DaBigE

Quote from: mgk920 on October 24, 2013, 12:50:33 PM
If I had the available cash, I'd add an additional lane in each direction from the Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison to the I-90/94 split at Tomah.

Mike

You want 4 lanes? It's already 3 from CTH N (IH94 east of the Badger) north to the IH39 interchange near Portage. I could see adding one from the IH39 split to Tomah, but I've never had any non-construction problems south of there until I got south of Madison
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

SEWIGuy

Quote from: DaBigE on October 24, 2013, 01:52:51 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on October 24, 2013, 12:50:33 PM
If I had the available cash, I'd add an additional lane in each direction from the Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison to the I-90/94 split at Tomah.

Mike

You want 4 lanes? It's already 3 from CTH N (IH94 east of the Badger) north to the IH39 interchange near Portage. I could see adding one from the IH39 split to Tomah, but I've never had any non-construction problems south of there until I got south of Madison


Agreed.  Madison east to Milwaukee needs three lanes before north of Madison needs four. 

colinstu

Quote from: SEWIGuy on October 24, 2013, 03:43:33 PM
Quote from: DaBigE on October 24, 2013, 01:52:51 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on October 24, 2013, 12:50:33 PM
If I had the available cash, I'd add an additional lane in each direction from the Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison to the I-90/94 split at Tomah.

Mike

You want 4 lanes? It's already 3 from CTH N (IH94 east of the Badger) north to the IH39 interchange near Portage. I could see adding one from the IH39 split to Tomah, but I've never had any non-construction problems south of there until I got south of Madison


Agreed.  Madison east to Milwaukee needs three lanes before north of Madison needs four. 

Agreed on that.

mgk920

Quote from: mgk920 on October 24, 2013, 12:01:00 AM
Quote from: DaBigE on October 23, 2013, 10:51:18 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on October 23, 2013, 09:03:33 PM
I noticed while driving around today (Wednesday, 2013-10-23) that WisDOT has begun to install yellow backboard outlines around the stop-and-go lights along College Ave (WI 125) on Appleton's west side.  They are an allowable option in the latest Federal MUTCD.  As of this typing, they are now on the heads facing the side streets at two intersections (College/Perkins and College/Lilas).

Mike

WisDOT is, or is it the city of Appleton? I wouldn't put it past the NE Region to experiment, but I believe this stretch (especially intersecting with local roads) would fall in the Connecting Highways category of maintenance.

Well, a private contractor was doing the actual work, with a WisDOT truck parked right by it.  OTOH, the City of Appleton uses its own DPW-Electrical trucks for working on the city's signals and even has a contract with Grand Chute Township to maintain the township's signals in their westside/Fox River Mall area.

More of them appeared today at intersections scattered all along that part of College Ave (WI 125), including at its interchange with US(I)-41.

Mike



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