Wisconsin triple letter highways. Are these pretty rare?

[OCGuy81]

 I was curious about the Wisconsin county trunk system, and how designations are assigned.   I recall, a few years back while there, seeing a triple letter county trunk (I want to say UUU, but that may not be correct) and I can't recall where exactly.

Are the 3 letter highways fairly rare?  I think I've only seen one, though there is a lot of Wisconsin I haven't traveled. Is each county given a certain set of letters and if they run out of 2 letter combos, they go to the 3?

Always found it interesting how WI and MO are the only states that use letters in this fashion, and just wondering if the 3 letters are rare or not.

[Big John]

3 letters are not too common, with most counties having 0-2 of them (Fond du Lac the exception of having more).  Most common of these is HHH. Policy is that triple letters are 3 of the same letter, but 2 letters can have different letters so their supply is ample for the number of county routes in the county.  Not sure why ne is picked over the other when naming the highways.

[nexus73]

I wonder if there ever was a XXX Root Beer stand on a XXX road?

Rick

[Jardine]

I wonder if there ever was a XXX Root Beer stand on a XXX road?

Rick

Indeed, and Karen's Kut and Kurl Beauty Salon . . .

[agentsteel53]

reminds me of the Krusty Khristmas Klassic.

[triplemultiplex]

3 letters are not too common, with most counties having 0-2 of them (Fond du Lac the exception of having more).

Most counties don't have any.
Triple letter county highways have always seemed unnecessary to me.  No county is anywhere near using up every two-letter combo at their disposal (frankly, it'd be a practical impossibility).  I think it's silly to cram three letters into a county shield when it would be way easier to grab two random letters instead.

The most absurd and delicious example being CTH MMM in Shawano County.  Way to pick the widest letter you can when tripling one up!

Almost all the triple letter county roads seem to have been chosen as 'spurs' of existing county roads.  This is silly since there is no rhyme or reason to any other distribution of county road letters.  (With the a few modern exceptions where a two-letter CTH was chosen based on something in the area; like CTH CP in Marinette County that is the former US 141 between Coleman and Pound.)

[OCGuy81]

reminds me of the Krusty Khristmas Klassic.

Live from the Apollo, wasn't it?  LOL! Poor Krusty.

Sorry for being off topic, but I can't resist responding to an old school Simpsons reference.

[SSOWorld]

Most common of these is HHH.

That it is...

(He doesn't look right without the hair either)

There are two of them along US 151 between Madison and Dubuque alone... Ridgeway and Kieler

For the two letter ones - they have unique patterns.  CTH VK on Lombardi Ave (Green Bay), CTH CA from US-41 to the Appleton <International> Airport, there's a CTH EW (to which I thought ewww!), a CTH AH (sigh), a CTH OK.... ok! etc.

What fits best?  CTH KR - Racine-Kenosha County Line Road.

[Milepost61]

Most counties don't have any.
Triple letter county highways have always seemed unnecessary to me.  No county is anywhere near using up every two-letter combo at their disposal (frankly, it'd be a practical impossibility).  I think it's silly to cram three letters into a county shield when it would be way easier to grab two random letters instead.

The most absurd and delicious example being CTH MMM in Shawano County.  Way to pick the widest letter you can when tripling one up!

Almost all the triple letter county roads seem to have been chosen as 'spurs' of existing county roads.  This is silly since there is no rhyme or reason to any other distribution of county road letters.  (With the a few modern exceptions where a two-letter CTH was chosen based on something in the area; like CTH CP in Marinette County that is the former US 141 between Coleman and Pound.)

Trempealeau County has only one that I've seen, TTT north of Galesville. It's a short spur of T and I guess TT was already taken. Dumb.

[DaBigE]

There are two of them along US 151 between Madison and Dubuque alone... Ridgeway and Kieler

For the two letter ones - they have unique patterns.  CTH VK on Lombardi Ave (Green Bay), CTH CA from US-41 to the Appleton <International> Airport, there's a CTH EW (to which I thought ewww!), a CTH AH (sigh), a CTH OK.... ok! etc.

What fits best?  CTH KR - Racine-Kenosha County Line Road.

Your two-letter CTHs remind me of one I pass in Dodge County on the way to my parent's house: CTH AY. I've nicknamed that one "The Fonz" Hwy.

Back on the topic, can't forget to mention the infamous, but since renamed CTH Triple K (Fond du Lac County) that was mentioned in an earlier thread. Fondy's also home to CTH OOO

[SSOWorld]

There are two of them along US 151 between Madison and Dubuque alone... Ridgeway and Kieler

For the two letter ones - they have unique patterns.  CTH VK on Lombardi Ave (Green Bay), CTH CA from US-41 to the Appleton <International> Airport, there's a CTH EW (to which I thought ewww!), a CTH AH (sigh), a CTH OK.... ok! etc.

What fits best?  CTH KR - Racine-Kenosha County Line Road.

Your two-letter CTHs remind me of one I pass in Dodge County on the way to my parent's house: CTH AY. I've nicknamed that one "The Fonz" Hwy.

Back on the topic, can't forget to mention the infamous, but since renamed CTH Triple K (Fond du Lac County) that was mentioned in an earlier thread. Fondy's also home to CTH OOO

Hmm - where I work that would be the highway to being Out of Office.

[DaBigE]

There are two of them along US 151 between Madison and Dubuque alone... Ridgeway and Kieler

For the two letter ones - they have unique patterns.  CTH VK on Lombardi Ave (Green Bay), CTH CA from US-41 to the Appleton <International> Airport, there's a CTH EW (to which I thought ewww!), a CTH AH (sigh), a CTH OK.... ok! etc.

What fits best?  CTH KR - Racine-Kenosha County Line Road.

Your two-letter CTHs remind me of one I pass in Dodge County on the way to my parent's house: CTH AY. I've nicknamed that one "The Fonz" Hwy.

Back on the topic, can't forget to mention the infamous, but since renamed CTH Triple K (Fond du Lac County) that was mentioned in an earlier thread. Fondy's also home to CTH OOO

Hmm - where I work that would be the highway to being Out of Office.

I'd think it was the highway to one of two extremes, something amazing that will make you go "Oooooo" or the highway to nothingness (as it's commonly interchanged with Hwy Triple Zero).

[halork]

CTH-PP in Sheboygan always makes me giggle... 

[NE2]

CTH-PP in Sheboygan always makes me giggle... 

<---

[The High Plains Traveler]

From when I lived in the Twin Cities, I remember 3M Company having a small facility near Menomonie WI and being served by CTH MMM.

[mgk920]

Yes, College Ave between US(I)-41 and the terminal area of ATW (the Outagamie County Regional Airport, soon to be renamed to 'Appleton Airport', as per the Outagamie County Board a couple of weeks ago) is indeed 'County 'CA''.  The main north-south road past that terminal area is 'County 'CB''.

In the Green Bay area, Lambeau Field is at the intersection of Lombardi Ave (County 'VK') and Oneida St (County 'AAA').  Until the mid-1970s, Lombardi Ave was US 41.

Right by the Brown/Outagamie County line along US(I)-41 is an interchange with County 'U'.  Branching off of that, right by the interchange, is County 'DD' and County 'DDD' (imagining the photo ops that present themselves by those roads...  ).

Mike

[DaBigE]

Branching off of that, right by the interchange, is County 'DD' and County 'DDD' (imagining the photo ops that present themselves by those roads...  ).

Sounds like a good location for a Hooters restaurant.

[mrose]

Near Dodgeville, there's a junction on US 18-151 with a "Y" and a "YZ", which, as a huge Rush fan always made me giggle. I actually use a screen capture of it as my avatar on a Rush forum.

[Rushmeister]

Near Dodgeville, there's a junction on US 18-151 with a "Y" and a "YZ", which, as a huge Rush fan always made me giggle. I actually use a screen capture of it as my avatar on a Rush forum.

I gotta visit that spot someday.  (I'm a huge Rush fan, too, but I'm trying to lose weight.)

[hbelkins]

I have photos of signage at the intersection of routes YY and Z in Missouri.

[Big John]

Near Dodgeville, there's a junction on US 18-151 with a "Y" and a "YZ", which, as a huge Rush fan always made me giggle. I actually use a screen capture of it as my avatar on a Rush forum.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dodgeville,+WI/@42.972472,-90.039872,3a,75y,230.73h,92.06t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sY0tnPRFzTTTu9nOLpab3zg!2e0!4m7!1m4!3m3!1s0x87fd65960d4da019:0x9e7c721d0e5f86a4!2sDodgeville,+WI!3b1!3m1!1s0x87fd65960d4da019:0x9e7c721d0e5f86a4

[SEWIGuy]

I believe 'YZ' is the original US-18 routing correct?

[mrose]

Yes, I believe that is an old 18-151 alignment.

[SSOWorld]

There are two CTH HHHs in SW Wisconsin...  Keiler and Ridgeway - TIME TO PLAY THE GAME!!!!



Both in part or in whole are former alignments of 151/61/18 (where applicable)

A county MMM follows Wis 29 Business from the mainline into Shawano from the west.  Tasty?

AAA exists in Brown County near DePere. I wonder if there is an office of the club on the road?

These are numerous, but not as numerous as double-lettered routes with different letters - which some of which can be funny references or describe the area)
* AH (what a relief)
* EW (SBD)
* OK (alright)
* KS (Kill Stealing)
* OW (it hurts)
* CW (some TV anyone?)
* LO (or HI)
* KR (Kenosha/Racine County line road)
* CA (Outagamie County Airport access)
* CB (Next in line or Breaker Breaker - no chicken coups on county roads, but plenty of bears)

These mostly follow a pattern of "connecting routes using single letter of the respective routes (by observation) but there are inconsistencies throughout.

[Big John]

others:
HHH also in Shawano and Fond du Lac counties

EB (Green Acres farmboy)
BE (exist)
ID (yourself)

Weirdest one:  VK in front of Lambeau Field.  Why have the best 2-letter abbreviation of Vikings there?