Wisconsin notes

[JMAN_WiS&S]

Eh I can't say. U.S. 53 from I-94 to WI 29 is 65 as far as I know. That's a pretty curvy stretch.

[mgk920]

No increase (yet) on US 10, US 45 and WI 441 in the Appleton/Oshkosh area.

Mike

[JREwing78]

That stretch of Wis 29 was marked with no bikes/pedestrians signs for quite a while.  The expressway portion of US 51 is also marked with them after every intersection between County K and County S.  US 41/141 north of Green Bay still doesn't have a 70 mph speed limit, but short stretches of Wis 29 and Wis 57 do, even though they're only about 5 mile stretches. 

I would expect US 41/141 will end up with a 70 mph speed limit once construction work has completed north of the I-43 interchange.

[peterj920]

I don't think the construction has anything to do with not increasing the speed limit to 70 on 41/141.  The short stretch of Wis 29 with a 70 mph speed limit ends at a work zone right now.  US 51 north of Wausau is also still 65.  Wis 29 east of Wausau could also be raised to 70.  That segment of freeway is twice as long as the 5 mile stretch that was raised heading out of Green Bay.  Seems like WISDOT is very inconsistent on raising non interstate freeways to 70.

[invincor]

I don't think the construction has anything to do with not increasing the speed limit to 70 on 41/141.  The short stretch of Wis 29 with a 70 mph speed limit ends at a work zone right now.  US 51 north of Wausau is also still 65.  Wis 29 east of Wausau could also be raised to 70.  That segment of freeway is twice as long as the 5 mile stretch that was raised heading out of Green Bay.  Seems like WISDOT is very inconsistent on raising non interstate freeways to 70.

Or it could just be they're not finished yet and taking their time with the assessments of which bits to raise. 

[The Ghostbuster]

I was never gung-ho about the speed limit increase in the first place. To me, whether the speed limit is 65 or 70 is inconsequential.

[Highway63]

One of the updates/issues for Wisconsin in the CHM package is that Business 18/151 in Mount Horeb isn't signed anymore. The Mount Horeb village board voted Jan. 7 to change the name of the east half of Business 18-15 to Springdale Street. I'm guessing the issues are related and there's not a signed business route anymore for whatever reason. Probably for the best, given that the road is infested with roundabouts.

[peterj920]

One of the updates/issues for Wisconsin in the CHM package is that Business 18/151 in Mount Horeb isn't signed anymore. The Mount Horeb village board voted Jan. 7 to change the name of the east half of Business 18-15 to Springdale Street. I'm guessing the issues are related and there's not a signed business route anymore for whatever reason. Probably for the best, given that the road is infested with roundabouts.

In the last 15 years, there's been quite a few business routes throughout Wisconsin that have disappeared.  Chris Bessert's wisconsinhighways.org website says that WISDOT is encouraging communities to get rid of their business routes.  I would like to know why WISDOT still maintains Business 51 as a state highway, along with Business 51 through Whiting and Plover while recently turning Bus 51 to local control in the City of Stevens Point.  Why would WISDOT discourage business routes, yet maintain them in those 2 communities?  Even stranger, why would they keep 1/2 of a route as a state highway, then have it dead end at the Stevens Point city limits, miles away from US 51?

[SEWIGuy]

One of the updates/issues for Wisconsin in the CHM package is that Business 18/151 in Mount Horeb isn't signed anymore. The Mount Horeb village board voted Jan. 7 to change the name of the east half of Business 18-15 to Springdale Street. I'm guessing the issues are related and there's not a signed business route anymore for whatever reason. Probably for the best, given that the road is infested with roundabouts.

In the last 15 years, there's been quite a few business routes throughout Wisconsin that have disappeared.  Chris Bessert's wisconsinhighways.org website says that WISDOT is encouraging communities to get rid of their business routes.  I would like to know why WISDOT still maintains Business 51 as a state highway, along with Business 51 through Whiting and Plover while recently turning Bus 51 to local control in the City of Stevens Point.  Why would WISDOT discourage business routes, yet maintain them in those 2 communities?  Even stranger, why would they keep 1/2 of a route as a state highway, then have it dead end at the Stevens Point city limits, miles away from US 51?

My guess is that its politics.  Eventually it will go away.

[peterj920]

Up in Merrill, Bus 51 was a state highway until the mid 90s when it was removed.  Haven't heard anything from the municipalities about wanting to keep Bus 51.  The portion in Stevens Point was transferred to local control when US 10 north of S.P.opened up.  Could just be one of the oddball things that WISDOT likes to do.  US 61 in Lancaster is practically a business route since Wis 129 is a bypass and shorter than US 61 in the area.  Haven't heard an explanation on why US 61 doesn't follow 129.

[GeekJedi]

One of the updates/issues for Wisconsin in the CHM package is that Business 18/151 in Mount Horeb isn't signed anymore. The Mount Horeb village board voted Jan. 7 to change the name of the east half of Business 18-15 to Springdale Street. I'm guessing the issues are related and there's not a signed business route anymore for whatever reason. Probably for the best, given that the road is infested with roundabouts.

In the last 15 years, there's been quite a few business routes throughout Wisconsin that have disappeared.  Chris Bessert's wisconsinhighways.org website says that WISDOT is encouraging communities to get rid of their business routes.  I would like to know why WISDOT still maintains Business 51 as a state highway, along with Business 51 through Whiting and Plover while recently turning Bus 51 to local control in the City of Stevens Point.  Why would WISDOT discourage business routes, yet maintain them in those 2 communities?  Even stranger, why would they keep 1/2 of a route as a state highway, then have it dead end at the Stevens Point city limits, miles away from US 51?

Purely a guess here, but perhaps WisDOT maintains those business routes if their used for alternate (emergency) freeway routes, and there's no other state-maintained highway nearby. I know there's been a big push in the past few years to have alternate routes posted for all state freeways.

[peterj920]

When Bus 41 was removed in Oshkosh, Alt. 41 signs pretty much replaced the whole route.  Seems like alternate routes are used extensively except for the Green Bay/Appleton area.  Alt. I-43 signs are plastered south of Manitowoc and Alt. I-41 is also heavily signed south of Oshkosh.  Would be interesting to see why the alternate routes seem to stop there, especially since an alternate for I-43 could easily be signed along County R (old 141) between Manitowoc and Green Bay. 

[Milwaukee, WY]

As a compromise with the Village of Brown Deer, WisDOT is proposing to replace a grade separated interchange with an at-grade intersection with Michigan Lefts. Should be the first of its kind in Wisconsin. (Interchange of STH 100 and STH 57 in north metro Milwaukee)

More here: http://www.mybrowndeernow.com/news/dot-proposes-michigan-left-intersection-at-brown-deer-green-bay-roads-b99663169z1-367430211.html?lc=Smart

[triplemultiplex]

WisDOT put in some Michigan lefts on WI 29 in Brown County recently, so it would not be the first ones in the state.
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.57463,-88.16599&z=17&t=S

Those are interim, however, until the state can get the money to freeway convert that stretch.

[Big John]

^^ Those are not a true Michigan left, but a "superstreet" design called a J-Turn as the cross street must turn right, and to stay straight, must turn right, make the U-turn and turn right again.

There is one on WI 29 as you described and one on US 53 in NW Wisconsin.

[mgk920]

^^ Those are not a true Michigan left, but a "superstreet" design called a J-Turn as the cross street must turn right, and to stay straight, must turn right, make the U-turn and turn right again.

There is one on WI 29 as you described and one on US 53 in NW Wisconsin.

Ditto on WI 26 between Johnson Creek and Watertown.

Mike

[peterj920]

Another one went up on Wis 57 and County C south of Sturgeon Bay.

[peterj920]

Got some good and bad news today.  The good: The I-41 project in Green Bay will finally finish this year!

http://wbay.com/2016/02/22/i-41-construction-update/

The bad:  The southern bridge project in De Pere is delayed until 2029.  This bridge is badly needed and work has been extremely slow.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/2016/02/22/southern-bridge-de-pere-hold-until-2029/80757732/

[Rothman]

13 years down the road.  In NY, anything beyond five years might as well be that far out.  Interesting year for them to choose.

[peterj920]

13 years down the road.  In NY, anything beyond five years might as well be that far out.  Interesting year for them to choose.

The planning for the bridge began in the mid 1990s and back then, the goal was to be complete by 2020.  20 years later and still no progress. 

[mgk920]

WisDOT is beginning a study on what work will be needed to upgrade US 10 to a full freeway between Fremont and Amherst, WI.  It is now a four-lane expressway with some freeway sections, completed in the late 1990s.

http://www.waupacanow.com/2016/02/24/u-s-10-may-become-freeway/

Enjoy!

Mike

[JREwing78]

WisDOT is beginning a study on what work will be needed to upgrade US 10 to a full freeway between Fremont and Amherst, WI.  It is now a four-lane expressway with some freeway sections, completed in the late 1990s.

http://www.waupacanow.com/2016/02/24/u-s-10-may-become-freeway/

Enjoy!

Mike

Fairly routine; it probably won't actually happen for 20-30 years. More likely is that individual intersections will be replaced by overpasses or exits for a while, then a larger project later to complete the conversion process when traffic / carnage reaches a certain level.

[peterj920]

Work on eliminating the backups in Stevens Point first before that section of expressway.  That is needed a lot more than converting that section to freeway.

[SEWIGuy]

Work on eliminating the backups in Stevens Point first before that section of expressway.  That is needed a lot more than converting that section to freeway.

Aren't they planning on the Steven's Point section?  No reason not to work on both.

[The Ghostbuster]

A realigned US 10 to connect with Interstate 39 at a freeway to freeway interchange should be in the cards. I'd start the realignment just west of the CTH J interchange, and have it meet Interstate 39 just south of the railroad track crossing north of Exit 156.