Wisconsin notes

[The Ghostbuster]

I've looked at this portion of the DOT's website. The old maps rock!

[mgk920]

I haven't yet checked, but did they include the issue where they accidentally left the City of Winneconne off of it?  It remains the basis for heir annual 'Sovereign State Days' civic festival.

Mike

[peterj920]

I haven't yet checked, but did they include the issue where they accidentally left the City of Winneconne off of it?  It remains the basis for heir annual 'Sovereign State Days' civic festival.

Mike

Askeaton in Southern Brown County was removed from the map. A woman complained to the state and pushed hard to add it back. Her efforts to put Askeaton back on the map were listed in her obituary.

[SEWIGuy]

Askeaton still has a sign on WI-32/57 though.

[peterj920]

Askeaton still has a sign on WI-32/57 though.

Yet many other towns were removed. At County E Brant was removed. My hometown of Brillion was removed from County PP (old 114) and only much smaller Potter remains. Frustrating how Reedsville which is 1/3 the size of Brillion gets signs on I-43 and Hwy PP at the split in De Pere. It was most likely there from when Wis 32 once went to Reedsville but WISDOT never wanted to update the sign to Brillion since County PP goes to Brillion and it doesn't go to Reedsville.

[skluth]

Southern Bridge Connector Project in Brown County moving forward (source link in headline)

BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) - The Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance approved $50 million in funding as part of the 2023-25 biennial budget to build the Southern Bridge Connector in Brown County, according to a statement issued by Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach on June 14, 2023.

The proposed route begins at Packerland Drive in the town of Lawrence, continues along a new road to a future Interstate 41 interchange, and follows Southbridge and Red Maple Roads to the Fox River, reads the statement further.

It will then cross the Fox River and follow Rockland Road and a new road to the intersection of County Highways X and GV in the town of Ledgeview.

The plan has been in the quiver for decades already: The need for road and bridge improvements was first identified in the 1968 Brown County comprehensive plan. Since then, proposals for building a new Fox River bridge and connecting roads were included in many local communities. Hundreds of stakeholders have worked to make the bridge a reality.

"The committee's action to approve this funding for the Southern Bridge has proven that this project's investment is truly bipartisan, garnering the support of both the Legislature and the Governor's office,"  said Streckenbach. "Over the past 5 years, we've been able to craft a coalition of supporters to get this generational economic development project funded, helping complete the final chapter in this shared vision of improving life and business in southern Brown County."

[peterj920]

Southern Bridge Connector Project in Brown County moving forward (source link in headline)

BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) - The Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance approved $50 million in funding as part of the 2023-25 biennial budget to build the Southern Bridge Connector in Brown County, according to a statement issued by Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach on June 14, 2023.

If the bridge is going to be mainly state funded it would be a great candidate for a relocated Wis 32. It could easily rejoin Ashland Ave at the half interchange with I-41.

The proposed route begins at Packerland Drive in the town of Lawrence, continues along a new road to a future Interstate 41 interchange, and follows Southbridge and Red Maple Roads to the Fox River, reads the statement further.

It will then cross the Fox River and follow Rockland Road and a new road to the intersection of County Highways X and GV in the town of Ledgeview.

The plan has been in the quiver for decades already: The need for road and bridge improvements was first identified in the 1968 Brown County comprehensive plan. Since then, proposals for building a new Fox River bridge and connecting roads were included in many local communities. Hundreds of stakeholders have worked to make the bridge a reality.

"The committee's action to approve this funding for the Southern Bridge has proven that this project's investment is truly bipartisan, garnering the support of both the Legislature and the Governor's office,"  said Streckenbach. "Over the past 5 years, we've been able to craft a coalition of supporters to get this generational economic development project funded, helping complete the final chapter in this shared vision of improving life and business in southern Brown County."

[mgk920]

I'm thinking that it would be proposed by WisDOT to reroute WI 32 to follow that connector to I-41 and then be duplexed with I-41 northward to resume its current routing at the Shawano interchange.  Maybe that and/or some way to reroute WI 29 off of the city streets, especially in connection with the pending rebuild of I-41 between De Pere and Appleton.

Mike

[The Ghostbuster]

Has it been officially stated that this new road will be part of the state highway system? I would imagine it would be either a county highway or a local roadway with no designation.

[SEWIGuy]

I'm thinking that it would be proposed by WisDOT to reroute WI 32 to follow that connector to I-41 and then be duplexed with I-41 northward to resume its current routing at the Shawano interchange.  Maybe that and/or some way to reroute WI 29 off of the city streets, especially in connection with the pending rebuild of I-41 between De Pere and Appleton.

I doubt they move either WI-29 or WI-32 since they both cross the river already.

I think west of I-41 the road can just be an extension of CTH EB. East of I-41 should be a new state highway, crossing the Fox, and extending over the entire route, supplanting CTH GV (Monroe Road) to WI-172.

If they need to reduce mileage as part of this, they can just come up with a new number (WI-257) between I-41 and the current WI-32/57, but then have WI-57 take over the numbering, and duplex with WI-172 and I-43 to its current interchange up to Door County.  That would take the current portion of WI-57 from WI-32 to WI-54 off the state highway system. (Which is fine...its just an urban arterial at this point.)  They'd still have to come up with a couple of miles to equate the mileage, but that can be done.

[SEWIGuy]

Has it been officially stated that this new road will be part of the state highway system? I would imagine it would be either a county highway or a local roadway with no designation.

I would guess that it would be a state maintained bridge

[hobsini2]

Has it been officially stated that this new road will be part of the state highway system? I would imagine it would be either a county highway or a local roadway with no designation.

I would guess that it would be a state maintained bridge

It should be. I am of the belief that bridges over major state rivers should be state maintained. So for Wisconsin, that would be the Mississippi River, Wisconsin River (up to Wausau or Merrill), Fox River (from Green Bay down to Oshkosh or Berlin), St Croix River (up to Danbury), Rock River (up to Jefferson), and Menominee River (up to the Iron Mountain area). The Downtown Milwaukee Bridges should probably be included as well.

[skluth]

Has it been officially stated that this new road will be part of the state highway system? I would imagine it would be either a county highway or a local roadway with no designation.

I would guess that it would be a state maintained bridge

It should be. I am of the belief that bridges over major state rivers should be state maintained. So for Wisconsin, that would be the Mississippi River, Wisconsin River (up to Wausau or Merrill), Fox River (from Green Bay down to Oshkosh or Berlin), St Croix River (up to Danbury), Rock River (up to Jefferson), and Menominee River (up to the Iron Mountain area). The Downtown Milwaukee Bridges should probably be included as well.

I'd also add those on the northern border, the Menominee/Brule River, Montreal River, and St Louis River.

[paulthemapguy]

Maybe Green Bay will pull an Indiana and stick WI-57 on the eastern half of the new road, also sticking WI-32 on the western half, to get both state highways out of downtown Green Bay.

[SEWIGuy]

Maybe Green Bay will pull an Indiana and stick WI-57 on the eastern half of the new road, also sticking WI-32 on the western half, to get both state highways out of downtown Green Bay.

WI-32 isn't in downtown Green Bay already.

[peterj920]

What complicates rerouting Wis 32/Wis 57 in the Green Bay Areas are Ashwaubenon and Allouez. Wis 32/57 are owned by the cities of De Pere and Green Bay within their boundaries and are connecting highways. WISDOT owns Wis 32/Ashland Ave in Ashwaubenon and Wis 57/Riverside Dr in Allouez is owned by WISDOT. Those stretches would most likely need to be transferred to the county since those municipalities probably don't want to take ownership. Wis 32 could easily be transferred to the new bridge, be rerouted onto I-41 until Ashland Ave and rejoin its current alignment since Wis 32 in De Pere is owned by the city.

That is the reason why Business 51 is owned by WISDOT in Plover and Whiting, but no longer an official highway in Stevens Point since it was a connecting highway that Stevens Point owned.

[SEWIGuy]

I don't believe WI-32 in De Pere is owned by the city. The city in fact wants to study removing the double one-way alignment on the west side of the Fox River, but WIDOT is standing in the way of that. And again, they aren't going to remove WI-32 off the current De Pere bridge.

[peterj920]

I don't believe WI-32 in De Pere is owned by the city. The city in fact wants to study removing the double one-way alignment on the west side of the Fox River, but WIDOT is standing in the way of that. And again, they aren't going to remove WI-32 off the current De Pere bridge.

Here's the connecting highway map in De Pere. The way it works is that the city owns and maintains all jurisdiction on the road. WISDOT gives out connecting highway aids.

https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/projects/data-plan/plan-res/connecting/depere-ch.pdf

Below is another link to the WISDOT connecting highway page with maps of all cities that have them:

https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/data-plan/plan-res/connecting.aspx

[SEWIGuy]

Right, but that doesn't mean that De Pere can re-route or make substantial changes to the highway without WIDOT approval.

[dvferyance]

Got the new 2023 map last weekend. And there are errors many in fact. First of all they still mark an interchange at Hwy 57/100 I know that is a recent change but come on. It's a Wisdot project they should know about that. It also incorrectly marks an interchange on the west side of Waukesha where the bypass meets Hwy 18 west. There never was an interchange there and I don't beleive one was even ever considered. It also still marks what's left of Merrill Hills Rd as Hwy TT when the bypass was completed that county route was decommissioned. The Madison beltline and Hwy 151 between Madison and Sun Prairie are marked as just 4 lane and not freeways. The Beloit inset shows I-43 disappearing before it reaches the edge of the inset. It marks the newly expanded Hwy 23 between Fond Du Lac and Plymouth as just 4 lane instead of an expressway. It still marks Lizard Mound as a county park rather than a state park. It marks New Berlin as a city that has a hospital but the Froedart campus there is still only a clinic. I believe I might have found more but those are the ones I can think of off hand.

[GeekJedi]

I just noticed today that WisDOT has rolled back STH 83 from STH 175 to STH 60 in Hartford. What was 83 going north are now city streets, and becomes CTH R north of town.

Not much of a surprise, since 83 north of Hartford is pretty much a lightly used rural road that kind of just peters out at 175.

[The Ghostbuster]

It appears the truncation of STH 83 occurred in 2021. However, this map of Washington County shows present-day CTH R as CTH W: https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/travel/road/hwy-maps/county-maps/washington.pdf.

[Big John]

It appears the truncation of STH 83 occurred in 2021. However, this map of Washington County shows present-day CTH R as CTH W: https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/travel/road/hwy-maps/county-maps/washington.pdf.

Washington CTH W follows STH 33 over I-41 in Allenton.

[The Ghostbuster]

True, but it stops at STH 175 just northwest of St. Lawerence. It doesn't continue into Hartford like the Washington County map mistakenly shows.

[SEWIGuy]

I just noticed today that WisDOT has rolled back STH 83 from STH 175 to STH 60 in Hartford. What was 83 going north are now city streets, and becomes CTH R north of town.

Not much of a surprise, since 83 north of Hartford is pretty much a lightly used rural road that kind of just peters out at 175.

Wonder if that's what they used to create the mileage for WI-311. It's the same WIDOT region and roughly the same length.