Wisconsin notes

[thspfc]

Fixing the rest of the Beltline will be more value for money than building a royal castle of an interchange at Verona Rd. Get rid of the Seminole and Todd interchanges. Merge the John Nolen and Rimrock interchanges into one, or if that's not feasible just get rid of Rimrock too. And please, an interchange at CTH-K.

[The Ghostbuster]

Those hoping for improvements on the Beltline may be in for a long wait. According to this PDF, while NEPA studies will begin this decade for the US 14/University Ave.-to-Whitney Wy. segment, the NEPA studies for the Whitney Wy-to-Interstates 39/90 segment won't happen until the 2030s: https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/projects/by-region/sw/madisonbeltline/524nepa.pdf. While the former may see construction in the 2030s, it may be at least the 2040s before construction on the latter begins. The remaining Beltline Study PDFs from the May 28th/29th PIMS can be located here: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/madisonbeltline/public.aspx.

[peterj920]

I just drove on a resurfaced Wis 16 Oconomowoc Bypass which features white then black stripes even on asphalt. The Wis 15 Hortonville Bypass was striped the same way but the black stands out way more since that was on concrete. However, I-43 is being striped with the white/black outline stripes. Will the new longer white/black stripes be used on new projects after I-43?

[triplemultiplex]

I haven't been over that way in a while, so I was surprised to see US 10 and US 45 aren't posted for 70 mph NW and west of Oshkosh/Appleton.  Pretty glaring omission, in my opinion.
If US 14 between Oregon and Madison is good enough for 70 than surely these freeways are.

[peterj920]

I haven't been over that way in a while, so I was surprised to see US 10 and US 45 aren't posted for 70 mph NW and west of Oshkosh/Appleton.  Pretty glaring omission, in my opinion.
If US 14 between Oregon and Madison is good enough for 70 than surely these freeways are.

The only thing I can think of is that the North Central Region doesn't want non-interstates to be signed at 70mph. Every region has a 70 mph non-interstate freeway except the North Central Region. Wis 29 east of Wausau and US 51 north of I-39 to Merrill could be 70 mph but isn't.

In the Northeast region, Wis 57 and Wis 29 are 70 mph in the Green Bay Area and the Wis 29 70 mph zone was just extended to Wis 32. The only thing I can think of is that the freeway section of US 10 enters Waupaca County and the North Central Region didn't want to make US 10 70 mph so the Northeast Region left US 10/US 45 in Winnebago County at 65 mph because of it.

[mgk920]

Interesting, WisDOT just dug out, removed and paved over the Weigh In Motion scales that they installed on I-41 at the north end of the Oshkosh Causeway when they upgraded the highway to six lanes in the early 2010s.

Mike

[mgk920]

Interesting, WisDOT just dug out, removed and paved over the Weigh In Motion scales that they installed on I-41 at the north end of the Oshkosh Causeway when they upgraded the highway to six lanes in the early 2010s.

A quick update, the scales in the far right lanes in both directions (leading to and from US 45 to the northwest) were retained.

Mike

[The Ghostbuster]

Next week, there will be public information meeting for the draft environmental impact statement for the Interstate 39/90/94 Study: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/399094/public.aspx. I probably won't attend since I'm helping my mother clean out her house (she did receive a flyer in the mail about the PIM). After the meetings are held I'll check the study's DOT website (https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/399094/default.aspx), which is the norm for me.

[tchafe1978]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uPdZ8mrsbiiPZRdw9

Spotted this strange sign along I-41 on the way to Oshkosh today. I didn't know such a place as Slinger EAST existed. Regardless Slinger is west along 60, not east.

[SEWIGuy]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uPdZ8mrsbiiPZRdw9

Spotted this strange sign along I-41 on the way to Oshkosh today. I didn't know such a place as Slinger EAST existed. Regardless Slinger is west along 60, not east.

Actually there are small parts of Slinger that are East, and that's why they likely have that on the sign.

Going back in GSV, it looks like it has been signed that way since 2009. Prior to then Jackson was the only control city.

[mgk920]

A small amount of the Village of Slinger is east of I-41.

Mike

[The Ghostbuster]

They probably should have signed the STH 60 East sign for Jackson and Grafton instead of Slinger East.

[tchafe1978]

But the EAST is on the sign like a cardinal direction for 60, which is already on the sign next to the shield, so it's basically redundnant and not located properly on the sign, even if a small portion of Slinger is east of I-41.

[SEWIGuy]

I think this is the result of a rural, free flowing interchange that will eventually need to be a simple trumpet with lights. There really is no need to have two exits for WI-60 there.

The NB to EB ramp was only added around 1990.  The rest of the interchange dates back decades.

[peterj920]

I think this is the result of a rural, free flowing interchange that will eventually need to be a simple trumpet with lights. There really is no need to have two exits for WI-60 there.

The NB to EB ramp was only added around 1990.  The rest of the interchange dates back decades.

If it's not broke don't fix it.

[peterj920]

Looked at the new TPC Report to see which new projects are being considered for majors and it's pretty Madison centric. There's I/39/90/94 from Madison-Wis Dells, US 12 and The Beltline, US 51/Stoughton Rd, and US 18/151 freeway conversion to Dodgeville and expanding the Verona Bypass to 6 lanes. The other project listed is converting US 151 between Columbus and Waupun to a freeway.

[SEWIGuy]

I think this is the result of a rural, free flowing interchange that will eventually need to be a simple trumpet with lights. There really is no need to have two exits for WI-60 there.

The NB to EB ramp was only added around 1990.  The rest of the interchange dates back decades.

If it's not broke don't fix it.

Eventually they break though.

[Molandfreak]

Why was that interchange designed this way to begin with? Was Hartford in the middle of a population boom that the DOT expected to continue?

[SEWIGuy]

Why was that interchange designed this way to begin with? Was Hartford in the middle of a population boom that the DOT expected to continue?

Up until the late 80s, early 90s, the only exit off of NB US-41 was the cloverleaf. They added the direct NB to EB ramp around then.

Honestly I think they designed it that way simply because back in the day it was a rural highway. I am not sure anyone envisioned that Slinger would grow to the point where it was on both sides of 41.

[mgk920]

I think this is the result of a rural, free flowing interchange that will eventually need to be a simple trumpet with lights. There really is no need to have two exits for WI-60 there.

The NB to EB ramp was only added around 1990.  The rest of the interchange dates back decades.

If it's not broke don't fix it.

My sense is that it was designed that way to handle expected outbound commuter traffic from Milwaukeeland.

Mike

[Molandfreak]

If they don't want to start from scratch on a standard diamond replacement, they could also consider closing exit 64A and slightly realigning the on-ramp to accommodate a left turn lane/roadway.

[SEWIGuy]

I think this is the result of a rural, free flowing interchange that will eventually need to be a simple trumpet with lights. There really is no need to have two exits for WI-60 there.

The NB to EB ramp was only added around 1990.  The rest of the interchange dates back decades.

If it's not broke don't fix it.

My sense is that it was designed that way to handle expected outbound commuter traffic from Milwaukeeland.

Mike

In the 1950s? Perhaps but that place was completely rural at the time.

[triplemultiplex]

I noticed early this summer that the WI 29 business route in Abbotsford is no longer signed on WI 29.  Didn't go thru town itself to see the status of those signs, but as far as travelers on the highway are concerned, that business route is gone.

[74/171FAN]

I noticed early this summer that the WI 29 business route in Abbotsford is no longer signed on WI 29.  Didn't go thru town itself to see the status of those signs, but as far as travelers on the highway are concerned, that business route is gone.

GSV from August 2023 shows it as signed in downtown.

[Molandfreak]

It is fully-signed, including signage on the off-ramps. I don't know why it was omitted from the BGS.