Wisconsin notes

[WarrenWallace]

WI 138 had a decent traffic count between Oregon and Stoughton. The web app linked below shows traffic count info shows numbers of approximately 9k/day on that stretch. The section from Stoughton to Cooksville is much less traveled.

And a lot of people do use it from Stoughton to get over to US 14 to avoid backups on the Beltline.

https://wisdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2e12a4f051de4ea9bc865ec6393731f8

[GeekJedi]

What was WisDOT smoking when they posted the Hortonville bypass at 55?

It ought to be 65 in my opinion.

Also, why is WI 138 (Stoughton to Oregon) signed as north-south when the entire route is virtually due east-west?  Bigger question is, why isn't it a county highway in the first place with how short and rather lightly traveled it is?

https://www.wisconsinhighways.org/listings/WiscHwys130-139.html#STH-138

[mgk920]

What was WisDOT smoking when they posted the Hortonville bypass at 55?

They're waiting for a time in the indefinite future when WI 15 the rest of the way to I-41 is upgraded to a fell freeway?   

Mike

[SEWIGuy]

What was WisDOT smoking when they posted the Hortonville bypass at 55?

It ought to be 65 in my opinion.

Also, why is WI 138 (Stoughton to Oregon) signed as north-south when the entire route is virtually due east-west?  Bigger question is, why isn't it a county highway in the first place with how short and rather lightly traveled it is?

WI-138 has a significant north/south portion. And it's just a legacy highway that's they have maintained forever.

[TheCatalyst31]

WI 138 had a decent traffic count between Oregon and Stoughton. The web app linked below shows traffic count info shows numbers of approximately 9k/day on that stretch. The section from Stoughton to Cooksville is much less traveled.

And a lot of people do use it from Stoughton to get over to US 14 to avoid backups on the Beltline.

https://wisdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2e12a4f051de4ea9bc865ec6393731f8

Even the less-traveled portion of WIS 138 (and a lot of Dane County's actual county highways) has more traffic than tons of rural state highways. If anything they should extend it to Verona along CTH M, which also gets a good bit of traffic.

[The Ghostbuster]

I could see CTH-M being four-laned between Verona and Oregon in the future, but there is no way it would become an extension of STH-138. The east-west segment of STH-138 was part of STH-106 from 1923 to 1962 (and STH-100 before then, between 1919-1923), when it became an extension of 138. Before the US 14 Oregon Bypass was completed in 1978, STH-138 used Hill Rd. to end at US 14 at this intersection: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.917973,-89.3530587,3a,75y,91.39h,79.86t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sdGuNRrdopB0vvwl6_S8qcw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D10.141627217275456%26panoid%3DdGuNRrdopB0vvwl6_S8qcw%26yaw%3D91.38880725224104!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205410&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. There was also a proposal to relocate US 14 to a new alignment west of the existing alignment between STH-138 and STH-92. The right-of-way was purchased in 1976, and had been proposed to be anything from a two-lane highway with at-grade intersections, to a four-lane freeway. The last known study for the realignment was in the 2010s, but I believe the project is permanently dead. I doubt they'll do anything to the corridor beyond the resurfacing and roundabout construction projects that occurred in 2022.

[mrose]

CTH-M used to be a corner cut for Janesville-Beloit to get to US 18-151 west without having to go all the way up to the Beltline. Of course Fitchburg is a lot more built up now so I'm not sure if still really works as well as it did 30 years ago.

[hobsini2]

CTH-M used to be a corner cut for Janesville-Beloit to get to US 18-151 west without having to go all the way up to the Beltline. Of course Fitchburg is a lot more built up now so I'm not sure if still really works as well as it did 30 years ago.

Overall it still saves about 5 minutes depending on how bad the Beltline is moving.

[peterj920]

It looks like the black/white stripe combination is the new statewide striping standard. On US 12 between Middleton and Sauk City, black lines were just added. They're also being added to I-41 between Neenah and Appleton on the newly diamond ground concrete. The repair project really smoothed out the 30 year old concrete.

[JREwing78]

WisDOT is holding a public meeting Wed Nov. 6th at the Rock County Sheriff's Office for a proposed reconstruction project (anticipated in 2029) on US-51 in Janesville between Black Bridge Rd and the US-14 intersection.

This project will replace the full depth of the existing asphalt pavement with new asphalt, rebuild a crumbling retaining wall, upgrade guardrail to current standard, replace the "wingwalls" on the US-51 bridge over Highway F, and upgrade curb ramps to ADA compliant.

[The Ghostbuster]

The website for that project is located here: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us51-janesville/default.aspx.

[peterj920]

When will the fate of I-794 be decided. Removing the freeway for a few blocks would make no sense with the Hoan Bridge not having a direct link to the freeway system. The footprint can be reduced but the freeway needs to remain.

[SEWIGuy]

When will the fate of I-794 be decided. Removing the freeway for a few blocks would make no sense with the Hoan Bridge not having a direct link to the freeway system. The footprint can be reduced but the freeway needs to remain.

There is an entire topic here that has links to the WIDOT site.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=34565.0

[GeekJedi]

I didn't see it mentioned (and if it was, I apologize) but a little presto-change-o happened in Racine County. STH-75 was turned over to the county and is now signed as CTH-BD. Meanwhile, CTH-KR was upgraded east of I-94/41 and is now STH-195.

[Big John]

I didn't see it mentioned (and if it was, I apologize) but a little presto-change-o happened in Racine County. STH-75 was turned over to the county and is now signed as CTH-BD. Meanwhile, CTH-KR was upgraded east of I-94/41 and is now STH-195.

Must be new as Google Maps still show the old designations.

[The Ghostbuster]

This news story from October gives an explanation of the highway changes: https://www.myracinecounty.com/news/2024/highway-75-to-become-county-responsibility/.

[TheCatalyst31]

That makes two new state highways in a row that are connected to the Foxconn project, though at least 195 has other uses.

[US 12 fan]

I wondered if they were going to change KR to a state highway at some point when they expanded it from two lanes to four. At least this makes sense, although I would have done this differently. I would have kept KR from Highway 32 to Highway 31 and made it 195 from Highway 31 to US Highway 45. That being said, I do still think Highway 311 makes no sense because it still feels like a county highway. 

[SEWIGuy]

I wondered if they were going to change KR to a state highway at some point when they expanded it from two lanes to four. At least this makes sense, although I would have done this differently. I would have kept KR from Highway 32 to Highway 31 and made it 195 from Highway 31 to US Highway 45. That being said, I do still think Highway 311 makes no sense because it still feels like a county highway. 

WI-311 is maintained by the state, therefore its a state highway. How it "feels" isn't really relevant.

[US 12 fan]

Whatever. It just feels weird to me. And now since KR is now 195 and the state runs it, hopefully they will fix the road between Highway 31 and Highway 32 because it needs to be fixed. Especially since the road between 32 and Highway Y looks chewed up.

[SEWIGuy]

Whatever. It just feels weird to me. And now since KR is now 195 and the state runs it, hopefully they will fix the road between Highway 31 and Highway 32 because it needs to be fixed. Especially since the road between 32 and Highway Y looks chewed up.

I don't think WIDOT should decide what roads it should be responsible for maintaining because they feel weird to message board posters.

It just not that big of a deal. There are all sorts of similar, largely irrelevant routes that are signed as state routes.

[Molandfreak]

Whatever. It just feels weird to me. And now since KR is now 195 and the state runs it, hopefully they will fix the road between Highway 31 and Highway 32 because it needs to be fixed. Especially since the road between 32 and Highway Y looks chewed up.

I don't think WIDOT should decide what roads it should be responsible for maintaining because they feel weird to message board posters.

Well, a private company that failed to deliver on its promises to the state government that resulted in said highway being built shouldn't decide if it remains a state highway, either.

[peterj920]

There's a couple of WISDOT oddities in the Racine/Kenosha Area. County S/Old Wis 142 has been expanded to 4 lanes and is a lot better road than nearby Wis 158 that's 2 lanes, rough, and crowded.

I'd also like to know why WISDOT spent money on posting Wis 50 signs past Wis 31 only to be taken down about a year later when the ending was moved to Wis 31. Talk about a waste of money.

[SEWIGuy]

I'd also like to know why WISDOT spent money on posting Wis 50 signs past Wis 31 only to be taken down about a year later when the ending was moved to Wis 31. Talk about a waste of money.

Because it was still a state highway.

[FightingIrish]

There's a couple of WISDOT oddities in the Racine/Kenosha Area. County S/Old Wis 142 has been expanded to 4 lanes and is a lot better road than nearby Wis 158 that's 2 lanes, rough, and crowded.

I'd also like to know why WISDOT spent money on posting Wis 50 signs past Wis 31 only to be taken down about a year later when the ending was moved to Wis 31. Talk about a waste of money.

WIS 158 is a relic of the old Chrysler/AMC plant days, giving a direct connection to I-94. Now, the factory is a big massive grass field, awaiting future development that may or may not ever happen. Nothing of note is currently on that route, aside from the local airport near the interstate. Perhaps it's a future decommission candidate for when Kenosha County and the state need to do some bartering for state route mileage.

On the other hand, with WIS 50 now truncated to WIS 31, WIS 158 is the only east-west state highway connecting I-41/94 to WIS 32 in Downtown Kenosha.