Madison Area

[SEWIGuy]

I'd also like to move WI 35 onto CTH F in St. Croix & Pierce counties.  Thus paving the way for the expressway between Hudson and River Falls to get a gratuitous upgrade to I-194.   (Not serious about then, just poking the bear.)

I actually asked someone at WisDOT about this very thing about 20 years ago, soon after the expressway was completed.  He said the counties had enquired about this, but they had to turn them down because a) the mileage "salary cap"... there was no good corresponding turnback candidates where the counties would take over something from the state in return and b) CTH F has too many private driveways that have access to the road to meet their safety criteria.  Before the state could take it over, some of those would have to be closed off or consolidated until it was under some threshold concentration number.   I had suggested calling the expressway WI-594 afterwards, and he agreed that was a great number for it if it ever happens. 

Couldn't you create enough mileage by moving US-12 onto the interstate at Menomonie and turning the current US-12 into a county highway? Real quick check shows that County F has more traffic than US-12.

[invincor]

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Couldn't you create enough mileage by moving US-12 onto the interstate at Menomonie and turning the current US-12 into a county highway? Real quick check shows that County F has more traffic than US-12.
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I suppose you could, and if they manage the cap these days by district rather than county, then that could work.  They were still doing it county-by-county back when I asked the question, and a US-12 swap wouldn't have worked then as none of it is in Pierce while the majority of CTH-F is.  Then again, they might still be loathe to downgrade that much of 12 as it's really useful as an Alternate-I-94 whenever there's construction or a major accident affecting I-94 traffic.  (and it's signed as such)

Sorry that we're off-topic as this isn't "Madison Area".   Mods, please feel free to shunt this tangent over into Wisconsin Notes or elsewhere.

[peterj920]

Dane County is growing but there isn't any need for new state highways. Upgrades to existing highways are badly needed. Wis 19 needs to be 4 lanes between Waunakee and Sun Prairie, US 14 needs to be made 4 lanes to Cross Plains and needs to be upgraded to 4 lanes between Oregon and Evansville. Wis 113 could also use a 4 lane upgrade between River Rd and Wis 19. It would also help to place interchanges on US 12 where there are currently traffic signals.

[The Ghostbuster]

US 12 may get additional interchanges in the long-term to replace signaled intersections. As for expanding US 14, STH 19, and STH 113 to four lanes, don't hold your breath.

[thspfc]

#1 priority should be US-12 at CTH-K but that's clearly not the case.

[peterj920]

US 12 may get additional interchanges in the long-term to replace signaled intersections. As for expanding US 14, STH 19, and STH 113 to four lanes, don't hold your breath.

I'm trying to understand the logic of a flyover ramp from I-39/90/94 to Wis 19 west in the latest proposal only for it to be reduced to 2 lanes a mile later. I know they're not in current plans but the expansions are needed.

The traffic counts support expansion. On those segments of Wis 19 traffic counts vary from 11,600 to 16,200. The other segments are 9500-13,000 VPD.

[rower155]

I suppose if you're headed to Waunakee, the flyover would bypass the RR and traffic signals.  I would hope those 2 mile gap segments of 19 and 113 would be 4 lanes by the time this is built.

I'm not sure about those alternatives of putting 19 up and over the interstate and the RR.  The limits of Alt 1 definitely don't work in their drawing.

[triplemultiplex]

I'd agree that flyover is overkill, but it would make it easier to stage swapping the grade between the interstate and WI 19.
When an overpass gets replaced by an underpass, you have to totally close one of the intersecting roads during construction, so WI 19 will have to be closed for at least one entire construction season to do that.  The flyover makes it so they can build that first and have it available to access Waunakee from the south during the over/under switch.

It's going to be a significant headache to grade switch that interchange because you're losing a lot of east-west connectivity for most of one year.

[thspfc]

A more radical, but cheaper, idea: cut off access to CTH-CV and make it a DDI. The CV intersection is what causes, or heavily contributes to, the backups in that area. Traffic going from Windsor to 39/90/94 and vice versa can use Windsor Rd to US-51 southbound, and River Rd to CTH-V northbound.

[The Ghostbuster]

A previous proposal for that segment of US 51 was to convert the CTH-CV/Anderson Rd. intersection into an overpass, and construct an interchange between US 51 and Hoepker Rd., with the CTH-CV designation being moved to Hoepker Rd. (I assume existing CV between Hoepker and US 51 would have been renamed as an extension of Anderson Rd.). In any event, the Stoughton Rd. Corridor Study has been spilt into two separate studies: The South Study (Voges Rd./Terminal Dr.-to-STH 30) is here: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us51-corridor/southstudy.aspx. The North Study (STH 30-to-STH 19) is here: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us51-corridor/northstudy.aspx.

[peterj920]

A previous proposal for that segment of US 51 was to convert the CTH-CV/Anderson Rd. intersection into an overpass, and construct an interchange between US 51 and Hoepker Rd., with the CTH-CV designation being moved to Hoepker Rd. (I assume existing CV between Hoepker and US 51 would have been renamed as an extension of Anderson Rd.). In any event, the Stoughton Rd. Corridor Study has been spilt into two separate studies: The South Study (Voges Rd./Terminal Dr.-to-STH 30) is here: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us51-corridor/southstudy.aspx. The North Study (STH 30-to-STH 19) is here: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us51-corridor/northstudy.aspx.

US 51/Stoughton Rd needs to be upgraded at least close to
a freeway between US 151/E Washington and US 12/Beltline. There are major backups at the Pfaum Rd and Buckeye Rd intersections and interchanges are needed badly. The US 51/US 151 proposal for an SPUI seems to be the perfect fix for that intersection. Traffic between US 51 and I-90 isn't terribly bad and is good mostly as is. However it's great to see the awful pavement being replaced on the northbound lanes north of US 151.

[US 12 fan]

At the meeting for the Madison to Dells project, was there any talk about US 151 getting rerouted or was that not mentioned at all? There was speculation on this top that this may happen.

[US 12 fan]

Never mind. I went on the project site and it said they are not considering off alignment options at this time.

[The Ghostbuster]

Those off-alignment proposals probably wouldn't have been constructed anyway.

[US 12 fan]

Here is a picture of the US 12/18 and County AB interchange project.

https://projects.511wi.gov/us1218-countyab/wp-content/uploads/sites/986/3080-01-40-Looking-South-at-Interchange-676x380.jpg

[triplemultiplex]

Noticed there's now a small billboard SB on the triplex just north of the Dane County line: "Bucees 559 miles"
Seems like they're teasing their new location since that's just north of the exit they're going it at.  Thought it was funny; like I expect to see that same billboard in the future with the 559 crossed off and the words "next exit" added.

[The Ghostbuster]

Obviously, the photographer taking the picture of the new interchange at CTH AB was facing southwest. Here is a perspective of what the interchange and corridor will look like when construction of Exit 269 is completed: https://projects.511wi.gov/us1218-countyab/wp-content/uploads/sites/986/PIM2_CTH-AB-Project-Overview-FINAL-2022-06-21.pdf.

[GeekJedi]

Noticed there's now a small billboard SB on the triplex just north of the Dane County line: "Bucees 559 miles"
Seems like they're teasing their new location since that's just north of the exit they're going it at.  Thought it was funny; like I expect to see that same billboard in the future with the 559 crossed off and the words "next exit" added.

Ha! Funny enough - I saw that and thought the same thing!

[triplemultiplex]

Local media is reporting this week that the flex lane on the Beltline has reduced travel times by 45% after one year of data.
Sounds great, but that will disappear in the next 2-3 years, just you watch.

[The Ghostbuster]

I think in the long-term, the beltline should get an additional lane in each direction. In the short-term, the flex lane should be extended to at least the University Ave. interchange.

[Plutonic Panda]

Local media is reporting this week that the flex lane on the Beltline has reduced travel times by 45% after one year of data.
Sounds great, but that will disappear in the next 2-3 years, just you watch.

Then if that happens it'll need to be expanded. If possible expand it by 2 additional lanes each way instead of one.

[Big John]

Local media is reporting this week that the flex lane on the Beltline has reduced travel times by 45% after one year of data.
Sounds great, but that will disappear in the next 2-3 years, just you watch.

Then if that happens it'll need to be expanded. If possible expand it by 2 additional lanes each way instead of one.

Madison politics will never allow that.  Full of BANANAs

[The Ghostbuster]

Also, there are right-of-way constraints that would make widening difficult (although I think it needs to be done, as the beltline is the most heavily traveled corridor in the city of Madison). That is why I think they should extend the flex lanes first. The Interstates also need an additional lane in each direction north of the beltline interchange.

[JoePCool14]

Local media is reporting this week that the flex lane on the Beltline has reduced travel times by 45% after one year of data.
Sounds great, but that will disappear in the next 2-3 years, just you watch.

Then if that happens it'll need to be expanded. If possible expand it by 2 additional lanes each way instead of one.

Never, ever going to happen. What Madison needs is a south to west bypass, which also probably won't happen.

[algorerhythms]

Local media is reporting this week that the flex lane on the Beltline has reduced travel times by 45% after one year of data.
Sounds great, but that will disappear in the next 2-3 years, just you watch.

Then if that happens it'll need to be expanded. If possible expand it by 2 additional lanes each way instead of one.

Never, ever going to happen. What Madison needs is a south to west bypass, which also probably won't happen.

Isn't that what the Beltline is supposed to be?