Wisconsin notes

[The Ghostbuster]

A potential Sauk City Bypass was delayed to 2020 in order to widen US 12 to four lanes between Sauk City and Madison. If a Sauk City Bypass can't (or won't be built), perhaps existing US 12 should be expanded from two lanes to four lanes.

[thspfc]

I think this project delays a Sauk bypass by another 20+ years, if it was ever going to happen at all. I think the only chance it has is major growth in the Sauk/Baraboo area.

Closing the four lane gap will happen though, there's really not much left to upgrade.

[midwesternroadguy]

I legit was just thinking if there was going to be any plan to upgrade 90/94 between the 39 split and the Dells. Was up there for our annual family trip to the Kalahari. Good to see its at least on the radar

Frankly, it's more needed than the 6-to-8 conversion between Portage and Madison.

Southbound on summer Sundays; hoo boy.

Another way to relieve congestion would be to upgrade US 12 and build a Sauk City Bypass. That would be a great alternate route for I-90/94. On Sunday afternoons in summer traffic gets backed up when the road narrows from 2 lanes to 1 south of Business 12.

Yes, I've seen Sundays SB traffic back up to 2 miles north of County Trunk Z/Business 12.

I'm not sure 4-laning US 12 without a bypass will do much for weekend traffic. The stoplights at PF and in Sauk City certainly fuel the backups more. 

And where did the proposed roundabout at Sauk Prairie Road and 12 come from?  I rarely see cars waiting on the side road. Wouldn't it make more sense to build an overpass there instead of a traffic-slowing roundabout that may be replaced by an overpass anyway if/when a bypass is built?   Save the money and do it right the first time. 

[The Ghostbuster]

An overpass would likely be overkill. Although it isn't proposed, could the STH 60 and Business 12/CTH Z intersections be converted to roundabouts like Sauk Prairie Rd. intersection is?

[thspfc]

Just noticed the WI-52 rerouting onto Bridge St in Wausau. It seems the terminus is now the US-51/Bridge St interchange?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I noticed yesterday that the long-troublesome JCT MN 95 shield on westbound US 8 at the St. Croix River has finally been corrected (again).

In the 90s/2000s it was a weird WIS 95 with "MINN" on the inside, then it was a correct TH 95 shield for a time, was replaced with an error plain WIS 95 for 10-15 years, now corrected.

[The Ghostbuster]

There is an End STH 52 at the Bridge St. interchange on US 51. However, Google Maps shows STH 52 turning south on N. 17th Ave., and then heading west on its old alignment to end at its former terminus at STH 29: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9635287,-89.6625829,2446m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUyMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. Obviously, that's inaccurate.

[SSOWorld]

There is an End STH 52 at the Bridge St. interchange on US 51. However, Google Maps shows STH 52 turning south on N. 17th Ave., and then heading west on its old alignment to end at its former terminus at STH 29: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9635287,-89.6625829,2446m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUyMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. Obviously, that's inaccurate.

The goog is incorrect. WisDOT intended to reroute 52 and Bus 51 (which now continues on 1st/3rd Ave to Thomas St before going east to Grand Ave). I don't know what the motive for rerouting them was, but there's nothing in DT Wausau anyway besides the riverfront and Grand Theater.

[hobsini2]

There is an End STH 52 at the Bridge St. interchange on US 51. However, Google Maps shows STH 52 turning south on N. 17th Ave., and then heading west on its old alignment to end at its former terminus at STH 29: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9635287,-89.6625829,2446m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUyMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. Obviously, that's inaccurate.

The goog is incorrect. WisDOT intended to reroute 52 and Bus 51 (which now continues on 1st/3rd Ave to Thomas St before going east to Grand Ave). I don't know what the motive for rerouting them was, but there's nothing in DT Wausau anyway besides the riverfront and Grand Theater.

I can see where Google made the mistake and I don't blame them at all. If you look on GSV at the corner of 17th & Stewart, there is a street sign calling the rerouted Stewart as Highway 52 Pkwy.

Here it is:
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9594409,-89.655687,3a,19.2y,356.91h,99.04t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sxj4Xk5x9yJTDeH6Ed1sF6g!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-9.036388804723146%26panoid%3Dxj4Xk5x9yJTDeH6Ed1sF6g%26yaw%3D356.9123558816704!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUyMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[The Ghostbuster]

Since STH 52 doesn't go that way anymore, that sign should be removed.

[SSOWorld]

It was always called that because Stewart Ave went straight (literally) meaning a car would have to jump curbs into a parking lot and likely wreck oncoming traffic NASCAR style on the way. (Technicelly, the 2nd of 2 traffic lights westbound is where Stewart Ave exits "iself" 29 used to go through town on Stewart to Grand Ave and Schofield Ave before its reroute along the freeway with 51 (and being send up Bus 51 to Schofield Ave from a stub freeway before WisDOT finally built the 4-lane in the early 90s.

That said, When the 6-laning of 51 was completed, 52 was extended to meet 29, but now this road is nothing to write home about road-geek wise because the signing of 52 north of town tells me Wausau wants to stay boring. (you pass 3 high schools, a former middle school, and a Catholic church, nothing more.

[interstatefan990]

Does anyone regularly drive through this dumbbell interchange in Oshkosh? Seems like it's missing a fair amount of signage and road markings, especially regarding what lane to be in for entering I-41 South from WI-21 West.

[hobsini2]

Does anyone regularly drive through this dumbbell interchange in Oshkosh? Seems like it's missing a fair amount of signage and road markings, especially regarding what lane to be in for entering I-41 South from WI-21 West.

When my grandparents were still around, they lived about a mile from this interchange. I don't know what you are talking about. There's plenty of signage including over the lane signage coming into the interchange.
google.com/maps/@44.0325611,-88.5808618,3a,76.6y,258.49h,93.36t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sF03atEqxjVy9Z7-ZMPBvJA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-3.355757064823649%26panoid%3DF03atEqxjVy9Z7-ZMPBvJA%26yaw%3D258.49002656479934!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUyNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

And there are pavement markings as well.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0322717,-88.5816864,3a,90y,20.44h,69.69t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_rNU9SBoIUb_CWLKyZ7lwA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D20.31224937369356%26panoid%3D_rNU9SBoIUb_CWLKyZ7lwA%26yaw%3D20.444707802815895!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUyNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Seems easy enough to me.

[The Ghostbuster]

Three roundabouts are being constructed on STH 21 between Oshkosh and Ormo: https://projects.511wi.gov/21winn2025/full-project-overview/.

[WarrenWallace]

An interesting thing about that interchange that before the latest renovation to US-41 (probably in preparation for the upgrade to I-41) was that WI-21 used to go under US-41. You can still see some of the images in streetview. When I did work driving and mapping Winnebago County we used to stay at a hotel at the northeast quadrant of the interchange. Very interesting how much that area has changed.

[Icewolf]

Interesting update about a potential push from the city of Madison to reroute US 151  off of Washington and Park Avenues to I-39/90/94 and the Beltline.

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2026/05/30/madison-considers-taking-control-park-street-corridor-state-amid-safety-concerns/

[The Ghostbuster]

I think US 151 should stay on its existing alignment through Madison. If they had wanted 151 to completely bypass Madison, they should've done it in 1964, when Interstates 90 and 94 were completed around the Madison area.

[US 12 fan]

If Highway 151 is going to be rerouted, it would make more sense to do it when the I-39-90-94 expansion project is approved. This way when the signs are created, they don't have to immediately replace them.

[TheCatalyst31]

Interesting update about a potential push from the city of Madison to reroute US 151  off of Washington and Park Avenues to I-39/90/94 and the Beltline.

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2026/05/30/madison-considers-taking-control-park-street-corridor-state-amid-safety-concerns/

This feels less about US 151 specifically and more about Madison's poor relationship with the state government. Every time Madison has tried to make those streets less car-centric (with pedestrian safety improvements, BRT lanes, etc.) they have to get approval from WisDOT, and WisDOT doesn't have the same priorities and depending on who's running the state can be outright hostile to Madison. I like having US 151 through downtown (see my avatar), but I wish Madison had more say in what they could do with it.

[SEWIGuy]

I think US 151 should stay on its existing alignment through Madison. If they had wanted 151 to completely bypass Madison, they should've done it in 1964, when Interstates 90 and 94 were completed around the Madison area.

Why should they be bound to a decision made over 60 years ago?

It should obviously be on the interstate and Beltline. It's absurd that it wasn't done years ago.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The planned massive reconfiguration of the interstate and 151 interchange on the NE side pretty much begs for 151 to be taken off city streets as an unintended feature of the rebuild.

[peterj920]

Three roundabouts are being constructed on STH 21 between Oshkosh and Ormo: https://projects.511wi.gov/21winn2025/full-project-overview/.

There's 4 lane ROW on Wis 21 between Omro and the current 4 lane stretch. This seems like an easy upgrade since this stretch carries 10,000 VPD.

[peterj920]

Interesting update about a potential push from the city of Madison to reroute US 151  off of Washington and Park Avenues to I-39/90/94 and the Beltline.

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2026/05/30/madison-considers-taking-control-park-street-corridor-state-amid-safety-concerns/

As part of the proposal Madison wants E Washington to be an unsigned state highway.

[Molandfreak]

Interesting update about a potential push from the city of Madison to reroute US 151  off of Washington and Park Avenues to I-39/90/94 and the Beltline.

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2026/05/30/madison-considers-taking-control-park-street-corridor-state-amid-safety-concerns/

As part of the proposal Madison wants E Washington to be an unsigned state highway.

Sign it as STH-1! End the nonsensical moratorium on single-digit highways!

[SEWIGuy]

Interesting update about a potential push from the city of Madison to reroute US 151  off of Washington and Park Avenues to I-39/90/94 and the Beltline.

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2026/05/30/madison-considers-taking-control-park-street-corridor-state-amid-safety-concerns/

As part of the proposal Madison wants E Washington to be an unsigned state highway.

And that makes some sense too. Madison seems to be legitimately concerned that a highway that's a four lane freeway coming into town in either direction, becomes a surface street through town. That makes sense.