Wisconsin notes

[hobsini2]

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.

Well Wis 551 is right there or Business 151 like so many of the other former routings before the freeways.

[The Ghostbuster]

If US 151 is rerouted to the Beltline and Interstate, I doubt a Business 151 or a state highway designation would be implemented in its place. Existing 151 through Madison would likely be removed from the state highway system and just be local streets. I still think the proposal is unnecessary.

[US 12 fan]

If they do reroute Highway 151, it would not surprise me if they expand Highway 30 to end at Highway 113 and expand 113 and have it end at the Beltline.

[The Ghostbuster]

Both of those are wishful thinking.

[SEWIGuy]

If US 151 is rerouted to the Beltline and Interstate, I doubt a Business 151 or a state highway designation would be implemented in its place. Existing 151 through Madison would likely be removed from the state highway system and just be local streets. I still think the proposal is unnecessary.

Why?

[The Ghostbuster]

The last rerouting of US 151 in the Madison area was in 1955, when 151 was shifted onto its present alignment. Formerly, it went up north on Midvale Blvd./northeast on Nakoma Rd. and Monroe St. /east on Regent St./north on N. Park St./east on W. & E. Johnson/and south on N. Blair before continuing on its existing alignment along E. Washington Ave. If Madison or the State of Wisconsin hasn't seen the need to change the routing in the 71 years since then, I see no need to change it now.

[Molandfreak]

The last rerouting of US 151 in the Madison area was in 1955, when 151 was shifted onto its present alignment. Formerly, it went up north on Midvale Blvd./northeast on Nakoma Rd. and Monroe St. /east on Regent St./north on N. Park St./east on W. & E. Johnson/and south on N. Blair before continuing on its existing alignment along E. Washington Ave. If Madison or the State of Wisconsin hasn't seen the need to change the routing in the 71 years since then, I see no need to change it now.

Then nothing at all should happen, amirite?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

If Madison or the State of Wisconsin hasn't seen the need to change the routing in the 71 years since then, I see no need to change it now.

The center of this discussion is Madison seeing the need to change the routing though? 

[peterj920]

I'm predicting that within the next year US 151 will be rerouted around Madison.

I'm basing this off of Manitowoc's desire to convert 8th and 10th streets to 2 way streets which rerouted all of the highways in the city. US 151 now ends at I-43 because of the rerouting plan that WISDOT and Manitowoc agreed to.

I'm guessing behind the scenes the main points of the negotiations is how much WISDOT will make a one time payment to get rid of the city streets and if East Washington will be an unsigned or signed state highway.

[hobsini2]

Without getting too far down the fantasy rabbit hole, if US 151 ever did become an interstate, The current route through Madison would be a candidate for an Interstate Business Loop. But that's not why you called.

[SEWIGuy]

The last rerouting of US 151 in the Madison area was in 1955, when 151 was shifted onto its present alignment. Formerly, it went up north on Midvale Blvd./northeast on Nakoma Rd. and Monroe St. /east on Regent St./north on N. Park St./east on W. & E. Johnson/and south on N. Blair before continuing on its existing alignment along E. Washington Ave. If Madison or the State of Wisconsin hasn't seen the need to change the routing in the 71 years since then, I see no need to change it now.

But circumstances have significantly changed in the last 71 years. US-151 is now a four-lane expressway/freeway both southwest and northeast of Madison. Presumably there is through traffic that now either exits off of US-151, only to catch it on the other side of town, or winds their way through city streets.

For this reason, it makes much more sense to route US-151 on the interstate and the Beltline, and either decommission it through the city, or give the city some sort of alternate number.

[invincor]

In this day and age of everyone using Apple Maps or Google Maps to navigate, does it really matter if the state reroutes US-151 to the freeways?   If the traffic and distance from your start point to your finish point is still shortest by going straight through on present US-151, the apps are still going to send people that way no matter what the official route number is. 

[The Ghostbuster]

My thoughts exactly!

[elsmere241]

In this day and age of everyone using Apple Maps or Google Maps to navigate, does it really matter if the state reroutes US-151 to the freeways?   If the traffic and distance from your start point to your finish point is still shortest by going straight through on present US-151, the apps are still going to send people that way no matter what the official route number is. 

Actually yes.  Someone might be passing through might not know what the best route would be.  Once (in fact in Wisconsin), the overhead signs said to get off I-39/90 because of a major wreck ahead.  Fortunately Alternate I-39 was very well posted.  I don't know if any GPS-based navigation would have worked for us at that point.

[elsmere241]

In this day and age of everyone using Apple Maps or Google Maps to navigate, does it really matter if the state reroutes US-151 to the freeways?   If the traffic and distance from your start point to your finish point is still shortest by going straight through on present US-151, the apps are still going to send people that way no matter what the official route number is. 

Actually yes.  Someone might be passing through and not know what the best route would be.  Once (in fact in Wisconsin), the overhead signs said to get off I-39/90 because of a major wreck ahead.  Fortunately Alternate I-39 was very well posted.  I don't know if any GPS-based navigation would have worked for us at that point.

[SEWIGuy]

In this day and age of everyone using Apple Maps or Google Maps to navigate, does it really matter if the state reroutes US-151 to the freeways?   If the traffic and distance from your start point to your finish point is still shortest by going straight through on present US-151, the apps are still going to send people that way no matter what the official route number is. 

1. I cannot imagine a case where going through Madison would be the preffered route. US-151 through the city is nine miles v. 11 on the highways, so when speed limit difference come into play, its a 15-20 minute savings to go on the highways. Furthermore, US-151 is not even the best route through the city to get from one end to the other! It takes too many turns that made sense way back when, but are completely useless now.

2. The City of Madison doesn't want through traffic on its streets when perfectly good highway options exist.

3. Not everyone uses apps to drive, but even if they do, the route number becomes irrelevant anyway. The route number could change a dozen times and it wouldn't matter to someone with an app. So why not make a logical change when it helps navigation?

My thoughts exactly!

You have come up with no logical reasoning to keep US-151 on the city streets other than "it's been that way for a long time." My feeling is you just don't like change, which is a terrible reason not to change when it logically makes sense to do so.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

It's all street names at that level anyway. If you call it Highway 151 instead of Park Street or East Wash when referring to the segment through central Madison, people will probably know what you mean but still look at you weird.

[Molandfreak]

The purpose of signing a highway is to create a helpful guide to travellers unfamiliar with the area. US 151 is otherwise consistent in quality outside of Madison. If surface streets within town need to be in the state highway system, they can be a business loop or some other highway.

Keeping US 151 on surface streets is not helpful to the folks who still depend on highway signage. Just use GPS is a particularly dumb argument when over half the country can't afford a $400 emergency, and thus are presumably on a limited data plan on their phones.

[TheCatalyst31]

Furthermore, US-151 is not even the best route through the city to get from one end to the other! It takes too many turns that made sense way back when, but are completely useless now.

It would still be a good route through Madison (or at least its eastern half) if it followed John Nolen instead of cutting over to Park. I don't think John Nolen existed when it was first routed through Madison, though.

[hobsini2]

Furthermore, US-151 is not even the best route through the city to get from one end to the other! It takes too many turns that made sense way back when, but are completely useless now.

It would still be a good route through Madison (or at least its eastern half) if it followed John Nolen instead of cutting over to Park. I don't think John Nolen existed when it was first routed through Madison, though.

John Nolen should be a state highway to begin with. It already (along with Blair St) acts as a bypass of the Capitol Hill. Maybe as Wis 113 extended?