Highways 150 through 159

Former STH-150 | US-151 | STH-152 | STH-153 | STH-154 | STH-155 | STH-156 | STH-157 | STH-158 | STH-159 | Jump to Bottom

Fmr West Terminus:

Former STH-110 (now US-45) on the west side of Winchester

Fmr East Terminus:

US-45 (now STH-76) west of Neenah, approximately 1-1/3 miles south of jct US-10 & US-45

Former Length:

6.88 miles

Map:

Route Map of Former STH-150

Notes:

STH-150 is no longer a state trunk highway, with the last segment being transferred to county control in late 2003. The completion of the parallel US-10 freeway just to the north rendered the remainder of STH-150 redundant in the state trunk highway system.

History:

Historically, STH-150 had existed generally along its pre-1999 corridor (Winchester to Neenah) since it was first designated in 1923. In that year, the new STH-150 began in Winchester at STH-95 (later US-110, then STH-110, now US-45) and ran easterly along the CTH-II corridor, bending southeasterly via CTH-Q, then south along Green Bay Rd, east via Main St to a terminus at STH-15 (later US-41, now STH-114) at Wisconsin & Commercial Sts in downtown Neenah. By 1930, STH-150 had been rerouted to follow Winchester Rd easterly from modern-day CTH-Q to STH-125/N Lake St then southerly with STH-125 along Lake St back to its previous Main St alignment.

When US-41 was realigned to bypass much of Appleton, Neenah and Menasha in 1938, it replaced the former Lake Dr route of STH-125. STH-150 was rerouted again to run southerly with US-41 along Green Bay Rd, then easterly via its pre-1930 Main St alignment into Neenah. When the US-41 "Green Bay Rd Bypass" alignment was completed in 1959, STH-150 was similarly realigned with US-41 off Green Bay Rd and onto the new highway between Main St and Winchester Rd. The portion of STH-150 from US-41 into downtown Neenah was removed from the state trunk highway system in c.1976, when the Main St interchange with US-41 was reconfigured during that highway's conversion to higher-quality freeway standards in the area. Since access from westbound Main St to northbound US-41 was no longer available, STH-150 was scaled back to end at US-41 at Exit 133.

The length of STH-150 was further shortened by nearly three miles in 1999 when the segment from US-45 (now STH-76) to US-41 northwest of Neenah was turned back to county control as CTH-II. With the completion of the US-10 freeway parallel to, and 1-1/3 miles north of this particular section of highway, at that time, WisDOT felt it served a redundant purpose in the state highway system. The remainder of STH-150, from Winchester to STH-76 was turned back to the county as an extension of CTH-II on Oct 31, 2003 with the completion of the US-10 freeway westerly from STH-76 to Fremont.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• Future Highway Name Changes: Effective October 31, 2003 - a handy map produced by WisDOT illustrating all of the various Fox Valley state trunkline route number changes resulting from the US-10 and US-45 relocation projects.

• Highway 150 Trail: Trail Details - information on the Highway 150 Trail... which, ironically, runs alongside CTH-II, since STH-150's jurisdictional transfer in this area in 1999.

Southern Entrance:

Iowa state line in southwestern Grant Co. on the Mississippi River bridge leading from Dubuque IA, concurrently with US-61

Northern Terminus:

US-10 in downtown Manitowoc at cnr of Washington St & Eighth St

Length:

220.27 miles

Map:

Route Map of US-151

Notes:

The US-151 corridor through Wisconsin has been the site of ongoing highway upgrading efforts over the past three decades or so. What was primarily a two-lane highway across the state in 1970, US-151 is now made up of several extended stretches of expressway- or freeway-grade highway. While two of the earlier upgrades to US-151 occurred in the 1960s, including a 1962 bypass of Waupun and a 1964 bypass of Beaver Dam, most of the improvements began in the 1970s. The complete chronology for the upgrades can be found in the History section below.

Since its original inception in 1926 as a short Madison-Fond du Lac route, US-151 grew over its first decade with extensions to the northeast from Fond du Lac to Manitowoc and southwesterly via Dodgeville and Platteville toward Dubuque, Iowa and beyond. The Dodgeville-Dickeyville route had originally been part of US-118 in 1926 and that route's history is also included in the History section below.

US-151 is the only state trunkline highway which passes through the downtown Madison area. Before the Madison Beltline was completed, US-12, STH-13, US-14 and US-18 used to pass through as well.

History:

US-151 debuted in 1926 at the same time as many of the other U.S. Highways in Wisconsin in the year the system was created, although the original route only ran from US-51, the highway's "parent route," northeasterly through Columbus, Beaver Dam and Waupun to a terminus at the newly-desginated US-41 in Fond du Lac. This new U.S. route replaced the routing of STH-31 between Madison and Fond du Lac, while STH-31 continued to exist between Fond du Lac and Manitowoc. Simultaneously, a new U.S. Highway route was commissioned branching off the new US-18 at Dodgeville and running southwesterly through Mineral Point and Platteville to Dickeyville and designated US-118. This new route replaced the STH-23 between those points.

In 1934, US-151 was extended by approximately 55 miles from Fond du Lac northeasterly along the remainder of the route of STH-31 through Chilton to a new terminus at Manitowoc. Three years later in 1937, a major 100-mile extension of US-151 occurred with the redesignation of US-118 from Dodgeville to Dickeyville to US-151 and running easterly along with US-18 between Dodgeville to Madison and the existing route. Additionally, US-151 was extended from Dickeyville along US-61 into Iowa at Dubuque and, from there, farther into Iowa via what had been US-161.

Other than several relatively minor realignments and route adjustments in subsequent years, the next major realignment to US-151 came in 1955 when the route along Nakoma Rd, Monroe St and Regent St in Madison was turned back to local control and US-151 was transferred to the US-12/US-14/US-18/STH-13 Madison Beltline between Verona Rd and S Park St, then northerly along what had been part of STH-113 (and locally-maintained CITY US-12/CITY STH-13/CITY US-14) via S Park St back to its former route west of downtown.

The first city to be bypassed by US-151 was Sun Prairie in 1959 and, while the Sun Prairie bypass runs along its modern-day alignment, it was constructed only as a two-lane highway at the time, beginning at the present-day BUS US-151/Main St interchange (Exit 101) and continuing northeasterly to just east of CTH-VV. The Waupun bypass, similar to the one at Sun Prairie in that it was also built as a two-lane highway, was completed in 1962 with much of the former route becoming CTH-M/BUS US-151. Yet another two-lane bypass was completed two years later in 1964 around the south and east sides of Beaver Dam with the former route becoming CTH-D.

From its 1937 extension into Iowa, US-151 crossed the Mississippi at Dubuque wuth US-61 via the Eagle Point Bridge, or, more officially, the Dubuque and Wisconsin Bridge, a toll structure which was primarily constructed in 1901-02. Due to structural issues discovered on the bridge in the 1960s, the states of Wisconsin and Iowa jointly removed the US-61/US-151 designation from the Eagle Point Bridge in 1968, temporarily transferring the route to STH-35 and IL STH-35 southerly into East Dubuque, Illinois where the routes turned westerly with US-20 to cross into Iowa via the Julien Dubuque Bridge. The Eagle Point's replacement, the Iowa DOT-constructed tied-arch steel span City Island Bridge, was started in c.1979-80 and opened to traffic in 1982, thereby restoring the route of US-61/US-151 and directly connecting Dubuque and Wisconsin once again. The old Eagle Point Bridge was closed and dismantled that year as well.

Meanwhile in 1970, the 1959 Sun Prairie Bypass was "twinned" and converted to full freeway standards from the BUS US-151/W Main St interchange southwest of the city northeasterly to east of the CTH-N interchange. An additional interchange between W Main St and CTH-N was included at STH-19 as well. Then in late 1976, the Columbus bypass was completed and opened to traffic as a "Super 2" freeway with only two lanes of travel, but with interchanges at the major crossroads. West of Madison, the first of the upgrades between Dodgeville and Verona was completed when the four-lane Dodgeville bypass expressway was opened to traffic in 1982. The improvements to US-18/US-151 to the east continued in 1983 with the completion of the bypasses of Ridgeway, Barneveld and Blue Mounds, mostly on new alignment. The next year, 1984, saw the completion of the two-lane Mount Horeb bypass from west of STH-78 to west of CTH-P. By 1989, US-151 and US-18/US-151 from STH-23 south of Dodgeville easterly to CTH-P east of Mount Horeb was converted to four-lane divided expressway standards.

The 1990s were also a decade of many improvements to the route of US-151, with the first project completed being the conversion of the existing highway to full freeway standards in late-September 1991 from Wilburn Rd northeast of Sun Prairie to northeast of CTH-V, then via a new terrain alignment to the beginning of the Columbus bypass at the STH-73 interchange (Exit 115). From there around Columbus, the existing bypass was "twinned" and converted to a full freeway. The next year, 1992, saw the completion of the expressway conversion along US-18/US-151 from CTH-P east of Mount Horeb to CTH-G west of Verona. A similar conversion from a two-lane highway to four-lane expressway was completed in fall of 1993 from the end of the Columbus bypass northeasterly to CTH-D (Exit 129) on the southern edge of Beaver Dam.

The five miles of US-61/US-151/STH-35 from Sandy Hook Rd south of Kieler northerly to the southern edge of Dickeyville was converted to a four-lane expressway, completed in the fall of 1994. Then, on Oct 16, 1995, the six-mile full freeway US-18/US-151 bypass of Verona was completed and opened to traffic from CTH-G west of the city to east of CTH-PB east of town, with the former route being turned back to local control as CTH-MV/BUS US-18/BUS US-151. Meanwhile, the conversion of the existing two-lane route of US-151 from the south end of the Beaver Dam bypass northeasterly to the north end of the Waupun bypass at the middle junction (of three) with STH-26 was completed to a four-lane facility was completed in November 1997. The Beaver Dam and Waupun bypasses, themselves already "Super-2" freeway facilities, became four-lane freeways, while the portion of US-151 between those cities was upgraded to a four-lane expressway with some at-grade intersections and private accesses remaining.

The five-mile freeway bypass of Mineral Point, beginning approximately one mile southwest of the STH-O interchange (Exit 37) and continuing around the west side of town to northeast of the southern STH-23 interchange (Exit 40) is completed and opened to traffic the week of Aug 11, 2002. The conversion of the existing US-151/STH-23 route from north of Mineral Point to the southern Dodgeville interchange (Exit 46) to four-lane expressway standards was finished later in the fall of 2002, completing the 8.5 miles of upgrades from south of Dodgeville to south of Mineral Point. A southerly 8.1-mile extension of the expressway upgrades along the existing alignment of US-151 from southwest of Mineral Point to a new interchange with STH-126 on the north side of Belmont was opened to traffic in the fall of 2003.

Two major completions in the Fond du Lac Co area came in the fall of 2003 and 2004. The conversion of US-151 to full freeway from north of the STH-49 interchange at Waupun through a pair of new interchanges at the STH-26 junctions northeast of the city (Exits 147 and 148) to just northeast of Exit 148 was completed. At Fond du Lac, the first segment of the future Fond du Lac Bypass was completed from jct STH-149 (present-day CTH-WH) at Peebles southerly to an interchange with STH-23/Johnson St on the eastern edge of the city on Nov 12, 2003. This first portion of the bypass, however, was signed only as "TO US-151" northbound and "TO STH-23" southbound until the remainder of the bypass opened in a couple years. Then, a year later in the fall of 2004, the expressway upgrade along the existing route of US-151 from just northeast of the STH-26 interchange (Exit 148) near Waupun to Thill Rd near Lamartine was completed.

Progress on the Dodgeville-to-Dickeyville upgrades was made in 2004 and 2005. In late August 2004, the 4.5-mile US-151 freeway on new alignment from the east end of the Belmont bypass westerly, paralleling the former route to the north (which, itself, became CTH-XX) to the eastern Platteville interchange (Exit 21) was opened to traffic. Less than 10 months later in June 2005, the 3.1-mile Platteville bypass itself from former US-151 (CTH-XX) at Exit 21 westerly to CTH-D at Exit 18 was completed as a full freeway facility. On June 30 of that year, the northbound lanes of the improved US-151 from Platteville southwesterly 7.2 miles to the north side of Dickeyville were completed and opened to traffic while the remainder of the expressway improvements were still ongoing. Then on Nov 14, 2005, the 2.7-mile Dickeyville bypass itself was completed and opened to traffic as well as the southbound lanes of the new Platteville-Dickeyville expressway. At that point, the conversion of US-151 to a four-lane highway from Dubuque, Iowa to Madison was complete.

In Fond du Lac Co, the expressway bypass of the City of Fond du Lac was completed from STH-23/Johnson St southwesterly to a new interchange at US-41 and on to an at-grade intersection with STH-175/S Main St south of the city. While open to traffic, the new bypass was not signed as US-151 officially until the ramps at the new US-41 interchange were completed several months later. Meanwhile, the 4.8-mile expressway upgrade of the existing alignment of US-151 from Thill Rd west of Lamartine to west of CTH-D near Fond du Lac was completed in the fall of 2005. In November, the ramps at the US-41 interchange with the Fond du Lac bypass were completed and US-151 was extended over the bypass from Peebles southwesterly to US-41. From there, US-151 continued northwesterly with US-41 back to its former route at Military Rd until the last component of the Fond du Lac bypass can be completed, scheduled for 2007. The former route of US-151 through the City of Fond du Lac was turned back to local control.

The conversion of the expressway-grade segment of US-151 from I-90/I-94/I-39 in northeast Madison to BUS US-151/Main St (Exit 101) in Sun Prairie to full freeway standards, including an interchange with CTH-C, is scheduled for completion in 2006.

In July 2006, WisDOT announced an upgrade to a portion of the newly-completed Fond du Lac Bypass at STH-175. As construction progresses on the final link in the bypass from CTH-D southwest of the city easterly to the existing intersection at STH-175/S Main St, that intersection will be removed and replaced with a grade separation and a "jughandle" ramp to allow access between the two highways. In addition, various other safety improvments will be made along the already-opened portion of the bypass from STH-175/S Main St easterly and northerly to CTH-WH/Former STH-149 at Peebles, mostly to heighten awareness of through traffic on US-151 along the various sideroads which still intersect the new bypass.

Freeway:

The following ten segments of US-151 in Wisconsin are freeway:

• From Iowa state line to Eagle Point Rd interchange (Exit 4) south of Kieler. (3.5 miles)
• From CTH-D interchange (Exit 18) at the beginning of the Platteville bypass to Cottage Inn Rd northeast of Belmont. (~9 miles)
• Mineral Point Bypass: From 1/2-mile southwest of the CTH-O interchange (Exit 37) at the beginning of the Mineral Point bypass to jct CTH-YD/E Barreltown Rd north of Mineral Point. (6 miles)
• Dodgeville Bypass: From Chris-Na-Mar Rd south of the STH-23 [North] interchange (Exit 44) south of Dodgeville to jct CTH-Y & CTH-YZ east of Dodgeville. (6.1 miles)
• Verona Bypass: From west of the CTH-G interchange (Exit 75) to CTH-PB/McKee Rd in Fitchburg. (8.5 miles)
• Madison Beltline: From jct US-18/US-151 & US-12/US-14 at Exit 258 to jct US-12/US-18, US-14 [East] & US-151 [North] at the Park St interchange (Exit 261) in Madison. (3 miles)
• From I-90/I-94/I-39 at Exit 97 in northeast Madison to north of the northern STH-73 interchange (Exit 120) northeast of Columbus. (24 miles)
• Beaver Dam Bypass: From the CTH-D interchange (Exit 129) south of Beaver Dam to north of the CTH-B/BUS US-151 interchange north of Beaver Dam. (6.4 miles)
• Waupun Bypass: From the CTH-M/BUS US-151 interchange (Exit 142) south of Waupun to just north of the northermost STH-26 interchange (Exit 148) northeast of Waupun. (~8 miles)
• From the northern jct of US-41 & US-151 at the Military Rd interchange (Exit 97) in Fond du Lac to the southern jct of US-41 & US-151 at the Fond du Lac Bypass interchange (Exit 95) south of the city. (2 miles)

Expressway:

The following nine segments of US-151 in Wisconsin are expressway:

• From Eagle Point Rd interchange south of Kieler to CTH-D interchange (Exit 18) at beginning of Platteville bypass. (~14.5 miles)
• From Cottage Inn Rd northeast of Belmont to 1/2-mile southwest of the CTH-O interchange (Exit 37) at the beginning of the Mineral Point bypass. (9 miles)
• From jct CTH-YD/E Barreltown Rd north of Mineral Point to Chris-Na-Mar Rd south of the STH-23 [North] interchange (Exit 44) south of Dodgeville. (1.6 miles)
• From jct CTH-Y & CTH-YZ east of Dodgeville to the beginning of the Verona bypass west of the CTH-G interchange (Exit 75). (24.5 miles)
• From CTH-PB/McKee Rd in Fitchburg to jct US-12/US-14/West Beltline Hwy in Madison. (1.8 miles)
• From north of the northern STH-73 interchange (Exit 120) northeast of Columbus to the beginning of the Beaver Dam bypass at the CTH-D/BUS US-151 interchange (Exit 129) south of Beaver Dam. (6.9 miles)
• From north of the CTH-B/BUS US-151 interchange north of Beaver Dam to the CTH-M/BUS US-151 interchange (Exit 142) south of Waupun. (6 miles)
• From just north of the northermost STH-26 interchange (Exit 148) northeast of Waupun to just west of the future CTH-D interchange southwest of Fond du Lac. (~10 miles)
• Fond du Lac Bypass: From the southern jct of US-41 & US-151 at the Fond du Lac Bypass interchange (Exit 95) south of the city to jct CTH-WH (formerly STH-149) and Winnebago Dr (former US-151) at Peebles.

NHS:

The following three segments of US-151 in Wisconsin are on the National Highway System (NHS):

• From the southern entrance at the Iowa state line to jct US-12/US-14/US-18 & US-151 at the Park St interchange (Exit 261) in Madison.
• From the cnr of North Shore Dr & John Nolen Dr in downtown Madison to STH-23/Johnson St on the east side of Fond du Lac.
• From I-43 (at Exit 149) in southwest Manitowoc to northern terminus at wbd US-10/8th St in downtown Manitowoc.

Circle Tour:

Lake Michigan Circle Tour: From I-43 (at Exit 149) in southwest Manitowoc to northern terminus at wbd US-10/8th St in downtown Manitowoc.

Great River Road :

Great River Road : From STH-11 at Exit 1 south of Kieler to jct US-61 [North]/STH-35 [North]/CTH-HH at Exit 8 in Dickeyville.

Business Connections:

BUS US-151 - Platteville: Running along CTH-D and CTH-XX (former route of US-151) through the Platteville area between Exits 18 and 21. This route is marked along US-151 itself and the off-ramps, but not along the route itself. —Thanks Jon!

BUS US-151 - Mineral Point: Running via the former route of US-151 along Ridge St, STH-39 and STH-23 between Exits 37 and 40.

BUS US-151 - Mount Horeb: Traversing the former US-18/US-151 via STH-78 and CTH-ID between Exits 65 and 69.

BUS US-151 - Verona: Running along CTH-MV (former route of US-18/US-151) through downtown Verona between Exits 76 and 81.

BUS US-151 -Sun Prairie: Running via the former route of US-151 along W Main St and CTH-N/Bristol St through downtown Sun Prairie between Exits 101 and 103.

BUS US-151 - Columbus: Traversing the former US-151 along STH-73 through the center of Columbus between Exits 115 and 120.

BUS US-151 - Beaver Dam: Traversing the former US-151 along CTH-D, Madison St, Center St, Park Ave and Spring St, between Exits 129 and 134.

BUS US-151 - Waupun: Running along the former route of US-151 via CTH-M/Madison St, STH-49/E Main St and STH-26/Watertown-Fond du Lac Sts between Exits 142 and 147.

Continue on:

US-151 west in Iowa - from Jason Hancock's Iowa Highways website.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• US 151 corridor - from WisDOT: "US 151 is a major east-west arterial route through Fond du Lac County. The roadway is an essential commercial and agricultural transportation corridor serving the Midwest."

• Exit numbers on US 151 - from WisDOT.

• US-18/151 access study - from WisDOT: "The purpose of this study is to develop a long-term highway access plan for the corridor."

• WI 30 and US 151 - Photos from Steve Alpert's website.

• Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge - from John Weeks, from his The Bridges Of The Upper Mississippi website. Also included is a page on the Eagle Point Bridge as well.

Western Terminus:

STH-21/STH-73 on the east edge of Wautoma at cnr Townline Rd & Main St

Eastern Terminus:

Jct CTH-G & CTH-W in Mount Morris

Length:

7.22 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-152

Notes:

STH-152 is a spur route connecting Mount Morris with the rest of the state highway system at Wautoma.

History:

The first iteration of STH-152 began in 1923 as a short spur route beginning at STH-35 in Danbury in Burnett Co, heading westerly for a couple miles, ending at the St Croix River and the Minnesota state line. In 1951, STH-77 was extended west from Minong to Danbury, continuing west from Danbury supplanting the STH-152 designation to the Minnesota state line.

Five years later, in 1956, the second iteration of STH-152 debuted along a route formerly designated CTH-G from Wautoma to Mount Morris. In 1998, STH-152 was rerouted in Wautoma off its former Oxford St-Mount Morris Ave alignment to turn southerly via Townline Rd to a new terminus at STH-21/STH-73 on the eastern edge of town.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Western Terminus:

STH-13 three miles north of Spencer

Eastern Terminus:

US-45 four miles northwest of Tigerton (five miles southeast of Wittenberg)

Length:

61.25 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-153

Notes:

STH-153 runs east-west and parallel to STH-29, three to ten miles to the south.

History:

STH-153 was commissioned in 1923 along its present alignment from STH-97 at Stratford to STH-10 (later US-51) at Mosinee, except for a short portion east of Stratford where STH-153 turned north on present-day CTH-M to Fairview Rd, east to CTH-H, then south back to its present alignment. In 1947, STH-153 was extended at both ends. On the west, the highway was extended for 10 miles along the former CTH-B from Stratford to STH-13, while on the east STH-153 was extended 24 miles along the former CTH-K from Onsinee to STH-49 at Elderdon.

The CTH-M/Fairview Rd/CTH-H northerly loop between Stratford and Halder is cut off by present day STH-153 in 1951. It was extended easterly along CTH-K in 1961 by an additional six miles from Elderon to US-45.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Western Terminus:

STH-58 three miles south of Lloyd

Eastern Terminus:

STH-136 in Rock Springs at cnr Broadway & River St

Length:

22.54 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-154

Notes:

It has been rumored WisDOT wants to turn back all or a certain portion of STH-136 to Sauk Co, which tenatively will designate the highway as CTH-H. This is in conjuction with a proposed plan to swap the current CTH-H and STH-23 between Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells. That plan would make the current CTH-H a state trunkline highway, with the STH-23 designation applied to it. The current STH-23 between STH-33 and Lake Delton would be turned back to the county, much like STH-136 is proposed to be, and, like STH-136, is tenatively planned to become CTH-H. If only the north-south portion of STH-136 is transferred, it is unclear whether STH-154 will be redesignated STH-136 or vice versa. If, however, STH-136 is transferred in its entirety, STH-154 east of STH-23 would likely be transferred as well.

History:

Interestingly, STH-156 has existed along its present general alignment since it was first commissioned in 1923.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Southern Terminus:

STH-70 at Saint Germain in southern Vilas Co, 13 miles west of Eagle River

Northern Terminus:

CTH-H in Sayner

Length:

6.94 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-155

Notes:

STH-155 is a spur route leading to Sayner from STH-70.

History:

The first routing of STH-155 came in 1923 northwest of Milwaukee. Beginning at the current intersection of STH-145 & Fond du Lac Ave along the Milwaukee/Waukesha Co line and proceeded northwesterly via Germantown to STH-15/STH-55 (later US-45) south of Jackson—a portion of present-day STH-145. In 1926, in a "musical chairs"-style route-swap, the STH-155 designation was transferred to what had been STH-72 between St Germain and Sayner, while what had been STH-155 northwest of Milwaukee was redesignated as a part of STH-55. (This route is now STH-145.) What had been STH-15 between the original STH-155 and STH-15 (now US-41) was redesignated STH-165. (This would later become part of US-45.) Since 1926, STH-155 has existed—largely unchanged—along its present alignment in Vilas Co.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Southern Terminus:

STH-22 in Clintonville at cnr E Green Tree Rd & N Main St

Northern Terminus:

STH-29 at the Shawano/Brown Co line northwest of Green Bay, one mile west of the STH-29 & STH-32 interchange.

Length:

26.72 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-156

Notes:

A study has been conducted within the STH-29 corridor leading westerly away from Green Bay toward Shawano, primarily to analyize the need for addtional access control along that highway, including additional grade separations, interchanges and closure of minor side road access. As the existing jct of STH-156 & STH-29 is one mile west of the STH-29 & STH-32 interchange, WisDOT has proposed closing the current intersection and routing STH-156 southeasterly via Old 29, the former route of STH-29 before being rerouted in the 1990s.

History:

The original route of STH-156 in 1923 began at STH-22/STH-26 (now US-45/STH-22) in Clintonville, running easterly to present-day CTH-K, then southerly via today's STH-187 to Leeman, easterly along present-day CTH-F (Old STH-168), ending at STH-47/STH-55 in Nichols. In 1954, STH-156 was rerouted off present-day 7th St, CTH-Y and Eulrich Rd east of Clintonville to run due westerly along its modern alignment to end at STH-22 north of downtown Clintonville.

In c.1985-86, STH-156 was realigned to run easterly from STH-187 along CTH-W via Navarino and Briarton, ending at STH-29, resulting in a net gain of seven miles for the route. In exchange for taking over CTH-W (now STH-156), STH-187 from STH-156 northerly to Shawano was turned back to local control as CTH-K. STH-156/STH-187 from southern Shawano Co to Leeman retained the STH-187 designation, while the former STH-156 east of Leeman was redesignated STH-168.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Western Terminus:

STH-35 in downtown Onalaska at cnr Main St & Second Ave

Eastern Terminus:

STH-16 on the LaCrosse/Onalaska municipal line (across from the Valley View Mall)

Length:

2.81 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-157

Notes:

STH-157 is a short connecting highway in the La Crosse/Onalaksa area.

Notes:

It seems as if the continued existence of STH-157 is very much in doubt. A La Crosse Area Planning Committee (LAPC) report notes that: "Part of STH 157 will become USH 53 with the USH 53 Extended project in 2012 – 2015. The remainder of STH 157 (Main St in Onalaska) will become a local street." According to the report, the portion of STH-157 south of I-90 will become part of a US-53 bypass routing of the city, while the Main St segment will be gven back to county or local control.

History:

The first iteration of STH-157 debuted in 1923. At that time, what was to later become US-16 was designated STH-29 from La Crosse to Watertown. Locally, STH-29 entered Kilbourn (now Wisconsin Dells) from the west and joined with STH-23, then running together easterly to the Lake Mason area along the present-day STH-23 corridor. At Lake Mason, STH-29 turned southeasterly via modern-day CTH-XX to STH-127 and on to Portage, while STH-23 continued easterly to Biggsville, then northeasterly toward Endeavor. STH-157 was commissioned along the route of present-day CTH-AA, linking STH-23 at Briggsville with STH-29 approximately 2-1/2 miles south of Briggsville. In 1924, in a major re-shuffling of routes in the area, both STH-23 and STH-29 were rerouted from Kilbourn (Wis Dells) easterly via today's STH-127 for nine miles. STH-23 then turned northerly to supplant the STH-157 designation to Briggsville, while STH-29 turned southeasterly toward Portage.

The second iteration of STH-157 was not long in coming. In 1926, the route of STH-64 in central Oconto Co was transferred to its present corridor west of STH-57 (today's US-141), while the portion of the former route from STH-32 east of Suring easterly via present-day CTH-M through Hickory Corners to STH-57 (now US-141) between Lena and Coleman was redesignated as STH-157. The second version of STH-157 did not even last a decade when in 1934 the entire length was turned back to local control (only later did this this route become CTH-M, however).

The third, and present, incarnation of STH-157 came into being in 1938 beginning at US-53/STH-35 (now just STH-35) in Onalaska and continuing easterly via its present route and modern-day CTH-OS to a terminus at US-16 (now STH-16) northeast of La Crosse. With the completion of a segment of the I-90 freeway in the La Crosse area in 1967, STH-157 was realigned to turn southerly along its present route to a new interchange with I-90 and a new terminus with US-16. In c.1989-90, the US-53 freeway from I-90 at the STH-157 interchange northerly back to the existing route of US-53 between Midway and Holmen, bypassing Onalaska to the east, was completed and the 8/10th mile of STH-157 from the I-90 interchange northerly to the 90° turn at CTH-OS being converted to full freeway standards with an interchange at STH-157 [West]/Main St.

Freeway:

From I-90 at Exit 4 to jct CTH-OS/Main St in Onalaska, concurrently with US-53. (0.8 miles)

Expressway:

None.

NHS:

From CTH-SS between the STH-16 jct and the I-90 jct northerly to the US-53 interchange at Main St in Onalaska.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Western Terminus:

I-94/US-41 at Exit 342 on the extreme western limits of Kenosha

Eastern Terminus:

Cnr 52nd St & Sixth Ave on the north side of downtown Kenosha, east of the jct of STH-158 & STH-32/Sheridan Rd

Length:

7.36 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-158

Notes:

STH-158 runs parallel to STH-50, one and one-half miles to the north for the entire length of STH-158. Also interesting to note, STH-158 does not end at STH-32/Sheridan Rd, as would be logically expected... it continues past Sheridan for three blocks to Sixth Ave.

History:

When first commissioned in 1923, STH-158 served a similar purpose to modern-day STH-180: connecting STH-64 with US-141 in central Marinette Co. This first routing of STH-158 began at STH-64 west of Harmony and generally ran northwesterly supplanting the CTH-A designation along present-day CTH-W, ending at STH-57 (now US-141) in Crivitz. In 1948, the current STH-180 routing was added to the state highway system, and the largely-redundant STH-158 routing was turned back to county control as CTH-W.

In 1958, ten years after STH-158 was removed from its Marinette Co routing, 52nd St in Kenosha was transferred to state control and assigned the designation of STH-158. At that time, the highway began at STH-192 (now CTH-H/88th Ave) and proceeded easterly into Kenosha to its terminus at Sixth Ave. In 1959, STH-158 was extended westerly from STH-192/88th Ave to an interchange at the new I-94/US-41 freeway west of Kenosha.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

NHS:

Entire route, with the exception of the three block "spur" east of STH-32/Sheridan Rd.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• None.

Western Terminus:

US-12 three miles southwest of downtown Baraboo

Eastern Terminus:

Entrance to Devils Lake State Park, at jct CTH-DL 3 miles south of Baraboo

Length:

1.62 miles

Map:

Route Map of STH-159

Notes:

As the state's eighth-shortest state trunk highway (fourth shortest, when official business routes and unsigned spurs are eliminated), STH-159 was, for many decades, a short connector route between US-12 and STH-123 near Devils Lake State Park, just south of Baraboo. With the decommissioning of STH-123 in 2016, STH-159 has now become a short spur state highway route providing access from US-12 into the state park. STH-159's continued existence, however, will be short-lived. When the US-12 western bypass of Baraboo is completed in 2017, the STH-136 route designation will be extended from its current eastern terminus in West Baraboo and follow the current route of US-12 southerly to STH-159, then replace STH-159 in its entirety into Devils Lake State Park.

History:

STH-159 was originally commissioned along its present routing in 1923 and had existed in the same form ever since into 2016. It was fully hard-surfaced in 1932. The route of STH-159 stayed constant for 93 years until the 2016 decomissioning of the route serving as its eastern terminus: STH-123. STH-159 was routed southeasterly via the southernmost portion of the former STH-123, ending at the Devils Lake State Park entrance, adding 0.35 miles to the overall route of STH-159.

Freeway/Expwy:

None.

Photographs:

Weblinks:

• Devils Lake State Park - state park website from the Wisconsin DNR.

Former STH-150 | US-151 | STH-152 | STH-153 | STH-154 | STH-155 | STH-156 | STH-157 | STH-158 | STH-159 | Up to Top