State Trunk Highway 120 (often called Highway 120 , STH-120 or WIS 120 ) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin . It runs in north–south in southeast Wisconsin from the Illinois Border near Lake Geneva to south of East Troy . It continues in Illinois as State Route 47 .
102-752: Interstate 43 ( I-43 ) is a 191.55-mile-long (308.27 km) Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Wisconsin , connecting I-39 / I-90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and I-41 , U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and US 141 in Green Bay . State Trunk Highway 32 (WIS 32) runs concurrently with I-43 in two sections and I-94 , I-894 , US 10 , US 41, US 45 , and WIS 57 overlap I-43 once each. There are no auxiliary or business routes connected to I-43, though an alternate route to direct traffic during road closures
204-535: A concurrency or overlap. For example, I‑75 and I‑85 share the same roadway in Atlanta ; this 7.4-mile (11.9 km) section, called the Downtown Connector , is labeled both I‑75 and I‑85. Concurrencies between Interstate and US Highway numbers are also allowed in accordance with AASHTO policy, as long as the length of the concurrency is reasonable. In rare instances, two highway designations sharing
306-651: A 28-year-old brevet lieutenant colonel, accompanied the trip "through darkest America with truck and tank," as he later described it. Some roads in the West were a "succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes." As the landmark 1916 law expired, new legislation was passed—the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 (Phipps Act). This new road construction initiative once again provided for federal matching funds for road construction and improvement, $ 75 million allocated annually. Moreover, this new legislation for
408-476: A change in the numbering system as a result of a new policy adopted in 1973. Previously, letter-suffixed numbers were used for long spurs off primary routes; for example, western I‑84 was I‑80N, as it went north from I‑80 . The new policy stated, "No new divided numbers (such as I-35W and I-35E , etc.) shall be adopted." The new policy also recommended that existing divided numbers be eliminated as quickly as possible; however, an I-35W and I-35E still exist in
510-470: A count of 78,900 vehicles per day near WIS 100's northern terminus and 69,600 closer to the Ozaukee County border. As it passes through mixed residential and commercial zones north of downtown, the highway carries eight lanes of traffic downtown, six lanes of traffic north of North Avenue to Bender Road, and four lanes of traffic north of Bender road all the way to Green Bay . WIS 57 joins
612-539: A heavily industrialized area near the Port of Green Bay. I-43 ends at I-41/US 41/US 141. I-43's lowest traffic volume in this county is at the southernmost entry with a 2006 value of 22,100 vehicles per day near Denmark. Values around Green Bay range from 34,600 to 42,200 vehicles per day. Wisconsin had anticipated the Interstates with studies of possible toll roads. When the original Interstate System
714-595: A national road grid with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 . In 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System was established, creating the first national road numbering system for cross-country travel. The roads were state-funded and maintained, and there were few national standards for road design. United States Numbered Highways ranged from two-lane country roads to multi-lane freeways. After Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1953, his administration developed
816-640: A newer facilities beginning in 2024 and ending in 2025. I-43 has an alternate route within Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, and Milwaukee counties for situations requiring a road closure starting at WIS 83 at exit 43 in Mukwonago to Calumet Avenue (US 151) at exit 149 in Manitowoc, mainly using the former US 141 and WIS 15 locally known as Port Washington Road and designated as CTH-W in Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties, while as
918-589: A numbering scheme in which primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, and shorter routes which branch off of longer ones are assigned three-digit numbers where the last two digits match the parent route. The Interstate Highway System is partially financed through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself is funded by a combination of a federal fuel tax and transfers from the Treasury's general fund. Though federal legislation initially banned
1020-491: A proposal for an interstate highway system, eventually resulting in the enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . Unlike the earlier United States Numbered Highway System, the interstates were designed to be all freeways, with nationally unified standards for construction and signage. While some older freeways were adopted into the system, most of the routes were completely new. In dense urban areas,
1122-559: A report called Toll Roads and Free Roads , "the first formal description of what became the Interstate Highway System" and, in 1944, the similarly themed Interregional Highways . The Interstate Highway System gained a champion in President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was influenced by his experiences as a young Army officer crossing the country in the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy that drove in part on
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#17327803186831224-690: A route the freeway crosses under later. At this point, the Interstate enters urban residential areas as it approaches Green Bay. I-43 junctions with WIS 172 in Allouez , then turns northeast to bypass Green Bay to the east, passing under the aforementioned WIS 29. After turning northwestward, the Interstate intersects WIS 54 and WIS 57 and crosses the Fox River on the Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge , passing through
1326-681: A rural two-lane highway. It becomes a four-lane divided road at the southern end of the overlap with CTH-H. It continues as such up to and including the WIS 50 overlap and the roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) section of freeway it shares with US 12 on the east side of Lake Geneva. Once it splits from US 12, it resumes as a two-lane road through its northern terminus at I-43. WIS 120 started showing up on state maps as early as 1937, however it ended in WIS 50 in downtown Lake Geneva. Around 1987-1988, WIS 120 and CTH-H were routed around downtown using their present routes, WIS 50, and US 12. WIS 120 continued straight past
1428-703: A series of roads in Waukesha County. Past WIS 33 in Saukville , the divided limited-access WIS 57 at the I-43/WIS ;57 split is designated Alt. I-43 to WIS 23 in Plymouth , where it diverts off WIS 32 at Sheboygan , then north to WIS 42 at Howards Grove north to Manitowoc. Interstate Highway [REDACTED] The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways , commonly known as
1530-409: A single digit prefixed to the two-digit number of its parent Interstate Highway. Spur routes deviate from their parent and do not return; these are given an odd first digit. Circumferential and radial loop routes return to the parent, and are given an even first digit. Unlike primary Interstates, three-digit Interstates are signed as either east–west or north–south, depending on the general orientation of
1632-801: A speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) because it is a parkway that consists of only one lane per side of the highway. On the other hand, Interstates 15, 80, 84, and 215 in Utah have speed limits as high as 70 mph (115 km/h) within the Wasatch Front , Cedar City , and St. George areas, and I-25 in New Mexico within the Santa Fe and Las Vegas areas along with I-20 in Texas along Odessa and Midland and I-29 in North Dakota along
1734-460: A speed limit of 80 mph (130 km/h). Other Interstates in Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming also have the same high speed limits. In some areas, speed limits on Interstates can be significantly lower in areas where they traverse significantly hazardous areas. The maximum speed limit on I-90 is 50 mph (80 km/h) in downtown Cleveland because of two sharp curves with
1836-474: A suggested limit of 35 mph (55 km/h) in a heavily congested area; I-70 through Wheeling, West Virginia , has a maximum speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) through the Wheeling Tunnel and most of downtown Wheeling; and I-68 has a maximum speed limit of 40 mph (65 km/h) through Cumberland, Maryland , because of multiple hazards including sharp curves and narrow lanes through
1938-573: A thousand businesses were razed. The southwestern portion has also had a history of requests for Interstate routings. Interstate routings for such a connection between Beloit and the Milwaukee metropolitan area were requested by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) but denied by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 1973. Another request for a link to Janesville was also denied. Despite
2040-543: Is also commonly believed the Interstate Highway System was built for the sole purpose of evacuating cities in the event of nuclear warfare . While military motivations were present, the primary motivations were civilian. The numbering scheme for the Interstate Highway System was developed in 1957 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The association's present numbering policy dates back to August 10, 1973. Within
2142-479: Is entirely four lanes from Beloit to New Berlin. A six-lane segment begins where US 45 merges on the Interstate. I-43 connects with US 45 south and WIS 100 at South 108th Street. US 45 joins the highway for one mile (1.6 km), then turns northward onto I-894 west and I-41 / US 41 south at the Hale Interchange , while I-43 follows I-894 east and I-41/US 41 south along
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#17327803186832244-511: Is signed along local and state highways from Milwaukee County north into Brown County. I-43 came about as a result of toll road proposals that included a Milwaukee to Superior corridor that included Hurley , Wausau , and Green Bay. Only the Milwaukee-to-Green Bay section was approved. The route was originally planned to follow an alignment about midway between US 41 and US 141 (the latter paralleled Lake Michigan at
2346-480: Is to have the highway route extend from Tamaulipas , Mexico to Ontario , Canada. The planned I-11 will then bridge the Interstate gap between Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada , and thus form part of the CANAMEX Corridor (along with I-19 , and portions of I-10 and I-15 ) between Sonora , Mexico and Alberta , Canada. Political opposition from residents canceled many freeway projects around
2448-474: The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas, and an I-35W and I-35E that run through Minneapolis and Saint Paul , Minnesota, still exist. Additionally, due to Congressional requirements, three sections of I-69 in southern Texas will be divided into I-69W , I-69E , and I-69C (for Central). AASHTO policy allows dual numbering to provide continuity between major control points. This is referred to as
2550-552: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a freeway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings. The publication in 1955 of the General Location of National System of Interstate Highways , informally known as the Yellow Book , mapped out what became
2652-630: The Grand Forks area have higher speed limits of 75 mph (120 km/h). As one of the components of the National Highway System , Interstate Highways improve the mobility of military troops to and from airports, seaports, rail terminals, and other military bases. Interstate Highways also connect to other roads that are a part of the Strategic Highway Network , a system of roads identified as critical to
2754-582: The Illinois state line as a continuation of IL 47 . After 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of straight road, WIS 120 turns east, then curves north to bypass downtown Lake Geneva . 4.5 miles (7.2 km) later, it meets WIS 50 for a short concurrency (picking up CTH-H along the way). After the less-than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) overlap, WIS 120 and CTH-H join US Highway 12 as a freeway at Exit 330A, while WIS 50 heads east toward Kenosha . WIS 120 and CTH-H exit
2856-880: The Interstate Highway System , or the Eisenhower Interstate System , is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States . The system extends throughout the contiguous United States and has routes in Hawaii , Alaska , and Puerto Rico . In the 20th century, the United States Congress began funding roadways through the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , and started an effort to construct
2958-529: The Lincoln Highway , the first road across America. He recalled that, "The old convoy had started me thinking about good two-lane highways... the wisdom of broader ribbons across our land." Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he
3060-506: The US Department of Defense . The system has also been used to facilitate evacuations in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. An option for maximizing traffic throughput on a highway is to reverse the flow of traffic on one side of a divider so that all lanes become outbound lanes. This procedure, known as contraflow lane reversal , has been employed several times for hurricane evacuations. After public outcry regarding
3162-470: The US Highways , which increase from east to west and north to south). This numbering system usually holds true even if the local direction of the route does not match the compass directions. Numbers divisible by five are intended to be major arteries among the primary routes, carrying traffic long distances. Primary north–south Interstates increase in number from I-5 between Canada and Mexico along
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3264-553: The West Coast to I‑95 between Canada and Miami, Florida along the East Coast . Major west–east arterial Interstates increase in number from I-10 between Santa Monica, California , and Jacksonville, Florida , to I-90 between Seattle, Washington , and Boston, Massachusetts , with two exceptions. There are no I-50 and I-60, as routes with those numbers would likely pass through states that currently have US Highways with
3366-591: The Wisconsin State Capitol grounds, prompted a compromise to utilize the freeway built for US 141 between Milwaukee and Sheboygan instead, building the remaining freeway for the Interstate itself. This plan, particularly the new freeway, met resistance from the Brown , Sheboygan , and Manitowoc county governments. Construction first began in 1963 on the freeway that was, at the time, designated US 141. The first segment to begin construction
3468-636: The Airport Freeway carries 107,000–134,000 vehicles per day. The freeway between the Mitchell and Marquette interchanges carried less at that time—97,000 (closer to downtown) to 105,000. The highway passes through mixed urban residential and industrial areas of the greater Milwaukee area, carrying six lanes throughout with the exception of near the Marquette Interchange where eight lanes of traffic exist. I-43 continues north from
3570-628: The Airport Freeway into Greenfield , (forming a wrong-way concurrency with I-41) with interchanges with WIS 24 , WIS 36 , and WIS 241 . At the Mitchell Interchange , I-894 ends and I-41/ I-94 /US 41 continues south while I-43 turns north to follow I-94 northbound, also known as the North–South Freeway, into downtown Milwaukee, where it meets I-794 at the Marquette Interchange . As of 2007,
3672-576: The Congress Hotel in Chicago. In the plan, Mehren proposed a 50,000-mile (80,000 km) system, consisting of five east–west routes and 10 north–south routes. The system would include two percent of all roads and would pass through every state at a cost of $ 25,000 per mile ($ 16,000/km), providing commercial as well as military transport benefits. In 1919, the US Army sent an expedition across
3774-650: The Hale Interchange connecting the pending route with I-894. The new connector received the US ;45 designation as that highway was transferred onto the freeway heading north. The first long segment was completed in 1969. It extended from the US 45 connector to CTH-F (now WIS 164 ) in Big Bend. After this segment was opened, the WIS ;15 designation was applied. The next segment, to East Troy ,
3876-527: The Hale Interchange with I-894) was given the name "Rock Freeway" because the freeway traverses Rock County and heads towards the cities in the Rock River valley, including Rockford, Illinois . However, the moniker generally only applies to the portion of the route in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties; freeway names in southeastern Wisconsin media are used interchangeably with Interstate numbers. The freeway
3978-515: The Interstate Highway System. Assisting in the planning was Charles Erwin Wilson , who was still head of General Motors when President Eisenhower selected him as Secretary of Defense in January 1953. Some sections of highways that became part of the Interstate Highway System actually began construction earlier. Three states have claimed the title of first Interstate Highway. Missouri claims that
4080-493: The Interstate Highway program. The Interstates of Alaska and Puerto Rico are numbered sequentially in order of funding without regard to the rules on odd and even numbers. They also carry the prefixes A and PR , respectively. However, these highways are signed according to their local designations, not their Interstate Highway numbers. Furthermore, these routes were neither planned according to nor constructed to
4182-479: The Marquette Interchange, while I-94 turns westward. After passing through downtown Milwaukee, just east of Marquette University , it crosses US 18 at Highland Boulevard and crosses WIS 145 at the McKinley Boulevard/Fond du Lac Avenue interchange. Exit 72C's northbound off- and on-ramps in downtown Milwaukee pass underneath the county courthouse via tunnels to Kilbourn Avenue. On
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4284-501: The Milwaukee-to-Green Bay segment was approved. The original plan for the northern part of I-43 was to locate it midway between US 141 and US 41, using most of the current alignment of WIS 57 north of WIS 33 in Saukville ; additionally, it was proposed to use the Interstate 57 number, though that was changed due to resistance from Illinois to extend its portion through Chicago. But farmers and landowners within
4386-549: The Ozaukee–Sheboygan county line. It involved 50 vehicles and was found to have been caused by low visibility due to fog at a point where the freeway comes its closest to paralleling Lake Michigan, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) from shore. The crash and resulting fires led to the deaths of 10 individuals, making this crash the deadliest in Wisconsin history. In addition to the fatalities, 36 people were also injured in
4488-688: The Port Washington Road exit to the Marquette Interchange was completed in 1981 to open the route. The route through Milwaukee was platted through the Black-American neighborhood of Bronzeville . Historically, segregation and related issues meant that this was the only place in Milwaukee where Black citizens could settle; it was later targeted for renewal to rid the city of what its political leadership saw as slums. The Interstate effectively finished off Bronzeville, as thousands of houses were seized via eminent domain and approximately
4590-596: The US 12 freeway at Exit 328. While CTH-H turns south toward downtown, WIS 120 turns north to meet the western terminus of WIS 36 and the White River State Trail in unincorporated Springfield after 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of rural road. Continuing another 3.5 miles (5.6 km), WIS 120 meets WIS 11 in unincorporated Spring Prairie . WIS 120 then meets its northern terminus at I-43 almost 6 miles (9.7 km) later. The road continues as CTH-G/Church Street into Downtown East Troy . WIS 120 starts as
4692-806: The US to determine the difficulties that military vehicles would have on a cross-country trip. Leaving from the Ellipse near the White House on July 7, the Motor Transport Corps convoy needed 62 days to drive 3,200 miles (5,100 km) on the Lincoln Highway to the Presidio of San Francisco along the Golden Gate . The convoy suffered many setbacks and problems on the route, such as poor-quality bridges, broken crankshafts, and engines clogged with desert sand. Dwight Eisenhower , then
4794-694: The United States, including: In addition to cancellations, removals of freeways are planned: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet unless a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is obtained. One almost absolute standard is the controlled access nature of the roads. With few exceptions , traffic lights (and cross traffic in general) are limited to toll booths and ramp meters (metered flow control for lane merging during rush hour ). Being freeways , Interstate Highways usually have
4896-481: The act was signed, and paving started September 26, 1956. The state marked its portion of I-70 as the first project in the United States completed under the provisions of the new Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Pennsylvania Turnpike could also be considered one of the first Interstate Highways, and is nicknamed "Grandfather of the Interstate System". On October 1, 1940, 162 miles (261 km) of
4998-684: The cancellation of the Somerset Freeway . This situation was remedied when the construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project started in 2010 and partially opened on September 22, 2018, which was already enough to fill the gap. However, I-70 remains discontinuous in Pennsylvania , because of the lack of a direct interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at
5100-406: The choice of routing destroyed many well-established neighborhoods, often intentionally as part of a program of " urban renewal ". In the two decades following the 1956 Highway Act, the construction of the freeways displaced one million people, and as a result of the many freeway revolts during this era, several planned Interstates were abandoned or re-routed to avoid urban cores. Construction of
5202-538: The city. In some locations, low speed limits are the result of lawsuits and resident demands; after holding up the completion of I-35E in St. Paul, Minnesota , for nearly 30 years in the courts, residents along the stretch of the freeway from the southern city limit to downtown successfully lobbied for a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit in addition to a prohibition on any vehicle weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) gross vehicle weight . I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park in northern New Hampshire has
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#17327803186835304-401: The collection of tolls, some Interstate routes are toll roads , either because they were grandfathered into the system or because subsequent legislation has allowed for tolling of Interstates in some cases. As of 2022 , about one quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country used the Interstate Highway System, which has a total length of 48,890 miles (78,680 km). In 2022 and 2023,
5406-431: The construction and improvement of highways. The nation's revenue needs associated with World War I prevented any significant implementation of this policy, which expired in 1921. In December 1918, E. J. Mehren, a civil engineer and the editor of Engineering News-Record , presented his "A Suggested National Highway Policy and Plan" during a gathering of the State Highway Officials and Highway Industries Association at
5508-407: The contiguous United States, primary Interstates—also called main line Interstates or two-digit Interstates—are assigned numbers less than 100. While numerous exceptions do exist, there is a general scheme for numbering Interstates. Primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, while shorter routes (such as spurs, loops, and short connecting roads) are assigned three-digit numbers where
5610-475: The corridor opposed the plan. According to the opponents of the I-43 construction, what the commission revealed as their plan to construct I-43 along the WIS 57 corridor did not reveal that instead of using the existing right-of-way, the freeway was to be built 2.25 miles (3.62 km) west of WIS 57. This was the case despite the fact that WIS 57 had a wide right-of-way of 300 feet (91 m). Protests, including farmers bringing their cows to graze on
5712-450: The counts in Sheboygan County bottom out at 21,100 vehicles per day just south of the Manitowoc County line. I-43 passes Cleveland on the county line. The highway continues to follow the lakeshore to straddle Manitowoc's westside, passing west of Newton, Wisconsin , with a weigh station for southbound truck drivers located midway between Newton and Cleveland. I-43 connects with US 151 and WIS 42. WIS 42 north follows
5814-494: The current turn-off via Pilgrim Church Road, Lake Shore Drive, Baker Street, Wrigley Drive, and Broad Street. Also, part of the present-day route was WIS 36 and CTH-G from Lake Geneva to East Troy, until WIS 36 was truncated to its present terminus in Springfield around the same time as WIS 120 was rerouted. As a result, WIS 120 superseded parts of WIS 36 to Lake Geneva and CTH-G to its present terminus at I-43 in East Troy. The route has remained unchanged to this day. The entire route
5916-402: The denials, local and state officials continued to seek funding to construct a freeway between these two metropolitan areas. A government collaboration called the "Highway 15 Committee" was formed to present and promote the route. Construction began on the route in the 1960s with the first segment, a 0.9-mile (1.4 km) connector linking US 45 with I-894 as part of the project to build
6018-567: The discontinuity, but they have been blocked by local opposition, fearing a loss of business. The Interstate Highway System has been expanded numerous times. The expansions have both created new designations and extended existing designations. For example, I-49 , added to the system in the 1980s as a freeway in Louisiana , was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana , to Kansas City, Missouri . The freeway exists today as separate completed segments, with segments under construction or in
6120-448: The dissemination of public information. As a result, the 2005 evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana, prior to Hurricane Katrina ran much more smoothly. According to urban legend , early regulations required that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war. There is no evidence of this rule being included in any Interstate legislation. It
6222-445: The eastern end of the concurrency near Breezewood . Traveling in either direction, I-70 traffic must exit the freeway and use a short stretch of US 30 (which includes a number of roadside services) to rejoin I-70. The interchange was not originally built because of a legacy federal funding rule, since relaxed, which restricted the use of federal funds to improve roads financed with tolls. Solutions have been proposed to eliminate
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#17327803186836324-449: The eastern leg of a T interchange with I-39 / I-90 just east of Beloit . The highway becomes WIS 81 west of the interchange. The Beloit-to- Milwaukee segment of I-43 passes mainly through farmland situated on rolling hills, going around urbanized areas except for in the greater Milwaukee area, where the route passes through suburban residential areas with some embedded industrial establishments. The Interstate bypasses Clinton to
6426-450: The economy. Not just as a public works measure, but for future growth. Clay's committee proposed a 10-year, $ 100 billion program ($ 1.13 trillion in 2023), which would build 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of divided highways linking all American cities with a population of greater than 50,000. Eisenhower initially preferred a system consisting of toll roads , but Clay convinced Eisenhower that toll roads were not feasible outside of
6528-439: The existing, largely non-freeway, United States Numbered Highways system. By the late 1930s, planning had expanded to a system of new superhighways. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Thomas MacDonald , chief at the Bureau of Public Roads, a hand-drawn map of the United States marked with eight superhighway corridors for study. In 1939, Bureau of Public Roads Division of Information chief Herbert S. Fairbank wrote
6630-426: The federal government, Interstate Highways are owned by the state in which they were built. With few exceptions , all Interstates must meet specific standards , such as having controlled access, physical barriers or median strips between lanes of oncoming traffic, breakdown lanes , avoiding at-grade intersections , no traffic lights , and complying with federal traffic sign specifications. Interstate Highways use
6732-411: The first three contracts under the new program were signed in Missouri on August 2, 1956. The first contract signed was for upgrading a section of US Route 66 to what is now designated Interstate 44 . On August 13, 1956, work began on US 40 (now I-70) in St. Charles County. Kansas claims that it was the first to start paving after the act was signed. Preliminary construction had taken place before
6834-429: The first time sought to target these funds to the construction of a national road grid of interconnected "primary highways", setting up cooperation among the various state highway planning boards. The Bureau of Public Roads asked the Army to provide a list of roads that it considered necessary for national defense. In 1922, General John J. Pershing , former head of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during
6936-424: The freeway north to the interchange with US 10 . WIS 42 leaves to the east along with US 10 east, and US 10 west follows I-43 north to the interchange with WIS 310 where it turns off to the west. The Interstate passes Francis Creek and Maribel (at WIS 147 ) and turns northwestward into Brown County, with a rest stop located just before the county line. I-43 in Manitowoc County has
7038-433: The freeway three miles (4.8 km) north of the county line in Mequon at the junction with WIS 167 . The urban residential areas thin out north of this point as a mix of farmland and forest begins to dominate. WIS 60 terminates in Grafton at the Interstate seven miles (11 km) further north and WIS 32 turns off toward Port Washington one mile (1.6 km) north of WIS 60. WIS 33 crosses
7140-429: The highest speed limits in a given area. Speed limits are determined by individual states. From 1975 to 1986, the maximum speed limit on any highway in the United States was 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), in accordance with federal law. Typically, lower limits are established in Northeastern and coastal states, while higher speed limits are established in inland states west of the Mississippi River . For example,
7242-435: The highly populated coastal regions. In February 1955, Eisenhower forwarded Clay's proposal to Congress. The bill quickly won approval in the Senate, but House Democrats objected to the use of public bonds as the means to finance construction. Eisenhower and the House Democrats agreed to instead finance the system through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself would be funded by a gasoline tax. In June 1956, Eisenhower signed
7344-617: The highway now designated I‑70 and I‑76 opened between Irwin and Carlisle . The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania refers to the turnpike as the Granddaddy of the Pikes, a reference to turnpikes . Milestones in the construction of the Interstate Highway System include: The initial cost estimate for the system was $ 25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 425 billion in 2006 or $ 618 billion in 2023 ) and took 35 years. The system
7446-459: The inefficiency of evacuating from southern Louisiana prior to Hurricane Georges ' landfall in September 1998, government officials looked towards contraflow to improve evacuation times. In Savannah, Georgia , and Charleston, South Carolina , in 1999, lanes of I-16 and I-26 were used in a contraflow configuration in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd with mixed results. In 2004, contraflow
7548-431: The last two digits match the parent route (thus, I-294 is a loop that connects at both ends to I-94 , while I-787 is a short spur route attached to I-87 ). In the numbering scheme for the primary routes, east–west highways are assigned even numbers and north–south highways are assigned odd numbers. Odd route numbers increase from west to east, and even-numbered routes increase from south to north (to avoid confusion with
7650-440: The least traveled portion of the highway with 17,400 vehicles passing south of WIS 147 according to 2005 results. These values increase further south. The Interstate passes Denmark and meets the terminus of WIS 96 one mile (1.6 km) north of the county line. The Interstate then continues another seven miles (11 km) to Bellevue where US 141 begins. This interchange provides access to WIS 29 ,
7752-454: The mainline. Some auxiliary highways do not follow these guidelines, however. The Interstate Highway System also extends to Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico , even though they have no direct land connections to any other states or territories. However, their residents still pay federal fuel and tire taxes. The Interstates in Hawaii, all located on the most populous island of Oahu , carry
7854-753: The maximum speed limit is 75 mph (120 km/h) in northern Maine, varies between 50 and 70 mph (80 and 115 km/h) from southern Maine to New Jersey, and is 50 mph (80 km/h) in New York City and the District of Columbia. Currently, rural speed limits elsewhere generally range from 65 to 80 miles per hour (105 to 130 km/h). Several portions of various highways such as I-10 and I-20 in rural western Texas, I-80 in Nevada between Fernley and Winnemucca (except around Lovelock) and portions of I-15 , I-70 , I-80 , and I-84 in Utah have
7956-554: The new mileposts, the mileposts themselves were not renumbered to coincide with the current length until 1991. The Marquette Interchange, which connects I-43 with I-94, and I-794 , was completely reconstructed over a four-year span, beginning in October ;2004 and ending in September ;2008. This project eliminated lefthand exits and widened connecting ramps between I-94 and I-43. A multiple-vehicle collision on
8058-967: The north at WIS 140 and passes into Walworth County five miles (8.0 km) east of WIS 140. As of 2007, daily traffic counts for Rock County range from 12,400 to 19,200 with the higher counts closest to Beloit. The interchange with I-39/I-90 accommodates 1,000–5,200 vehicles daily, with the most traffic on ramps connecting southbound I-39/I-90 to westbound WIS 81 and westbound I-43 to southbound I-39/I-90. I-43 passes north of Darien and crosses US 14 at that point, then junctions with WIS 50 south of Delavan . As of 2006, about 14,000–19,200 vehicles use this section daily. In Elkhorn , I-43 junctions with WIS 67 , US 12 , and WIS 11 . The freeway passes through East Troy about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Elkhorn and junctions with WIS 20 and WIS 120 . It then enters Waukesha County at Mukwonago . I-43 crosses WIS 83 at an interchange just southeast of
8160-658: The northbound lanes of I-43 involving 52 vehicles, killing three and injuring at least 30 others, occurred on the Tower Drive Bridge at 6:45 am March 12, 1990. The cause was a wall of fog with extremely limited visibility near the Fox River on an otherwise clear day. On October 10, 2002, a multiple-vehicle collision occurred on I-43, just south of Cedar Grove . The crash occurred on southbound I-43 in Sheboygan County just north of
8262-404: The number of fatalities on the Interstate Highway System amounted to more than 5,000 people annually, with nearly 5,600 fatalities in 2022. The United States government's efforts to construct a national network of highways began on an ad hoc basis with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , which provided $ 75 million over a five-year period for matching funds to the states for
8364-483: The official Interstate Highway standards . On one- or two-digit Interstates, the mile marker numbering almost always begins at the southern or western state line. If an Interstate originates within a state, the numbering begins from the location where the road begins in the south or west. As with all guidelines for Interstate routes, however, numerous exceptions exist. Wisconsin Highway 120 WIS 120 begins at
8466-561: The original Interstate Highway System was proclaimed complete in 1992, despite deviations from the original 1956 plan and several stretches that did not fully conform with federal standards . The construction of the Interstate Highway System cost approximately $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 618 billion in 2023). The system has continued to expand and grow as additional federal funding has provided for new routes to be added, and many future Interstate Highways are currently either being planned or under construction. Though heavily funded by
8568-528: The other between Milwaukee and Janesville . The Milwaukee–Beloit route was chosen, completed in 1976 as WIS 15 and renumbered as I-43 in 1988. To connect the two segments, I-43 was signed concurrently with the east–west segment of I-894 and the north–south portion of I-94 in the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area from I-894 to the Marquette Interchange , which was completely reconstructed with work being completed in 2008. I-43 begins in Rock County as
8670-667: The people there." The crash has since been described as the worst traffic crash in Wisconsin state history. Another multiple-vehicle collision occurred on March 5, 2019, on the Leo Frigo Bridge because of ice on the bridge. Nobody was severely injured. I-43 is currently being widened from four to six lanes in total north of Milwaukee from Silver Spring Drive to WIS 60 , with the anticipated completion in late 2024. Rest Area 51 and 52 in Manitowoc County between Cooperstown and Denmark will be replaced with
8772-406: The pileup. According to witnesses at the scene, fire from the wreckage rose over 20–30 feet (6.1–9.1 m) into the air. First responders said many of the bodies they recovered were burned beyond recognition. Then-Sheboygan County Sheriff Loni Koenig said of the crash site, "In my 21 years [of law enforcement], this is the most horrific scene I have ever seen, and I'm sure that it is for many of
8874-656: The planning phase between them. In 1966, the FHWA designated the entire Interstate Highway System as part of the larger Pan-American Highway System, and at least two proposed Interstate expansions were initiated to help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Long-term plans for I-69 , which currently exists in several separate completed segments (the largest of which are in Indiana and Texas ),
8976-411: The prefix H . There are three one-digit routes in the state ( H-1 , H-2 , and H-3 ) and one auxiliary route ( H-201 ). These Interstates connect several military and naval bases together, as well as the important communities spread across Oahu, and especially within the urban core of Honolulu . Both Alaska and Puerto Rico also have public highways that receive 90 percent of their funding from
9078-757: The route in Saukville . WIS 57 turns north off the freeway, which turns eastward to go around Port Washington to the north. WIS 32 rejoins the freeway on the northside and the two routes follow the Lake Michigan shoreline northeast into Sheboygan County. WIS 32 leaves the freeway at Cedar Grove and the Interstate passes Oostburg to the east and Sheboygan to the west. In Sheboygan, I-43 intersects WIS 28 , WIS 23 , and WIS 42 . I-43 enters Manitowoc County nine miles (14 km) north of Sheboygan. As of 2007, traffic counts in southern Ozaukee County peak at 66,900 vehicles per day—this value generally decreases further north. As of 2005,
9180-537: The route, without regard to the route number. For instance, I-190 in Massachusetts is labeled north–south, while I-195 in New Jersey is labeled east–west. Some looped Interstate routes use inner–outer directions instead of compass directions, when the use of compass directions would create ambiguity. Due to the large number of these routes, auxiliary route numbers may be repeated in different states along
9282-419: The same numbers, which is generally disallowed under highway administration guidelines. Several two-digit numbers are shared between unconnected road segments at opposite ends of the country for various reasons. Some such highways are incomplete Interstates (such as I-69 and I-74 ) and some just happen to share route designations (such as I-76 , I-84 , I‑86 , I-87 , and I-88 ). Some of these were due to
9384-503: The same roadway are signed as traveling in opposite directions; one such wrong-way concurrency is found between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell , Virginia, where I‑81 north and I‑77 south are equivalent (with that section of road traveling almost due east), as are I‑81 south and I‑77 north. Auxiliary Interstate Highways are circumferential, radial, or spur highways that principally serve urban areas . These types of Interstate Highways are given three-digit route numbers, which consist of
9486-464: The time) along WIS 57. Controversy about this location and use of right-of-way led to the establishment of the current alignment, which follows much of what was the 1950s-era realignment of US 141 from Milwaukee to Sheboygan , and a new alignment from Sheboygan to Green Bay. This section was completed in 1981. The Beloit-to-Milwaukee segment was developed after two separate proposals for Interstates, one of them between Milwaukee and Beloit and
9588-479: The village. After about eight miles (13 km), the highway junctions with WIS 164 just north of Big Bend and then enters the city of New Berlin where the freeway has interchanges with South Racine Avenue (CTH-Y) and South Moorland Road (CTH-O). It then turns east to enter Milwaukee County . As of 2006, traffic volumes range from 21,000 around Elkhorn to 35,800 in Waukesha County to 85,000 (2007 figures) at WIS 100 . The Beloit-to-Milwaukee portion (at
9690-495: The war, complied by submitting a detailed network of 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of interconnected primary highways—the so-called Pershing Map . A boom in road construction followed throughout the decade of the 1920s, with such projects as the New York parkway system constructed as part of a new national highway system. As automobile traffic increased, planners saw a need for such an interconnected national system to supplement
9792-452: The way north out of Milwaukee, the Interstate passes through Glendale, junctioning with WIS 190 (Capitol Drive) and WIS 57 (Green Bay Avenue), and north of Good Hope Road has a grassy median with a cable barrier . WIS 100 and WIS 32 connect at Brown Deer Road and WIS 32 follows the Interstate north into Ozaukee County . Up to 146,000 vehicles used this portion daily in 2007. This count decreased further north, with
9894-554: Was a 3.4-mile (5.5 km) segment beginning at the Port Washington Road exit in Milwaukee County. An additional 10 miles (16 km) of the highway were completed in Ozaukee County by 1964. In 1965, a 9.3-mile (15.0 km) bypass of Sheboygan opened to traffic. The last major segment, consisting of 94.4 miles (151.9 km) of roadway, was started in 1972 after the last of these governments, Manitowoc County, pledged its support. The portion in Milwaukee County extending from
9996-653: Was approved, the state was only given two routes: I-90 and I-94. The Wisconsin Transportation Commission submitted a request to add an Interstate in 1953 connecting Milwaukee to Green Bay, a request the federal government denied. The commission, after a study by Wisconsin Turnpike Commission—which was established in 1953—submitted a request in 1963 for a route that connected Milwaukee and Superior by way of Green Bay, Wausau, Hurley, and Ashland which could be completed in increments. However, only
10098-551: Was employed ahead of Hurricane Charley in the Tampa, Florida area and on the Gulf Coast before the landfall of Hurricane Ivan ; however, evacuation times there were no better than previous evacuation operations. Engineers began to apply lessons learned from the analysis of prior contraflow operations, including limiting exits, removing troopers (to keep traffic flowing instead of having drivers stop for directions), and improving
10200-587: Was opened in 1972, the year the Highway ;15 Committee had hoped the route would be completed in its entirety. It was extended to Elkhorn in 1973 in conjunction with the US ;12 freeway construction, then to I-90 in 1976. I-43 signs were placed on the freeway by 1988 after designation in 1987, replacing WIS 15. I-43 was also mapped concurrently with I-94 and I-894 to link the two segments together. Even though exit number tabs were labeled according to
10302-422: Was proclaimed complete in 1992, but two of the original Interstates— I-95 and I-70 —were not continuous: both of these discontinuities were due to local opposition, which blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system. I-95 was made a continuous freeway in 2018, and thus I-70 remains the only original Interstate with a discontinuity. I-95 was discontinuous in New Jersey because of
10404-547: Was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II . In 1954, Eisenhower appointed General Lucius D. Clay to head a committee charged with proposing an interstate highway system plan. Summing up motivations for the construction of such a system, Clay stated, It was evident we needed better highways. We needed them for safety, to accommodate more automobiles. We needed them for defense purposes, if that should ever be necessary. And we needed them for
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