Interstate 39 in Wisconsin

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Interstate 39 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by WisDOT
Length:	182 mi[1] (292.9 km)
Formed:	October 22, 1993
South end:	I-39 in South Beloit, IL
Major junctions:	I-90, near Beloit US 12/US 18 in Madison US 151 in Madison I-94 in Madison US 51 near Portage US 10 in Stevens Point
North end:	WIS 29 in Wausau
Wisconsin highways < WIS 38 WIS 39 > County - Bannered - Rustic

In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, Interstate 39 is an Interstate-standard freeway that runs north from the Illinois border with Interstate 90 to just south of Wausau. This is a distance of 182 mi (293 km). For the main article, see Interstate 39.

Contents 1 Route description 2 History 3 Future 4 Exit list 5 References

[edit] Route description

Major cities
All cities are control cities for I-39.[2]
Janesville, Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Portage, Wisconsin Stevens Point, Wisconsin Wausau, Wisconsin

Interstate 39 runs north from the Illinois border with Interstate 90 and U.S. Route 51. It passes through the cities of Beloit and Janesville before I-39 and I-90 join Interstate 94 in Madison. The three interstates stay joined from Madison to just south of Portage. At 29 miles (47 km) in length, this concurrency of three Interstates is the longest in the country.

From Portage, I-39 runs north to Stevens Point before terminating at Wausau.

Interstate 39 is designated concurrently with at least one other highway for its entire length, except for an eight mile stretch from I-90/94 to US-51 near Portage, Wisconsin. This eight mile stretch already existed as Highway 78 and largely met Interstate standards before I-39 was created; the old STH-78 route markers were reportedly removed in the mid-1980s, but I-39 route markers did not appear until c.1996. In the interim, signage reportedly only indicated "TO US-51" in the northbound direction and "TO I-90/I-94" southbound. This means that there was no new road construction involved in the creation of I-39—only the installation of signs.

All milemarkers along the independent section of I-39 in Wisconsin (north of Portage) do not show the correct mileage for the route in that state. The milemarkers are correct for US-51, which is roughly five miles longer between the Illinois line and Portage than I-39. Therefore, all of the exit numbers and milemarkers are roughly five miles too high with respect to the actual mileage of I-39 in Wisconsin.

Despite its Interstate status many residents of central Wisconsin still refer to I-39 as U.S. Route 51 and in Stevens Point and Wausau one can find numerous "TO US-51" road signs but very few "TO I-39" signs.

[edit] History

The routing of Interstate 39 into Wisconsin from Rockford, Illinois was approved on October 22, 1993 by AASHTO. However, signage and full recognition for the new extension and was not fully in place until 1998-1999.^[3]

[edit] Future

This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the road's construction and/or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

Speculation exists that Interstate 39 could be extended north from Wausau to Merrill, Wisconsin along the U.S. Route 51 freeway, which is nearly Interstate standard, but is not part of the Interstate system as of August 2006. An Interstate designation on this portion of freeway cannot be pursued until underheight overpasses in the Wausau area have been raised and other modifications made. Some of these modifications are being made as part of a long-term improvement project on US-51 which will not be completed until 2010. WisDOT sources have only indicated plans exist to potentially extend I-39 northerly to the northern junction with STH-29 once that interchange has been reconstructed.^[4]

[edit] Exit list

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Merges with and follows east
Columbia	Portage		84B	I-90, I-94 - Madison, Wis Dells	For exits south of this point see Interstate 90.
			84A	WIS 78 - Merrimac
			85	Cascade Mt Rd
			87	WIS 33 - Portage, Baraboo	.
			89	WIS 16, WIS 127 - Portage, Wis Dells	Two exits northbound, 1 exit southbound
			92	US 51 - Portage	north follows north.
Marquette	Endeavour		100	WIS 23 west, CTH P - Wis Dells, Endeavor	follow north
	Packwaukee		104	CTH D - Packwaukee	northbound: exit only; southbound: entrance only
	Montello		106	WIS 23 east, WIS 82 - Oxford, Montello	follow south
	Westfield		113	CTH-E, CTH-J - Westfield
Waushara	Coloma		124	WIS 21 - Coloma, Necedah
	Hancock		131	CTH V - Hancock
	Plainfield		136	WIS 73 - Plainfield, Wis Rapids
Portage	Almond		139	CTH D - Almond
	Bancroft		143	CTH W - Bancroft, Wis Rapids
	Plover		151	WIS 54 Business US 51 - Wis Rapids, Plover	Waupaca use Exit 151
			153	CTH B - Wis Rapids, Plover	Amherst use Exit 153
	Whiting		156	CTH HH - Whiting
	Stevens Point		158A	US 10 east - Waupaca, Appleton
			158B	US 10 west - Marshfield, Stevens Point	Exit 158 has only one off-ramp on the southbound side.
			159	WIS 66 east - Stevens Point, Rosholt
			161	Business US 51 - Stevens Point
	Hull		163	Casimir Rd
			165	CTH X north
	Lake Dubay		171	CTH DB - Knowlton, Lake Dubay
Marathon	Knowlton		175	CTH DB - Knowlton, Wis Rapids
	Mosinee		179	WIS 153 - Mosinee, Elderon
	Kronenwetter		181	WIS 153 - Mosinee, Elderon
	Rothschild		185	Business US 51 - Rothschild, Wausau	Northbound POV, Schofield use Exit 185
				Business US 51 - Rothschild, Schofield	Southbound POV
	Rib Mountain		187	WIS 29 east - Weston, Green Bay	For exits north of this point see US 51. WIS 29 follow north
End - continues north.

[edit] References

Preceded by Illinois

Interstate 39 Wisconsin

Succeeded by none