Wisconsin Highway 29

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For the pre-1926 Highway 29, see Highway 29 (Wisconsin 1917).

State Trunk Highway 29
Length:	289.11 mi[1] (465.28 km)
West end:	US 10 in Prescott
Major junctions:	WIS 25 in Menomonie US 53 in Lake Hallie US 51 in Wausau WIS 22 near Shawano US 41 in Green Bay
East end:	WIS 42 in Kewaunee
Wisconsin highways < WIS 28 WIS 30 > County - Bannered - Rustic

State Trunk Highway 29 (often called Highway 29, STH 29 or WIS 29) is a Wisconsin state highway running east-west across central Wisconsin. It is 289.11 miles in length.

Contents 1 Termini 2 History 3 Current status 4 Exit List 5 Future plans 6 References

[edit] Termini

The western terminus of Highway 29 is at U.S. Highway 10, just north of Prescott. The eastern terminus is at Highway 42 in downtown Kewaunee.

Major cities
Prescott River Falls Menomonie Elk Mound Chippewa Falls Abbotsford Wausau Weston Wittenberg Shawano Green Bay Kewaunee

[edit] History

Prior to 1926, Highway 29 was numbered Highway 116 from Minnesota to Chippewa Falls, Highway 16 from Chippewa Falls to Bellevue, and Highway 146 from Bellevue to Kewaunee. Highway 16 continued southeast from Bellevue along what became U.S. Highway 141 in 1926 to Manitowoc. What had been Highway 29 before 1926 became U.S. Highway 16 across the state.^[2]

Highway 29 has long been known as "Bloody 29" and "Death Alley" because of the prevalence of grisly fatal traffic crashes along significant portions of the highway. In 1988, a study was commissioned to examine upgrading the highway to a 4-lane divided highway. The changes would be made along 203 miles of road from Interstate 94, 2 miles west of Elk Mound, to U.S. Highway 41 in Howard (suburban Green Bay). The final segment of the highway, connecting the east side of Chippewa Falls with the segment running north of Eau Claire, was opened to traffic on August 16, 2005. Of the total length, approximately 65 miles of the highway meets Interstate standards.^[3] Most of the expansion was able to be completed with only minor additions to the already-existing easements, and as a result, the expanded roadway almost exactly matches the highway's original course. While traffic crashes have declined significantly, numerous memorials to those who lost their lives on the road still dot the route.

Highway 29 is the only Wisconsin state highway in the Corridors 2020 Backbone Routes system.^[1]

[edit] Current status

Highway 29 is currently undergoing upgrades in Wausau as a part of the US 51/WIS 29 project.^[4] This project will expand the portions of Highway 29 that are co-signed with U.S. Highway 51 from 4 lanes to 6 lanes and reconstruct interchanges along the route. The southern interchange where Highway 29 turns east off from US 51 is currently being built and will be completed in late 2006. The northern end of the project will take four years and be completed in 2010.^[4]

[edit] Exit List

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
WIS 29 west along with US 12 west continue as a 2-lane road to Menomonie
Dunn	Elk Mound		none	I-94 - Madison, St Paul	Shown here as a terminus to the 4-lane expressway. WIS 29 is surface street here with a combo diamond/trumpet interchange with the I-94.
			61	US 12 - Colfax, Elk Mound	follow WIS 29 West.
Chippewa	Chippewa Falls		69	CTH T
			72	Business WIS 29 - 90th Ave
			75	US 53 - Eau Claire, Superior	Cloverleaf interchange
			79	Business WIS 29, Wis 178 - Chippewa Falls	Seymour Cray Sr Blvd use Exit 79
	Lake Wissota		80	CTH X - Lake Wissota State Park	Westbound: entrance only; eastbound: exit only
			81	CTH J - Lake Wissota	Westbound: exit only; eastbound: entrance only
			87	CTH X - Lake Wissota State Park	Lake Wissota State Park is not listed on the eastbound signs.
	Cadott		91	WIS 27 - Cadott, Augusta
	Boyd		97	CTH D - Boyd
	Stanley		101	CTH H, CTH X - Stanley
Clark	Thorp		108	WIS 73 North, CTH M - Thorp
	Withee		108	WIS 73 South, CTH T - Withee, Neillsville
	Owen		118	CTH X - Owen, Cardinal Ave
	Curtiss		127	CTH E - Curtiss
	Abbotsford		131	Business WIS 29 - Abbotsford	Hiline Ave use Exit 131 - Eastbound: exit only; Westbound: entrance only
Marathon			132	WIS 13 - Colby, Abbotsford	Marshfield, Medford use Exit 132
			134	Business WIS 29 - Abbotsford	Maple Rd use Exit 134 - Eastbound: entrance only; Westbound: exit only
	Wien		145	WIS 97 - Athens, Marshfield	Stratford use Exit 145
	Edgar		150	CTH H - Edgar
	Marathon City		156	WIS 107 - Marathon City
	Wausau		156	72nd Ave
			164[5]	WIS 52 - Wausau	WIS 52 begins at this point - WIS 29 follows this road to interchange with US 51.[6]
			none	US 51 - Merrill
	follows see US 51 for exits
	Rib Mountain		170	I-39, US 51 - Stevens Point, Madison	Eastbound only
	Rothschild		171	Business US 51 - Rothschild, Schofield
	Weston		173	CTH X - Weston, Camp Phillips Rd.
			177	CTH J - Weston
	Ringle		181	CTH Q - Ringle
	Hatley		186	CTH Y - Hatley
Shawano	Wittenberg		195	US 45 North, Business WIS 29, CTH M - Antigo, Wittenberg
			196	Business WIS 29, CTH Q - Wittenberg	Eastbound: entrance only; Westbound: exit only
			198	US 45 South, Business WIS 29, CTH Q - Clintonville, Wittenberg
	Shawano		225	WIS 22, CTH CC - Shawano, Clintonville	Eastbound: entrance only; Westbound: exit only
			227	WIS 47 & WIS 55 North, Business WIS 29, CTH K - Shawano
	Bonduel		234	WIS 47, WIS 117 - Bonduel, Appleton
	Angelica		242	WIS 55, WIS 160 - Pulaski, Seymour	Angelica use Exit 242
Brown	Oneida		249	WIS 32, CTH V - Pulaski, Gillett
	Green Bay		none	US 41 - Marinette, Appleton	Shown here as a terminus to the 4-lane expressway. WIS 29 is surface street here with a diamond interchange with the US 41 Freeway.
WIS 29 east continues as an urban street into Green Bay. WIS 32 follows US 41 south.

[edit] Future plans

WisDOT is studying options for Highway 29 conversions to Interstate standards in three sections.

The section between I-94 and County Highway X's eastern exit is already designated as a freeway by WisDOT - despite the existence of several at-grade intersections between U.S. Highway 53 and I-94. WisDOT is studying options for upgrade of these intersections as part of the study. In addition, upgrades to the I-94 interchange with Highway 29 are also being considered. WisDOT is also studying options for upgrades to the highway to a freeway further east to Bruce Mound Ave. in Clark County.^[3]

The second section - between Wittenberg (U.S. Highway 45) and Green Bay (U.S. Highway 41) is also undergoing a study for planned upgrades of the highway to freeway standards. As it stands now, the Shawano bypass is the only section that is a freeway. The study is geared toward upgrading the rest of the section to Interstate standards.^[7]

The third section - between Ringle (County Highway X) and Wittenberg (U.S. Highway 45) is at the preliminary stages for freeway upgrades. WisDOT is currently focusing on preserving right of way access for future ugrades.^[8]

To date, WisDOT has no published plans for the segments from Bruce Mound Ave. to Abbotsford (Badger Ave.) and from Abbotsford to Wausau (72nd Ave.)

[edit] References