Wisconsin Highway 26

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State Trunk Highway 26
Length: 98.15 mi[1] (157.96 km)
South end: US 51 in Janesville
Major
junctions:		 I-39 / I-90 near Janesville
I-94 in Johnson Creek
US 151 in Waupun
North end: US 41 near Oshkosh
Wisconsin highways
< WIS 25 WIS 27 >
County - Bannered - Rustic
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State Trunk Highway 26 (often called Highway 26, STH 26 or WIS 26) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The route is generally two-lane with the exception of a few urban multi-lane arterials. WIS 26 provides direct access from Janesville and Oshkosh to Waupun, Watertown and Fort Atkinson.

Contents

[edit] Route description

WIS 26 begins in downtown Janesville, Rock County at US 51 (North Parker Drive), and follows East Centerway Street, to turn northeast on Milton Ave.[2] WIS 26 crosses US 14 and I-39 / I-90 on the northeast side of the city. WIS 26 then passes through Milton at about five miles northeast of the Interstates. WIS 59 crosses WIS 26 in Milton. WIS 26 crosses over to Jefferson County about five miles north of Milton.[3] the highway turns northeast at the county line and approaches Fort Atkinson, but turns northwestard prior to entering the city, and bypasses it to the west along a two-lane road with interchanges. direct access is provided to WIS 106 and US 12. WIS 89 crosses the route, but no direct access is provided. WIS 26 then continues north for four miles into Jefferson, where it crosses US 18. The highway passes through Johnson Creek at the interchange with I-94. After crossing WIS 19 in Watertown, the highway crosses into Dodge County[4]

On the Dodge County side of Watertown, WIS 26 joins WIS 16 west. The concurrency continues for eight miles to Clyman where WIS 16 turns westward onto WIS 60 west, and WIS 60 East joins WIS 26 for one mile before turning eastward. WIS 26 passes through Juneau then crosses WIS 33 three miles north of Juneau. After eleven more miles, WIS 26 crosses US 151 and passes through Waupun. WIS 26 joins US 151 crosses into Fond du Lac County at its junction with WIS 49 in Waupun.[5]. WIS 26 joins US 151 for one mile then turns north off the US route. After ten miles, the highway crosses WIS 23 in Rosendale. The highway then angles northeastward over the remaining seven miles before entering Winnebago County[6] Four more miles into the county the route terminates at its interchange with US 41, about two miles south of the Wittman Regional Airport, site of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.[7]

[edit] History

The original 1917 alignment of WIS 26 mostly followed the current alignment south of Juneau, but the segment north of Juneau was directed towards Theresa. 1921 saw WIS 26 extended via Kewaskum and Waldo to end at Sheboygan - via present-day Wisconsin Highway 28.[8] In 1924, the route was realigned. From Juneau, it followed its present alignment to US 41 and into Oshkosh, then continued north from that point along present day WIS 76 up to Greenville, turning westward onto present-day WIS 15 there to continue to New London.[9] From there, the route followed present-day US 45, passing through Clintonville, Wittenberg, Antigo and Eagle River. The route connected with then M-26.[10] WIS 26 was also concurrent with WIS 10 south of Janesville. 1934 saw the debut of US 45, which replaced WIS 26 from Oshkosh northward. The route was truncated on the southern end to end at Janesville in the late 1940s.[1]

One bypass was constructed for WIS 26 - around Fort Atkinson to the west - in the 1990s. Milton, Jefferson, and Watertown have also plans and designs initiated for bypasses.[1]

[edit] Major intersections

County Location Mile Roads intersected Notes
Rock Janesville   US 51
  US 14
  I-39 / I-90
Milton   WIS 59
Jefferson Fort Atkinson   Jefferson Ave Intechange
  WIS 106 Interchange
  US 12 Interchange
  WIS 89
  North High Street Interchange
Jefferson   US 18
Johnson Creek   I-94
Watertown   WIS 19
Dodge   WIS 16 East WIS 16 West follow WIS 26 North
Clyman   WIS 16 West / WIS 60 West WIS 16 East follow WIS 26 South
WIS 60 East follow WIS 26 North
  WIS 60 East WIS 60 West follow WIS 26 South
Juneau   WIS 33
Waupun   US 151
  WIS 49
Fond du Lac   US 151 South WIS 26 North follow US 151 North
  US 151 North WIS 26 South follow US 151 South
Rosendale   WIS 23
Winnebago Oshkosh   US 41

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Bessert, Chris. Wisconsin Highways: Highways 20-29 (Highway 26). Wisconsin Highways. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
  2. ^ Google. Janesville, WI, United States of America - Google Maps [map]. Cartography by NAVTEQ. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
  3. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Rock Co [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  4. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Jefferson Co [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  5. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Dodge Co [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  6. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Fond du Lac Co [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  7. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Winnebago Co [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  8. ^ Original State Trunk Highway System in Wisconsin. Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (1918). Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
  9. ^ Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas. Rand McNally (1926). Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  10. ^ Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas. Rand McNally (1926). Retrieved on 2007-01-10.