Interstate 39

Interstate 39
Route information
Length: 306.14 mi[1] (492.68 km)
Major junctions
South end: I-55 / US 51 in Normal, IL
  I-80 near La Salle, IL
I-88 in Rochelle, IL
I-90 near Rockford, IL
I-43 near Beloit, WI
I-94 near Madison, WI
I-90 / I-94 near Portage, WI
US 10 near Stevens Point, WI
North end: US 51 / WIS 29 in Rothschild, WI
Highway system

Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

← IL 38 IL US 40 →
← WIS 38 WI WIS 39 →

Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois at Interstate 55 to Highway 29 in Rothschild, Wisconsin, approximately six miles south of Wausau.[2] I-39 was designed to replace US Highway 51, which in the early 1980s was one of the busiest two-lane highways in the United States. I-39 was built in the 1980s and 1990s.

In Illinois, the route has a total length of 140.82 miles (226.63 km).[3] In Wisconsin, I-39 has a distance of 182 mi (293 km). With the exception of an eight-mile (13 km) segment around Portage, the Interstate shares a route with at least one other route number in the state. From Illinois to Portage, I-39 is concurrent with I-90. I-94 joins the pair in Madison until Portage. From Portage northward, US 51 is co-signed with the interstate. At 29 miles (47 km) in length, this concurrency of three Interstates is the longest in the country.

Contents

Route description

Lengths
  mi km
IL 141 227
WI 182 293
Total 323 520

Illinois

In Illinois, I-39 begins from Interstate 55 north of the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, area alongside of Route 251. It runs north largely through rural areas from the city of Normal. About 55 miles (89 km) north of the city, I-39 crosses the Illinois River over the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge, which is 2,170.8 metres (1.3 mi) long.[4] Just north of the Illinois River, I-39 runs west of the cities of LaSalle and Peru before intersecting Interstate 80. North of I-80, the wind turbines of the Mendota Hills Wind Farm can be seen from milepost 72 at Mendota north to near Paw Paw. Further north I-39 runs along the south and east sides of Rockford, concurrent with U.S. 20. The interstate joins the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway and Interstate 90 near Cherry Valley, during which there is a toll booth in South Beloit. U.S. 51 leaves I-39/90 in South Beloit, while I-39/90 continue north into Wisconsin.

For all but 1 mile (2 km) that Interstate 39 is in Illinois, it is designated concurrently with U.S. Route 51. The southern terminus of I-39 is less than 1 mile (2 km) from Interstate 74 as it runs around Normal.

Wisconsin

I-39 enters from Illinois along with I-90, passing under Stateline road, and bypasses Beloit to the east. East of the town, the route has a cloverleaf interchange that serves as the terminus for both WIS 81– which heads westward into Beloit– and I-43, which provides access to Milwaukee. The I-39/90 concurrency continues to the north and is joined by WIS 11 about 7 mi (11 km) north of the I-43 interchange. The route bypasses Janesville to the east, although interchanges with US 14 (where WIS 81 leaves the concurrency) and WIS 26 provide access to the town. The route continues generally to the north, crossing the Rock River before having an interchange with WIS 59 that provides access to Edgerton to the west.[5] Subsequently, the route enters Dane County as it passes west of Lake Koshkonong. It is joined by US 51 and serves as the southern terminus of WIS 73. US 51 leaves the route 4 mi (6 km) to the north, about 7 mi (11 km) east of Stoughton. The Interstate gradually turns westward around Utica to an interchange with CTH N. It then turns gradually back to the north and interchanges with US 12 and US 18 in Madison. I-39 and I-90 bypass Madison to the east, and I-94 joins the concurrency at the eastern terminus of WIS 30, an interchange known as the Badger Interchange.[6] About 2 mi (3 km) to the north, the highway crosses US 151, which includes a south-side access to High Crossing Boulevard. The last two Madison area interchanges are US 51 three miles (5 km) northwest of the US 151 interchange and WIS 19 another mile northwest of the US 51 interchange. Access is provided to CTH V just west of DeForest four miles (6 km) further north. I-39/I-90/I-94 enter Columbia County four miles (6 km) north-northwest of CTH V.[7]

The Interstates cross WIS 60 at an interchange three miles (5 km) north of the county line west of Arlington and CTH CS at another interchange four miles (6 km) further north near Poynette. The highway crosses the Wisconsin River four miles (6 km) north of CTH CS. At three miles (5 km) further along the route from the river, I-39 leaves the concurrency with I-90 and I-94 and turns northward while the other two interstates turn northwest. WIS 78 terminates at this interchange and heads southwest. This is the starting point of the segment of freeway that carries the I-39 route alone. The interstate crosses WIS 33, the first of three interchanges accessing Portage, two miles (3 km) north of I-90/I-94. After crossing the Wisconsin River again, I-39 crosses the second interchange - this one with WIS 16 and turns northeast to an interchange with US 51. The US route joins the Interstate and both turn north once again and leave the Portage area and, after four miles (6 km), enter Marquette County.[8]

WIS 23 joins I-39/US 51 northbound, 4 miles (6 km) from the county line. The three highways pass along Buffalo Lake and encounter a south-side half interchange with CTH D in the town of Packwaukee. WIS 23 leave the concurrency to the east at WIS 82 near Oxford. and the freeway takes a due north route to pass Westfield. I-39/US 51 enters Waushara County six miles (10 km) north of Westfield.[9] Four miles north of the county line, I-39 / US 51 junction with WIS 21 in Coloma. I-39/US 51 meet an interchange in Hancock with CTH V five miles (8 km) further north and WIS 73 crosses in Plainfield after another five miles (8 km). This is two miles (3 km) south of the Portage County line.[10] In Portage County, I-39/US 51 takes a straight due north trajectory which provides access to CTH D, CTH W and WIS 54 (also Business U.S. 51) over twelve miles (19 km). The WIS 54 interchange and the CTH B interchange a mile and a half north of it provide access for Plover. The next four interchanges - CTH HH, US 10 Eastbound / WIS 66 Westbound, Stanley Street and Business US 51 provide access to Stevens Point. Amongst these interchanges, the freeway turns northwestward, bypassing the city to the east and north. I-39/US 51 cross two more interchanges while in Portage County: Casimir Road four miles (6 km) northwest of Stevens Point,[11] and Westbound US 10 two miles (3 km) north of Casimir Road. The freeway then parallels the Wisconsin River for six miles (10 km) to an Interchange with CTH DB east of Lake DuBay and one mile (1.6 km) south of the Marathon County line.[12]

WIS 34 terminates at an interchange with I-39/US 51 in Knowlton three miles (5 km) northwest of the freeway's entry into Marathon County. The freeway turns due north from this interchange. WIS 153 crosses the freeway four miles further north in Mosinee. Maple Ridge Road crosses after another two miles (3 km) as the freeway turns northeastward into Rothschild.[13] An interchange with Business US 51 is just south of the Wisconsin River crossing after four miles (6 km) from Maple Ridge Road. I-39 ends two miles (3 km) further north at the interchange with WIS 29 East just southwest of Wausau.[14]

History

The genesis of Interstate 39 dates back to 1945, when the United States began planning the first 40,000 mile interstate system. An initial request was made for a north-south highway from South Beloit, Wisconsin to Salem, Illinois. and in 1956, legislation provided funding for the highway. However, the project was deemed a low priority and was shelved. During 1962 there were 531 crashes along U.S. 51 between Rockford and Decatur, with 11 fatlities. In 1969, the Illinois legislation started prompting the need for a highway in this corridor and the project was revived. When I-39 was being planned in the mid-1970s, it was to run from U.S Route 20 in Rockford to Interstate 57 near Salem, but only the area between Rockford and Decatur got the high priority funding.[15] Due budgetary difficulties, I-39 only made it to Bloomington. U.S 51 was instead upgraded to a four-lane divided expressway between Bloomington and Decatur, with some traffic lights. When traveling on Interstate 72, between mileposts 139 and 140, one can see embankments for an expressway interchange that was never constructed, which was supposed to be where I-39 was to merge. At one time there were pavement stubs leading onto the embankments but they have since been removed. Interstate 39 was considered at one point for the unbuilt Peoria-to-Chicago Highway.

I-39 was established in 1984 on the section from Illinois Route 5 (now called Interstate 88) in Rochelle, to U.S. Route 20 in Rockford.[16] I-39 was completed south from Route 5 to I-80 in 1986. By December 1987, construction on the section of I-39 between I-80 and Illinois Route 251 was finished. The next section, between Illinois Route 251 and Interstate 55 in Bloomington, opened in 1992, completing the southern part of I-39.[17] In December 1989, the section from Bloomington to Hudson opened, a distance of about 4.4 miles (7.1 km)[18][19] In early September 1992, another segment opened from IL 116 north to IL 17.[20] Illinois Department of Transportation has not finished I-39, since its plans called for it to extend south to Decatur, Illinois. US 51 between Bloomington and Decatur has been improved to be a 4-lane divided highway with minimal stops.

In Wisconsin, the route was officially designated in 1992.[21] In October 1993, AASHTO established part of I-39 in its northern section between Rockford and Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, then designated I-39 along existing portions of I-90, I-94, and U.S. Route 51. However, this part of the highway was not marked as I-39 for another four years, primarily because the Wisconsin Highway Department had to reconstruct the interchange connecting I-90 and I-94 with Wisconsin Highway 78 near Portage.[22] Signs denoting I-39 were placed along the highway in Wisconsin until 1996, when the section between Portage and Rothschild, Wisconsin (near Wausau) received its signs.[23] This occurred after then Governor Tommy Thompson designated the stretch between Portage and Wausau in 1996 after a five-year push to get the interstate designation approved.[24] The remaining segment along I-90/I-94 was not signed for I-39 until late 1998[21] The section between the I-90/I-94 interchange and US 51's interchange in Portage was previously a part of WIS 78. That route was truncated back to its current terminus when the Interstate's designation went into effect.[25] The designation of I-39 violated Wisconsin's rule of not having any state trunkline number duplicated—Interstate, U.S. or state—as WIS 39 already existed.[21]

Future

As of October 2007, the Illinois Department of Transportation is in the preliminary design stages for a project involving reconstruction of I-39 from U.S. Route 20 east to Harrison Avenue in Rockford. The goal of the project is to reconstruct ramps to modern-day standards, and allow southbound I-39 traffic to use through lanes at the U.S. 20 interchange.[26] Currently, southbound I-39 traffic must exit from the U.S. 20 freeway.

Exit list

Illinois

County Location Mile # Destinations Notes
McLean Normal 0.0 I-55 / US 51 south to I-74 – Decatur, Chicago, Peoria, Champaign, Saint Louis South end of US 51 overlap
2
US 51 Bus. – Bloomington, Normal
Hudson 5 Hudson
8 IL 251 (Lake Bloomington Road)
Woodford El Paso 14 US 24 – El Paso, Peoria
Woodford 22 IL 116 – Peoria, Pontiac
Minonk 27 Minonk
Marshall Wenona 35 IL 17 – Lacon, Wenona
LaSalle Lostant 41 IL 18 – Henry, Streator
Tonica 48 Tonica
51 IL 71 – Hennepin, Oglesby
52 IL 251 – Peru, LaSalle
Oglesby 54 Oglesby
La Salle Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge over the Illinois River
57 US 6 – LaSalle, Peru, Ottawa
59 I-80 – LaSalle, Peru, Chicago, Des Moines Signed as exits 59A (east) and 59B (west)
Troy Grove 66 US 52 – Troy Grove
Mendota 72 US 34 – Mendota, Earlville
Lee Paw Paw 82 Paw Paw
87 US 30 – Sterling, Rock Falls, Aurora
Steward 93 Steward
Ogle Rochelle 97 I-88 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) – Moline, Rock Island, Chicago Signed as exits 97A (east) and 97B (west)
99 IL 38 – DeKalb, Rochelle
104 IL 64 – Sycamore, Oregon
Monroe Center 111 IL 72 – Genoa, Byron
Winnebago 115 Baxter Road
Rockford US 20 west – Freeport, Rockford South end of US 20 overlap
Cherry Valley 122A US 20 east – Belvidere North end of US 20 overlap
122B Harrison Avenue
I-39 northbound joins Jane Addams Memorial Tollway Westbound — mileposts belong to tollway and increase from here.
61   I-90 east (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) – Chicago South end of I-90 overlap
Rockford 63  
US 20 Bus. (State Street)		  
64   Riverside Blvd Northbound Exit - Southbound Entrance tolled
~67 IL 173 (West Lane Road) Northbound Exit - Southbound Entrance tolled
Rockton 75 South Beloit Toll Plaza
End Jane Addams Memorial Tollway Westbound — mileposts belong to I-90 and decrease from here.
South Beloit 76 3 Rockton Rd (CR-9)  
  1 US 51 north / IL 75 west – South Beloit North end of US 51 overlap
Wisconsin state line. Northbound I-39 continues with I-90 Westbound.

Wisconsin

See Interstate 90 in Wisconsin from exits 185B-108B.
County Location Mile[27] #[28] Destinations Notes
Columbia 79.14 84B I-90 west / I-94 west – Wisconsin Dells North end of I-90/I-94 overlap
79.35 84A WIS 78 south – Merrimac
Portage 79.68 85 Cascade Mountain Rd  
81.41 87 WIS 33 – Portage, Baraboo  
84.13 89 WIS 16 to WIS 127 – Portage, Wisconsin Dells Signed as exits 89A (east) and 89B (west) northbound
85.51 92 US 51 south – Portage South end of US 51 overlap
Marquette Endeavour 94.12 100 WIS 23 west / CTH-P – Wisconsin Dells, Endeavor South end of WI 23 overlap
Packwaukee 98.33 104 CTH-D – Packwaukee Northbound exit and southbound entrance
100.36 106 WIS 23 east / WIS 82 west – Oxford, Montello North end of WI 23 overlap
Westfield 106.96 113 CTH-E / CTH-J – Westfield  
Waushara Coloma 117.92 124 WIS 21 – Coloma, Necedah  
Hancock 125.09 131 CTH-V – Hancock  
Plainfield 130.64 136 WIS 73 – Plainfield, Wisconsin Rapids  
Portage 133.78 139 CTH-D – Almond  
Bancroft 137.26 143 CTH-W – Bancroft, Wisconsin Rapids  
Plover 145.63 151
WIS 54 / US 51 Bus. – Wisconsin Rapids, Plover, Waupaca
147.27 153 CTH-B – Wisconsin Rapids, Plover, Amherst
Whiting 150.20 156 CTH-HH – Whiting  
Stevens Point 152.43 158 US 10 east – Stevens Point, Waupaca, Appleton, Marshfield Signed as exits 158A (east) and 158B (west) northbound; South end of US 10 overlap
Hull 153.66 159 WIS 66 – Stevens Point, Rosholt
Stevens Point 155.79 161
US 51 Bus. – Stevens Point		  
Casimir 157.54 163 Casimir Rd  
159.22 165 US 10 west – Marshfield North end of US 10 overlap
165.03 171 CTH-DB – Knowlton, Lake DuBay
Marathon Knowlton 169.31 175 WIS 34 – Knowlton, Wisconsin Rapids
Mosinee 173.29 179 WIS 153 – Mosinee, Elderon  
175.15 181 Maple Ridge Road
Rothschild 179.21 185
US 51 Bus. – Rothschild, Wausau, Schofield
181.38 187 WIS 29 east – Weston, Green Bay Currently, north end of I-39 ends immediately before interchange
181.38 US 51 north / WIS 29 west – Wausau, Chippewa Falls Northbound exit and southbound entrance; North end of US 51 overlap

References

  1. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2002-10-31). "FHWA Route Log and Finder List: Table 1". http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table1.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-28. 
  2. ^ "Overview Map of I-39". Google Maps. http://www.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=189581027214663335,40.543091,-89.002832%3B6774789599481304502,44.888289,-89.639920&saddr=I-39+N+%4040.543091,+-89.002832&daddr=44.888776,-89.63994&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=15&sll=44.892576,-89.638009&sspn=0.013742,0.028839&ie=UTF8&ll=43.34116,-89.165039&spn=7.222549,14.765625&z=6. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
  3. ^ Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". http://www.dot.state.il.us/gist2/select.html. Retrieved 2007-11-08. 
  4. ^ Svirsky, Alexander. "Nationalbridges.com". http://nationalbridges.com/nbi_record.php?StateCode=17&struct=000050019120847. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
  5. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (PDF). Rock Co (Map). http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/rock.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  6. ^ "WisDOT News Releases, I-94 reconstruction to be discussed September 19". Wisconsin Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/opencms/export/nr/modules/news/news_0396.html_786229440.html. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  7. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (PDF). Dane Co (Map). http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/dane.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  8. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (PDF). Columbia Co (Map). http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/columbia.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  9. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (PDF). Marquette Co (Map). http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/marquette.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  10. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (PDF). Waushara Co (Map). http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/waushara.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  11. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Casimir Road, Stevens Point, Wisconsin - Google Maps (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=Casimir+Road,+Stevens+Point,+Wisconsin&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=46.495626,82.265625&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  12. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (PDF). Portage Co (Map). http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/portage.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  13. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maple Ridge Road, Mosinee, Wisconsin - Google Maps (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=Maple+Ridge+Road,+Mosinee,+Wisconsin&sll=44.81146,-89.65496&sspn=0.040919,0.080338&ie=UTF8&z=14&iwloc=addr&om=1. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  14. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (PDF). Marathon Co (Map). http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/marathon.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 
  15. ^ IDOT (2010). "Proposed Highway Corridors". http://www.midwestroads.com/illinois/il%20supp%20fwy.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 
  16. ^ "Interstate 39". AA Roads. 29 July 2008. http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-039.html. Retrieved 11 January 2009. 
  17. ^ "Illinois Highways Page: Routes 21 through 40". http://www.n9jig.com/21-40.html. Retrieved 11 January 2009. 
  18. ^ Zehr, Melissa (1991-03-08). "Interstate 39 – Crews work to link highway by 1992". The Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL). 
  19. ^ Google Maps estimate.
  20. ^ Davis, Jenni (September 2, 1992). "I-39 nearly finished; 12 more miles open today". Peoria Journal-Star. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date%3AD&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%20%200EB6EAF34E7EB053%20%20&p_docid=0EB6EAF34E7EB053&p_theme=aggregated4&p_queryname=0EB6EAF34E7EB053&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=O54E56XJMTE5NzMwNTE2NS41MDEzNzI6MTo3OnJmLTg3MjU&&p_multi=PJSB#7117694631508559435. (registration required)
  21. ^ a b c Bessert, Chris. "Wisconsin Highways: Highways 30-39 (Interstate 39)". Wisconsin Highways. http://www.wisconsinhighways.org/listings/WiscHwys30-39.html#I-039. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  22. ^ Walters, Steven (16 January 1996). "U.S. 51 will become I- 39 between Portage, Wausau". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  23. ^ "Wisconsin Highways: Highways 30-39". http://www.wisconsinhighways.org/listings/WiscHwys30-39.html#I-039. Retrieved 11 January 2009. 
  24. ^ Walters, Steven (1996-01-16). "U.S. 51 will become I-39 between Portage, Wausau". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB82963E8D06152&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  25. ^ Bessert, Chris. "Wisconsin Highways: Highways 70-79 (Highway 78)". Wisconsin Highways. http://www.wisconsinhighways.org/listings/WiscHwys70-79.html#STH_078. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  26. ^ Illinois Department of Transportation (2007). "I-39/U.S. 20 Improvement Project". http://www.dot.state.il.us/US20-I39/default.html. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 
  27. ^ DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2007, Driving directions. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  28. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. "Exit numbers on US 51 and I-39". http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/road/exits-us51-i39.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-30. 

External links

Main Interstate Highways (major interstates highlighted)
4 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30
35 37 39 40 43 44 45 49 55 57 59 64 65 66 68 69
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 (W) 76 (E) 77 78 79 80 81 82
83 84 (W) 84 (E) 85 86 (W) 86 (E) 87 88 (W) 88 (E) 89 90
91 93 94 95 96 97 99 H-1 H-2 H-3
Unsigned  A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 PRI-1 PRI-2 PRI-3
Lists  Primary  Main - Intrastate - Suffixed - Temporary - Future - Gaps
Auxiliary  Main - Future - Unsigned
Other  Standards - Business - Bypassed - Tolled