Wisconsin Highway 83

WIS 50/WIS 75 near Paddock Lake
WIS 11 near Burlington
WIS 36 in Burlington
WIS 20 in Waterford
I-43 in Mukwonago
US-18 in Wales
I-94 in Delafield
WIS 16 near Chenequa

State Trunk Highway 83 (often called Highway 83, STH 83 or WIS 83) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in southeast Wisconsin from Hartford to the Illinois border near Salem.

Most of the WIS 83 corridor consists of glacial formations and lakes. From the Washington County line south to the Illinois state line, WIS 83 runs within a few miles of at least 11 different small lakes. The rural nature of this routing results in WIS 83 being mostly two-lane undivided highway except for sections where it runs concurrent with other highways (WIS 50 and WIS 36), or where it approaches an Interstate (I-43 and I-94).

Route description

WIS 83 begins at the Wisconsin/Illinois state line, just north of Antioch, Illinois at the northern terminus of Illinois Route 83. WIS 83 heads north through Salem township through the Westosha region of Kenosha County as Antioch Road.

On the western edge of Paddock Lake, WIS 83 turns left on 75th Street and runs concurrently with WIS 50. WIS 75 continues north on 256th Avenue towards Kansasville.

Outside of the unincorporated town of Wheatland, WIS 83 turns northwest from WIS 50, crossing into Racine County and then heading into the city of Burlington as South Pine Street.

By the end of 2008, WIS 83 will run along the new Burlington Bypass around the east side of the city, with an interchange at WIS 142, an at-grade four-way stoplight at WIS 11, another interchange at County Highway A, and finally an on/off ramp at WIS 36 (North Milwaukee Avenue) northeast of Browns Lake. The entire length of the eastern portion of the bypass will be signed as WIS 83 until the western section is completed sometime around the fall of 2010. ^[2]

WIS 83 and WIS 36 continue northeast on North Milwaukee Avenue to the intersection with WIS 20 (Beck Drive) outside of the city of Waterford. WIS 83 turns northwest onto Beck Drive, running concurrent with WIS 20 through Waterford. Upon reaching the city limits, Beck Drive becomes South 1st Street in Waterford, ending at East Main Street.

At the corner of East Main and South 1st, WIS 83 and WIS 20 turn west across the Fox River on to West Main Street, heading northwest and out of the city of Waterford. On the western edge of the city, WIS 83 turns towards the northwest while WIS 20 continues due west as High Drive.

WIS 83 continues towards the northwest, briefly crossing into Walworth County for less than a mile before heading into Waukesha County and the Village of Mukwonago. On the southeast side of Mukwonago, WIS 83 crosses Interstate 43 at exit number 43.

WIS 83 runs through the village of Mukwonago as Rochester Street, winding under a railway trestle and through to its odd-angle downtown intersection with County Highway ES (Main Street/Fox Street).

WIS 83 continues north towards the unincorporated towns of Genesee and Genesee Depot. Between the two towns, WIS 83 crosses WIS 59, turning to the west for about three blocks and crossing the railroad track that give the latter town its name.

At the west end of Genesee Depot, WIS 83 abruptly turns to the north towards Wales. Continuing west on Depot Road leads to Ten Chimneys National Historic Landmark, the former home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.

WIS 83 heads north through the Kettle Moraine area of western Waukesha County, crossing US 18 on the northwest side of Wales.

Entering the town of Delafield, WIS 83 crosses I-94 at exit 287. Continuing north, WIS 83 passes Naga-Waukee County Park and Golf Course towards Hartland.

After crossing over the WIS 16 freeway in Hartland (exit 181), WIS 83 turns immediately west on Church Street, running parallel to the WIS 16 freeway for about a half-mile through the township of Chenequa. Heading north between Pine Lake and Beaver Lake into Merton Township, WIS 83 crosses into Washington County.

Continuing North, WIS 83 meets the western terminus of WIS 167 at Holy Hill Road. WIS 83 continues to the north into Hartford, entering the city on Grand Avenue.

At the intersection of Grand Avenue and Branch Street, WIS 83 turns to the northwest on Branch into downtown Hartford, becoming South Main Street one block south of WIS 60 (East Sumner Street). WIS 83 continues north on North Main for four blocks, passing Centennial Park before turning east on Union Street. About nine blocks to the east, Union Street curves towards the north and heads out of the city,

WIS 83 continues to the north, passing the Washington County Golf Course to its northern terminus with WIS 175. The intersection with WIS 175 briefly touches county highway S by less than ¹⁄₄ miles (400 m).

History

According to Bessert^[1], the original signing of Highway 83 in 1919 was along the general routing of the current WIS 83 between WIS 36 in Waterford and WIS 59 in Genesee. The route was expanded to its current termini by 1924 and, except for minor changes to the layout of the roadway itself (by expansion or reconstruction of the existing pavement), has remained in the same location since.

Historic Landmarks

Ten Chimneys, the home of the noted husband-and-wife acting pair of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne (also known as Lynn Lunt) is located just off WIS 83 in Genesee Depot. The site was declared a National Historic Landmark on July 31, 2003.

Future plans

Other than the Burlington Bypass mentioned above, most of the future construction plans for WIS 83 are based in Waukesha County. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation currently plans to conduct resurfacing, reconstruction and/or expansion to most of the portion of WIS 83 between WIS 16 and Mukwonago by 2013.^[3]

Currently, the section of WIS 83 between Delafield and Hartland is being resurfaced to handle the higher volume of traffic expected for this corridor in the future.

Future plans call for the resurfacing of the section between Wales and I-94 to begin sometime in 2011; reconstruction and expansion of the section from just north of Mukwonago to Genesee by 2011-12; reconstruction and expansion of the interchange between WIS 16 and WIS 83 by 2012; and the reconstruction and expansion of the section from north of Genesee Depot to Wales by 2013. ^[4]

References