DEFOREST, Wis. — Old roads, higher-than-average crash rates, growing traffic volumes and roadway and bridge deterioration along a stretch of Interstate 39/90/94 in south central Wisconsin have prompted the state’s Department of Transportation to study potential solutions.
I-90 and I-94 are Wisconsin’s two original interstate routes. Much of the I-39/90/94 corridor was originally constructed in the early 1960s and is showing its age.
“We have aging infrastructure that was built in 1961 for the most part, we have frequent safety issues, during our peak periods on Fridays and Saturdays we have traffic congestion and unreliable travel times,” said Dan Schave, the studies supervisor for WisDOT’s southwest region.
Before making changes to the 67-mile corridor that runs from Madison to the Wisconsin Dells, WisDOT must first gather data and conduct a study to find the best improvements for the corridor.
The I-39/90/94 Corridor Study addresses existing and future traffic demands, safety issues and aging and outdated corridor infrastructure, beginning with replacing 60-year-old pavement.
If the study does not move forward as a project, WisDOT anticipates that the corridor will need 16 rehabilitation/maintenance projects and 80 structure projects over the next 30 years, causing even more intense travel delays and congestion.
“Traffic congestion and safety are two things we see on the corridor, and this project would be looking at addressing those needs,” Schave said.
Sixteen interchanges lie along the corridor, some of which have up to 25% higher crash rates compared to the state average.
“Many of these interchanges were built numerous years ago, so if we would reconstruct they’d be built to modern standards (with) modern freeway design speeds,” he said.
The project also aims to address and mitigate flood risks within the corridor.
“It’s flooded numerous times since 2008, and full interstate closures are highly impactful to the traveling of the public, so we hope to address those with this project,” he added.
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Current studies focus on the existing interstate corridor rather than building bypasses. Several years ago, a proposal that called for building a bypass highway through parts of northeastern Dane and southern Columbia counties drew concern from area residents about traffic and impacts to farmland.
After the study stage is complete, WisDOT plans on creating a comprehensive list of specific improvements by the spring of 2023 that will be finalized in 2024. No construction date is set.
WisDOT held a public involvement meeting to talk about the project’s environmental study on Tuesday in DeForest; another public meeting is planned for Wednesday at the Clarion Hotel’s Wintergreen Conference Center in the Wisconsin Dells. That meeting runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For the latest on the project, visit WisDOT’s website.
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