Interstate 39
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Length | 306.14 mi[1] (492.68 km) | ||||||
Existed | 1986–present | ||||||
NHS | Entire route | ||||||
Major junctions | |||||||
South end | I-55 / US 51 in Normal, IL | ||||||
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North end | US 51 / WIS 29 near Rothschild, WI | ||||||
Location | |||||||
Country | United States | ||||||
States | Illinois, Wisconsin | ||||||
Counties | IL: McLean, Woodford, Marshall, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, Winnebago WI: Rock, Dane, Columbia, Marquette, Waushara, Portage, Marathon | ||||||
Highway system | |||||||
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Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the Midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois, at I-55 to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) in the town of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, which is approximately six miles (9.7 km) south of Wausau.[2] I-39 was designed to replace U.S. Route 51 (US 51), which, in the early 1980s, was one of the busiest two-lane highways in the United States.[citation needed] 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 miles (293 km). From Rockford, Illinois, to Portage, Wisconsin, I-39 runs concurrently with I-90. In Wisconsin, I-94 joins the pair in Madison until Portage. At 29 miles (47 km) in length, this concurrency of three Interstates is the longest in the country. From Portage northward, US 51 is cosigned with the Interstate and has exit numbers based on its mileage.
Route description
Illinois
In Illinois, I-39 begins at
For all but one mile (1.6 km) that I-39 is in Illinois, it is designated concurrently with US 51.
Wisconsin
I-39 enters from Illinois along with I-90, passing under County Trunk Highway P (CTH-P, Stateline Road), and bypasses Beloit to the east. East of the town, the route has an interchange at exit 185 that serves as the terminus for both
The Interstate crosses WIS 60 at an interchange three miles (4.8 km) north of the county line east of Lodi and CTH-CS at another interchange four miles (6.4 km) further north near Poynette. The highway crosses the Wisconsin River four miles (6.4 km) north of CTH-CS. At three miles (4.8 km) further along the route from the river, I-39 leaves the concurrency with I-90/I-94 at exit 108 and turns northward while the other two Interstates turn northwesterly. 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 (3.2 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 northeasterly to an interchange with US 51. The U.S. Highway joins the Interstate, and both turn north once again and leave the Portage area and, after four miles (6.4 km), enter Marquette County.[5]
History
Illinois
When the Interstate Highway System was first being planned, Illinois made a request for a north–south highway from South Beloit to Salem. The project was deemed a low priority and was shelved. US 51, which ran mostly down the middle of the state, became a heavily traveled two-lane arterial road, experiencing many crashes and earning the nickname "Killer 51".[9]
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a major supplemental freeway system plan was proposed, with the goal of providing Illinois residents access to freeways within 30 minutes or less. One of the proposed routes, FAP 412, was a route that would extend from US 20 in Rockford to I-57 just north of Salem, similar to the earlier requested route. Due to traffic counts, only the portion between Rockford and Decatur was prioritized.[10]
Over the course of the 1970s, planning for the US 51 supplemental freeway took place in earnest. However, debate ensued over what type of highway should be built. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) wanted the entire highway built to Interstate Highway standards, but a transportation committee established to review the proposed supplemental freeway system recommended only Interstate construction between Rockford and I-80.[11] The highway from Oglesby south to Decatur was recommended to be an at-grade expressway, utilizing the existing road where possible. After a decade of lobbying by interest groups, it was announced in 1986 that US 51 would be rebuilt to Interstate standards from Oglesby to Normal.[12] However, due to funding concerns and local opposition, it was decided that the Bloomington to Decatur segment would not be built to Interstate standards; this segment was made a four-lane expressway.[13]
The first segment of the freeway opened 1984 from
Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, the highway was officially designated in 1992.
Exit list
State | County | Location | mi[22] | km | Exit[23] | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southern terminus of I-39; southern end of US 51 concurrency; I-55 exit 164; Central Illinois Regional Airport | |||||||
1.53 | 2.46 | 2 | US 51 Bus. south (Main Street) – Bloomington, Normal | ||||
Hudson | 4.67 | 7.52 | 5 | CR 12 (Franklin Street) – Hudson | |||
Hudson Township | 7.75 | 12.47 | 8 | IL 251 north / CR 8 (Lake Bloomington Road) – Kappa | Southern terminus of IL 251 | ||
Woodford | El Paso | 14.35 | 23.09 | 14 | US 24 – Peoria, El Paso | ||
Woodford | 22.37 | 36.00 | 22 | IL 116 – Peoria, Pontiac | |||
Minonk | 26.94 | 43.36 | 27 | CR 2 – Minonk | |||
Marshall | Wenona | 35.02 | 56.36 | 35 | IL 17 – Lacon, Wenona | ||
LaSalle | Lostant | 41.60 | 66.95 | 41 | IL 18 – Henry, Streator | ||
Tonica | 48.67 | 78.33 | 48 | CR 54 (Reed Richardson Road) – Tonica | |||
Eden Township | 51.70 | 83.20 | 51 | IL 71 – Hennepin, Oglesby, Granville | |||
52.47 | 84.44 | 52 | IL 251 – Peru, LaSalle | ||||
Oglesby | 53.79 | 86.57 | 54 | Walnut Street – Oglesby | |||
Illinois River | Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge | ||||||
La Salle | 56.75 | 91.33 | 57 | US 6 (5th Street) – LaSalle, Peru, Ottawa | |||
58.68– 59.46 | 94.44– 95.69 | 59 | Signed as exits 59A (east) and 59B (west); I-80 exit 79 | ||||
Troy Grove | 66.16 | 106.47 | 66 | US 52 – Troy Grove | |||
Mendota | 72.09 | 116.02 | 72 | US 34 – Mendota, Earlville | |||
Lee | Paw Paw | 82.57 | 132.88 | 82 | CR 10 (Chicago Road) – Paw Paw | ||
Willow Creek Township | 87.34 | 140.56 | 87 | US 30 – Sterling, Rock Falls, Aurora | |||
Steward | 93.34 | 150.22 | 93 | CR 2 (Perry Road) – Steward | |||
Chicago | Signed as exits 97A (east) and 97B (west); I-88 exit 78 | ||||||
99.46 | 160.07 | 99 | |||||
Lynnville Township | 104.50 | 168.18 | 104 | IL 64 – Sycamore, Oregon | |||
Monroe Center | 110.98 | 178.60 | 111 | IL 72 – Genoa, Byron, Kingston | |||
Winnebago | Rockford Township | 115.49 | 185.86 | 115 | CR 11 (Baxter Road) | ||
Rockford | 119.05– 119.56 | 191.59– 192.41 | — | US 20 west (Rockford Bypass) – Rockford, Freeport | Southern end of US 20 concurrency; Chicago Rockford International Airport | ||
Cherry Valley | 122.17 | 196.61 | 122A | US 20 east – Belvidere | Northern end of US 20 concurrency | ||
122B | Harrison Avenue | ||||||
122.90 | 197.79 | — | Chicago | Southern end of I-90 concurrency; I-90 exit 17; I-39 uses I-90's exit numbers from here north | |||
US 20 Bus. (State Street) | Last free exit northbound | ||||||
127.77 | 205.63 | 12 | CR 55 west (East Riverside Boulevard) | Toll on northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
Machesney Park | 131.31 | 211.32 | 9 | IL 173 (West Lane Road) – Machesney Park | Toll on northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Rockton | 136.71 | 220.01 | South Beloit Toll Plaza 1 | ||||
South Beloit | 137.53 | 221.33 | 3 | CR 9 (Rockton Road) | Last free exit southbound; northwestern end of Jane Addams Memorial Tollway | ||
139.93 | 225.20 | 1 | US 51 north / IL 75 – South Beloit | Northern end of US 51 concurrency | |||
140.25 0.00 | 225.71 0.00 | Illinois–Wisconsin state line | |||||
tri-stack interchange . | |||||||
2.46 | 3.96 | 185A | WIS 81 west (Milwaukee Avenue) – Beloit | Former cloverleaf interchange; undergoing conversion to diverging diamond interchange for access to/from 43 via County route X. | |||
4.78 | 7.69 | 183 | CTH-S (Shopiere Road) | ||||
Town of La Prairie | 9.95 | 16.01 | 177 | WIS 11 west (Avalon Road) – Janesville, Avalon | Southern end of WIS 11 concurrency; Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport | ||
Bus. US 14 | |||||||
15.61– 15.66 | 25.12– 25.20 | 171B | Alt. I-39 south / US 14 – Janesville | Formerly split into exits 171B (west) and 171C (east) | |||
16.41 | 26.41 | 171A | WIS 26 – Milton | ||||
Town of Fulton | 24.62 | 39.62 | 163 | WIS 59 – Edgerton, Milton, Whitewater | |||
Town of Albion | 27.60 | 44.42 | 160 | US 51 south / WIS 73 / WIS 106 – Edgerton, Deerfield | Southern end of US 51 concurrency | ||
Town of Christiana | 31.30 | 50.37 | 156 | US 51 north – Stoughton | Northern end of US 51 concurrency | ||
Town of Pleasant Springs | 40.40 | 65.02 | 147 | CTH-N – Stoughton, Cottage Grove | |||
Town of Blooming Grove | 45.54 | 73.29 | 142 | US 12 / US 18 (Beltline Highway) – Madison, Cambridge | Signed as exits 142A (west) and 142B (east); US 12 exit 267 | ||
Dane County Airport ; WIS 30 exit 3 eastbound and exit 240A westbound | |||||||
49.74 | 80.05 | 138A | Milwaukee | Left exit and entrance southbound; southern end of I-94 concurrency; I-94 exit 240 | |||
51.74 | 83.27 | 135C | High Crossing Boulevard | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
51.96– 52.00 | 83.62– 83.69 | 135B | US 151 north – Sun Prairie | Cloverleaf interchange | |||
135A | US 151 south – Madison | ||||||
De Forest | |||||||
Community of Windsor | 56.68 | 91.22 | 131 | WIS 19 – Waunakee, Sun Prairie | |||
De Forest | |||||||
Columbia | Town of Arlington | 67.97 | 109.39 | 119 | WIS 60 – Lodi, Arlington, Columbus | ||
Town of Dekorra | 71.99 | 115.86 | 115 | CTH-CS – Poynette, Lake Wisconsin | |||
Town of Caledonia | 78.63 | 126.54 | — | I-90 west / I-94 west – Wisconsin Dells | Northern end of I-90/I-94 concurrency; I-90 exit 108B | ||
79.26 | 127.56 | 84 | WIS 78 south – Merrimac | Signed as exit 108A northbound | |||
79.73 | 128.31 | 85 | Cascade Mountain Road | ||||
Portage | 81.73 | 131.53 | 87 | WIS 33 (Cook Street) – Portage, Baraboo | |||
84.13 | 135.39 | 89 | WIS 16 (Wisconsin Street) to WIS 127 – Portage, Wisconsin Dells, Columbus | Signed as exits 89A (east) and 89B (west) northbound | |||
Town of Fort Winnebago | 85.79 | 138.07 | 92 | US 51 south (New Pinery Road) – Portage | Southern end of US 51 concurrency; exit numbers from here north based on US 51's mileposts | ||
Town of Moundville | 94.43 | 151.97 | 100 | WIS 23 west / CTH-P – Wisconsin Dells, Endeavor | Southern end of WIS 23 concurrency | ||
Town of Oxford | 98.61 | 158.70 | 104 | CTH-D – Packwaukee | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
100.77 | 162.17 | 106 | WIS 23 east / WIS 82 west – Oxford, Montello, Princeton, Packwaukee | Northern end of WIS 23 concurrency | |||
Harrisville, Princeton | |||||||
Waushara | Coloma | 118.29 | 190.37 | 124 | WIS 21 – Coloma, Necedah, Wautoma, Oshkosh, Tomah | ||
Town of Hancock | 125.35 | 201.73 | 131 | CTH-V – Hancock | |||
Town of Plainfield | 130.94 | 210.73 | 136 | WIS 73 – Plainfield, Wisconsin Rapids, Wautoma, Nekoosa | |||
Town of Pine Grove | 134.07 | 215.76 | 139 | CTH-D – Almond | |||
137.56 | 221.38 | 143 | CTH-W – Bancroft, Wisconsin Rapids | ||||
Village of Plover | 147.51 | 237.39 | 153 | CTH-B (Plover Road) – Wisconsin Rapids, Plover, Amherst | |||
150.53 | 242.25 | 156 | CTH-HH (McDill Avenue) – Whiting, Stevens Point | ||||
Stevens Point | 152.71 | 245.76 | 158 | US 10 east / WIS 66 west (Main Street) – Stevens Point, Waupaca, Appleton, Marshfield | Southern end of US 10 concurrency; southern end of WI 66 concurrency; signed as exits 158A (east) and 158B (west) northbound | ||
153.94 | 247.74 | 159 | WIS 66 east (Stanley Street) – Stevens Point, Rosholt | Northern end of WI 66 concurrency | |||
155.76 | 250.67 | 161 | Bus. US 51 (Division Street) – Stevens Point | ||||
Hull | 157.63 | 253.68 | 163 | Casimir Road | To CTH-X | ||
159.75 | 257.09 | 165 | US 10 west – Marshfield | Northern end of US 10 concurrency | |||
CTH-X | Former diamond interchange; removed for construction of US 10 exit | ||||||
Lake DuBay | |||||||
Town of Knowlton | 169.64 | 273.01 | 175 | WIS 34 (Balsam Road) – Knowlton, Wisconsin Rapids | |||
Mosinee | 173.57 | 279.33 | 179 | WIS 153 – Mosinee, Elderon | Central Wisconsin Airport | ||
Kronenwetter | 175.39 | 282.26 | 181 | Maple Ridge Road | |||
Bus. US 51 – Rothschild, Kronenwetter | |||||||
Town of Rib Mountain | 182.14 | 293.13 | 187 | WIS 29 east – Weston, Green Bay US 51 north / WIS 29 west – Wausau, Chippewa Falls | Northern terminus;[24] northern end of US 51 concurrency; freeway continues as US 51/WIS 29 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- Illinois portal
- U.S. Roads portal
References
- ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Google (February 15, 2008). "Overview Map of I-39" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
- ^ Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration. "Structure 000050019120847". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wisconsin Department of Transportation (2013). Official State Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (2013–2014 ed.). 1:823,680. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ Buschkopf, Jim. "I-94 reconstruction to be discussed September 19" (Press release). Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
- ^ Google (January 12, 2008). "Casimir Road, Stevens Point, Wisconsin" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- ^ Google (January 12, 2008). "Maple Ridge Road, Mosinee, Wisconsin" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Illinois Department of Transportation (April 12, 1978). Priority Primary Routes (PDF) (Map). Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Wills, Bill (August 27, 1976). "Sides Square Off in Hearings on Freeway". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. p. 3. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Featherly, Marc (March 11, 1986). "Close Encounters on US 51 Trip". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. pp. A1, A5. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Politics Helped Shelve US 51 Work". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. p. 34. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Interstate 39". Interstate Guide. AA Roads. July 29, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2009.[self-published source]
- ^ Weingroff, Richard (October 15, 2013). "Part I: History". The Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Federal Highway Administration. "Interstate Route Additions Under 23 U.S.C. 139(a) As of 12/31/97" (table). Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ Carlson, Rich (November 18, 2007). "Routes 21 through 40". Illinois Highways Page. Retrieved January 11, 2009.[self-published source]
- ^ Zehr, Melissa (March 8, 1991). "Interstate 39: Crews Work to Link Highway by 1992". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. p. 3. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Newsbank.
- ^ a b c d Bessert, Chris (January 2, 2008). "Highways 30-39". Wisconsin Highways. Self-published. Retrieved January 12, 2008.[self-published source]
- ^ a b Walters, Steven (January 16, 1996). "US 51 will become I-39 between Portage, Wausau". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- ^ Bessert, Chris (January 2, 2008). "Highways 70-79". Wisconsin Highways. Self-published. Retrieved January 12, 2008.[self-published source]
- ^ Wisconsin State Trunk Highway Logs:
- Southwest Region Staff (December 31, 2008). State Trunk Highway Log for Southwest Region (XLS). Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Transportation. 039N.
- North Central Region Staff (December 31, 2008). State Trunk Highway Log for North Central Region (XLS). Rhinelander, WI: Wisconsin Department of Transportation. 039N.
- ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. "Exit numbers on US 51 and I-39". Exit numbers on Wisconsin's freeways. Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2007.
- ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation (December 31, 2017). Designated Freeways & Expressways (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2020.