The 142-mile segment of U.S. Highway 41, from the Mitchell Interchange in Milwaukee to Green Bay, should be converted into an interstate highway, Gov. Scott Walker said recently. The U.S. Highway 41 route stretches from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan all the way to Miami.
Supporters of the idea say converting Highway 41 into an interstate would help attract businesses to the highway corridor, and will require improvements that will improve safety.
“U.S. 41 connects crucial regions of Wisconsin with economic impacts that benefit local, state and regional economies,” Walker said. “Converting the corridor to an interstate highway will provide enhanced safety, mobility and economic development potential.”
“Interstate is our premier class of roads, and this region deserves no less,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac. “Upgrading U.S. Highway 41 will give a boost to the regional economy. The Milwaukee to Green Bay corridor and the Fox Valley are major centers for economic growth and employment in Wisconsin, and the entire area deserves the infrastructure necessary to support the businesses there. I am pleased to be working with Gov. Walker on this to build our state’s competitiveness and create jobs.”
Petri said he worked to have U.S. Highway 41 designated as a future interstate in the 2005 federal transportation law.
Walker said the state will proceed with an environmental study that would allow interstate shields to be installed along the highway by 2015. The state Department of Transportation has completed initial reviews and analyses to prepare for an interstate conversion.
The numbering of the interstate will be decided by federal officials.
The effort to convert the U.S. Highway 41 corridor to an interstate highway complements the expansion and reconstruction efforts already underway for segments of the highway in Winnebago and Brown counties, Walker said. Work to improve the corridor will continue through 2017 and will cost about $1.5 billion.
