Wisconsin State Trunk Highway 16

Eastern Terminus: I-94 (Exit 293), at a partial interchange just north of Waukesha

Length: 193.20 miles

Counties: La Crosse, Monroe, Juneau, Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, Jefferson, Waukesha

Routing: WIS 16 begins on the bridge that carries US 14 and US 61 across the Mississippi River from La Crescent, MN to La Crosse, WI.  MN 16, which joins the two U.S. routes going onto the bridge, becomes WIS 16 at the state line.  In La Crosse, US 14/61 split off to join US 53, and WIS 16 begins its solo trek, heading northeasterly out of town, crossing I-90 as it passes through the eastern part of Onalaska.  Heading eastward, WIS 16 straddles I-90 through La Crosse and Monroe Counties, passing through the Fort McCoy Military Reservation en route to Tomah.  From here, US 12 joins WIS 16, and the two routes run southeasterly, following the I-90/94 corridor very closely through Juneau and Sauk Counties down to Wisconsin Dells.  Here, after US 12 departs, WIS 16 crosses into Columbia County, and heads east-southeasterly, in parallel with the Wisconsin River, to Portage.  Here, WIS 16 intersects I-39, then joins US 51 for a brief duplex out of town to the southeast.  After US 51 departs, WIS 16 goes east to Wyocena, then turns southeasterly to Columbus, where WIS 60 joins the state highway, and the two routes meet US 151 at an interchange.  Into Dodge County, WIS 16 remains duplexed with WIS 60 heading east through the WIS 26 interchange.  WIS 16 then joins WIS 26 heading south to near Watertown, where the two routes split, and  WIS 16 by-passes the town to the northeast.  Crossing into Jefferson County, WIS 16 winds its way southeasterly toward Lac La Belle.  Just outside of town, the highway widens to 4 lanes, and as an expressway passes to the north of the village, crossing into Waukesha County in the process.  WIS 67 joins the expressway, and the two routes by-pass Oconomowoc to the north and east.  At an interchange on the east side of town, WIS 16 exits off, and the highway becomes a full-fledged freeway going to the east.  WIS 16 passes around Pewaukee, turns to the south after the CTH-KF interchange, and passes WIS 190 en route to its Eastern Terminus, a partial interchange with I-94 just outside of Waukesha.

Links:

• WIS 16 @ Wisconsin Highways  -- Chris Bessert

0.5 mile advance exit sign for the CTH-KF/Ryan St. interchange (Exit 186) on WIS 16 West.  It is at this point, just after the WIS 190/Capitol Dr. interchange, where WIS 16 in the westbound direction starts to curve into a westerly direction, after traveling northward for its first 3 miles.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/30/2009

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0.5 mile advance exit sign for CTH JJ & CTH-T (Exit 188) on WIS 16 East, in place right before is crosses over WIS 190/Capitol Dr.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/30/2009

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Overhead exit sign for WIS 190/Capitol Dr. (Exit 187) on WIS 16 West.  This diamond interchange serves as the Western Terminus of WIS 190.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/30/2009

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Overhead exit only sign for CTH-JJ & CTH-T (Exit 188) on WIS 16 East, along with left-side ground-level sign denoting that I-94 East is accessible by continuing ahead on WIS 16 East.  All of the advance exit signs for CTH-JJ & CTH-T direct traffic bound for I-94 West to exit here, and use CTH-T for the connection, as there is no direct access from WIS 16 East to I-94 West.   Also, the third lane that forms with the merge of the on-ramp from WIS 190 becomes exit only for the final interchange on WIS 16 before I-94.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/30/2009

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Overhead exit sign for CTH-JJ & CTH-T (Exit 188) on WIS 16 East.  This particular interchange is a diamond with a twist.  A two-way roadway, Grandview Blvd., parallels WIS 16 immediately to the west, carrying CTH-T heading southward and CTH-JJ going northward from the interchange.  The exit and entrance ramps for WIS 16 West at this interchange both intersect with this roadway, which then connects to CTH-JJ East.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/30/2009

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Guide sign on WIS 16 East, located after the CTH-JJ/CTH-T interchange, denoting the upcoming end of the route as it merges in with I-94 East 1 mile from this point.  Despite this sign, there is one final WIS 16 East reassurance marker that appears between here and the merge into I-94 East.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/30/2009

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0.5 mile advance exit sign for the CTH-JJ/Main St. interchange (Exit 188) on WIS 16 West.  Note that CTH-T is not mentioned on the westbound exit signs, as it is on the eastbound ones.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/29/2009

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First reassurance marker for WIS 16 in the westbound direction, accompanied by an Alternate I-94 West marker.  Both of these shields are located just after the start of WIS 16 West, following the split from I-94 West.

Photographer: Dan Garnell

Date: 8/29/2009

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