US 41 is an almost interstate compatible freeway through here, WI 175 ('Main St.') is the routing of US 41 before the current routing was built in the late 1940s/early 1950s and is the main north-south street here (the 'BR US 41' designation was removed many years ago).
This is one of the strangest 'surface road' interchanges in the upper midwest. When the old routing of US 41 (now WI 175) became inadequate, the predicessor to WisDOT constructed a new ROW two lane highway that bypassed ALL of it. This two-lane opened in the very early 1950s, and has sort of evolved (and continues to 'evolve') into the current mostly interstate compatible freeway. US 41 is intensely busy, and likely needs widening to 6 lanes over its entire routing between Milwaukee and Green Bay, WI.
This interchange is an interesting and (for its time) highly innovative solution for the shallow angle at which the roads cross. Now, it is just a local pain, although traffic on WI 175 through it is remarkably light. This is mainly because the big local commercial district developed along WI 23 (Johnson St) on the city's west side, with a much more 'normal' and modern interchange with US 41, about 5 km away. US 41 also takes a few wierd 'kinky' curves between here and the next interchange to the northwest (Hickory St, at the edge of the map) as it crosses the Fond du Lac River. The ramps, merges, accelleration and decelleration areas at these two interchanges are very substandard, and even far worse at the US 151 (Military Rd) interchange about 3 km to the northwest. There is also a 'ghost' ramp at the WI 175 interchange, this was a connection from SB WI 175 to NB US 41 and had a 20 km/h curve right where it connected with US 41. The curious left 'turns' from WI 175 to US 41 remain.
This is also one of the very few freeway interchanges outside of the Madison and Milwaukee metro areas where WisDOT has installed streetlights on the freeway itself. The NB off ramp is very nearly a 'straight ahead', while the freeway mainline curves sharply to the left. Despite the lighting and GENEROUS signage to the effect, many motorists still continue to miss this one.
WisDOT is considering plans that would widen US 41 to 6 lanes through here, including 'unkinking' the freeway mainline and updating the interchanges. As a part of these plans, US 151 will be rerouted around the city as a south and east side bypass with a conventional interchange where they will cross in the area of the '838' at the bottom of this map. The WI 175 (Main St) interchange will likely be removed and replaced with a 'straight through' grade seperation bridge.
Also, for the railroad enthusiasts in my audience, that is Wisconsin Central's mainline running north-south on the west side of this map. It is INTENSELY busy, and in fact WC is busy double tracking this line as I post this week's feature. For about the next 15 km or so to the south this line offers some of the finest railfanning in the upper midwest as it ascends the Niagara Escarpment on their +/-1% grade 'Byron Hill'. Just their bridge over US 41 alone is a popular photograph from Hickory St.
However, until the US 41 reconstruction, the adventure continues. :-)
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