September 14, 2015: The now-former north end of US 151.
There are those who see the above point in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and see the light at the end of the tunnel, or a long-neck at the end of a long ride. No longer. Not the elevator, the sign. US 151 has been truncated to I-43 on the southwest side of Manitowoc.
There is a two-part, or perhaps one-and-a-half-part, explanation. First, the city is turning 8th and 10th streets, which have carried US 10 north of downtown, into two-way streets. A Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter* story from a year ago said the change would be ready this September. The city has a PDF explainer with maps — and a historic highway photo Dale Sanderson would love. Taking US 10 off that segment, however, means creating a convoluted route for US 10 to get past the downtown area across the Manitowoc River to the S.S. Badger, a ferry that crosses Lake Michigan. Without going into more detail, I’ll just say that the line for the ferry will now have a very awkward turn in the middle of it.
September 14, 2015: Note “East”, not “End”, and the badge on the Badger.
That, itself, would not require changing 151, which is where the other part comes in. The city of Manitowoc has been begging the state of Wisconsin to fix the streets (and 100-year-old infrastructure underneath) that carry US 151 from I-43 to downtown. As recently as two years ago, the timetable for that was 2037, but it’s now been “sped up” to … 2029, according to this HTR story. As part of the changes to US 10, US 151 is being truncated and its route through the city is becoming an extension of WI 42. This might, in my speculation, reduce some of the non-local traffic on it. Taking this highway segment completely off the state rolls, however, would put the entire burden of the multimillion-dollar reconstruction on the city — like US 6/Broadway in Council Bluffs — and the city can’t afford that.
Since 151 is merely being truncated, not rerouted, I still have traveled the entire route. But on 10, this change ruins my clinch for both Wisconsin and the route west of Lake Michigan to West Fargo, North Dakota. It looks like I have an excuse to ride the S.S. Badger some time in the future.