Interstate 90 (I-90) runs east–west through the western, central and southern portions of the U.S. state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. About of I-90 lie in the state. All 187 miles of I-90 in Wisconsin have a speed limit of 70 mph.

Route description

The highway enters from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

over the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

just northwest of

La Crosse La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's populat ...

. The freeway passes north of La Crosse and south of Onalaska as it heads towards Tomah. Once there, it joins I-94. The two Interstates run concurrently for the next to

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

. The highway collects

Interstate 39 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 south of Wausau. I- ...

, southeast of Tomah (near

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

). This concurrency of about is one of only two three-route concurrency of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

existence, the other being in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. I-39 continues along I-90 for the remaining in Wisconsin. I-94 breaks away eastward toward

at what is commonly known as the Badger Interchange, where the three Interstates meet with

WIS 30 State Trunk Highway 30 (often called Highway 30, STH-30 or WIS 30) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in suburban Madison as a connector freeway between Interstate 39, Interstate 90, and Interstate 94 at the ...

. The remaining routes continue south to Janesville and Beloit before exiting the state. Along I-90 in Wisconsin, there are 8 rest stops, in cities like La Crosse, Portage, Beloit, Janesville, Sparta, and more.

History

In 1959, I-90 was extended north from Rockton Road, the Northwest Tollway's (now Jane Addams Memorial Tollway's) northern terminus, in Illinois to US 14 near Janesville, Wisconsin. In 1961, another section of I-90 was opened. This section ran from US 12/US 18 (later moved slightly southward) near Madison to US 12/US 16 (now US 12/WIS 16) near Wisconsin Dells. In 1962, a connection between both opened sections opened to traffic. In 1964, I-90 was extended northwestward to US 12/US 16 (now US 12/WIS 16) near Tomah. The Dresbach Bridge, spanning the Mississippi River west of La Crosse, was dedicated and opened to traffic on October 12, 1967. By 1969, another separate section of I-90 was opened, traveling from the Minnesota state line to US 16 (now WIS 16) near La Crosse. Later, both opened sections were then connected together. The Dresbach Bridge was replaced by the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2016 under the former's program to replace outdated bridge designs following the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse. The old bridge was closed in April 2016 and the new structure opened in October. Starting in 2015, the , southernmost section of I-39/I-90 (from US 12/US 18 to the Illinois state line) underwent a major reconstruction project. This involved widening the corridor to six lanes (eight lanes in the Janesville area) and reconfiguring all interchanges, including the I-43/WIS 81 interchange. The overall project is scheduled to be completed in 2021.

Exit list

References

External links

I-90
at Wisconsin Highways {{state detail page browse, type=I, route=90, state=Wisconsin, stateafter=Illinois, statebefore=Minnesota Wisconsin 90 Transportation in La Crosse County, Wisconsin Transportation in Monroe County, Wisconsin Transportation in Juneau County, Wisconsin Transportation in Sauk County, Wisconsin Transportation in Columbia County, Wisconsin Transportation in Dane County, Wisconsin Transportation in Rock County, Wisconsin