State Trunk Highway 23 (often called Highway 23, STH-23 or WIS 23) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. The route is signed as a north–south route from Shullsburg to Wisconsin Dells and as an east–west route from Wisconsin Dells to Sheboygan. With the exception of

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

segments between Sheboygan Falls and Sheboygan, an

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

segment between Sheboygan Falls past Greenbush to Fond du Lac, a freeway concurrency with

I-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- ...

, and an expressway segment concurrent with U.S. Route 151, the highway is generally either two-lane surface road or urban multilane arterial. WIS 23 provides access to several important Wisconsin destinations, such as the

House on the Rock The House on the Rock is a tourist attraction located between the cities of Dodgeville and Spring Green, Wisconsin. Opened in 1959, it is a complex of architecturally distinct rooms, streets, gardens, and shops designed by Alex Jordan Jr. ...

, the Wisconsin Dells area and various state parks.

Route description

Shullsburg to Wisconsin Dells

WIS 23 begins at

WIS 11 State Trunk Highway 11 (often called Highway 11, STH-11 or WIS 11) is a state highway running east–west across southern Wisconsin. The highway connects Dubuque, Iowa with the cities of Janesville, Racine and Elkhorn. Most of the route i ...

in Lafayette County, five miles (8 km) east of Shullsburg, and passes north through Darlington. WIS 23 shares one mile (1.6 km) of road with WIS 81 starting at Avon, just south of the city, and ending in Darlington. WIS 23 passes through rolling hills in the town of Willow Springs and enters Iowa County ten miles (16 km) north of the city. From the county line, WIS 23 turns northwestward to Mineral Point. WIS 39 joins the route one mile (1.6 km) southeast of the city, and turns west off in the downtown area. WIS 23 turns northeast and joins US 151 for a four-mile (6 km) expressway concurrency. WIS 23 turns off US 151 at a

trumpet interchange In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...

and passes through downtown Dodgeville. The highway junctions with WIS 191 in the city and crosses

US 18 U.S. Route 18 (US 18) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus is in Orin, Wyoming at an interchange with Interstate 25. Its eastern terminus is in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, US 18 ru ...

on the north side. Access to Governor Dodge State Park is provided off WIS 23. The highway passes the House on the Rock nine miles (14 km) north of Dodgeville. WIS 23 passes

Tower Hill State Park Tower Hill State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, United States, which contains the reconstructed Helena Shot Tower. The original shot tower was completed in 1832 and manufactured lead shot until 1860. It was added to the National Register ...

at the

Sauk County Sauk County is a county in Wisconsin. It is named after a large village of the Sauk people. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,763. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo. The county was created in 1840 from Wisconsin Territory a ...

line. WIS 23 passes through Spring Green upon entering Sauk County and crosses

US 14 U.S. Route 14 (abbreviated U.S. 14 or US 14), an east–west route, is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It currently has a length of 1,398 miles (2,250 km), but it had a peak length of 1,429 miles (2,300 km). For ...

just north of the village. The highway passes through

Plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

about six miles (10 km) north of US 14 and Loganville another eleven miles (18 km) further north. WIS 154 joins the route in Loganville. then turns off the route to the east three miles (5 km) further north.

Wisconsin Dells to Sheboygan

After another four miles (6 km), WIS 23 joins

WIS 33 State Trunk Highway 33 (often called Highway 33, STH-33 or WIS 33) is a Wisconsin state highway running east–west across central Wisconsin. It is in length. Route description La Crosse to Baraboo WIS 33 begins east of the Mississip ...

and becomes an east–west route in Reedsburg and follows the route east for six miles (10 km), before turning off northeast and stair-stepping in that direction toward Lake Delton. The highway passes through

Mirror Lake State Park Mirror Lake State Park is a Wisconsin state park in the Wisconsin Dells region. The process of establishing the park began in 1962 and the park officially opened on August 19, 1966. It contains Mirror Lake, a narrow reservoir with steep sand ...

just prior to entering the village via Monroe Avenue. WIS 23 joins

US 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that ...

west and both routes turn north into the heart of the Wisconsin Dells tourism district along

Wisconsin Dells Parkway Wisconsin () is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 25th-largest state by total area and the List of U.S. states and territories by populatio ...

north – passing attractions such as Noah's Ark Waterpark the Wisconsin Ducks boat tours, and Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show WIS 23 turns at the junction with

WIS 13 State Trunk Highway 13 (often called Highway 13, STH-13 or WIS 13) is a state highway running north–south across northwest and central Wisconsin. WIS 13 serves as a major north–south route connecting the communities of Wisconsin Del ...

and

WIS 16 State Trunk Highway 16 (often called Highway 16, STH-16 or WIS 16) is a Wisconsin state highway running from Pewaukee across the state to La Crosse. Much of its route in the state parallels the former mainline of the Milwaukee Road and curr ...

with both routes following it eastbound along Broadway Street through downtown Wisconsin Dells and into Columbia County WIS 13 turns north and WIS 16 turns south just east of the city and WIS 23 turns north into Adams County two miles (3 km) east of Wisconsin Dells. The highway then turns east, passing near Big Spring on the way into Marquette County after a six-mile (10 km) journey through Adams County. WIS 23 stairsteps northeast to Endeavor where it joins

US 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered High ...

for six miles (10 km) before turning east off the interstate five miles (8 km) east of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. WIS 23 passes through Montello and has a brief cosign with

WIS 22 State Trunk Highway 22 (often called Highway 22, STH-22 or WIS 22) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The route's trajectory is mostly south to north, with the exception of the segment between Shawano and the northern terminus bei ...

before turning northeast and entering Green Lake County six miles (10 km) northeast of Montello. WIS 23 joins

WIS 73 State Trunk Highway 73 (often called Highway 73, STH-73 or WIS 73) is a state highway in the central part of the US state of Wisconsin that runs mostly north–south from Ingram to near Edgerton. The exception is in Wood and Adams cou ...

on the west side of

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

. They head east along Main Street then south along Fulton Street before leaving the city. They continue to be cosigned heading east for another 3 miles before WIS 73 turns south to head to Randolph and

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

. WIS 23 passes north of Green Lake and is joined by

WIS 49 State Trunk Highway 49 (often called Highway 49, STH-49 or WIS 49) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in central and southeast Wisconsin from Wittenberg to Lomira. The highway was initially designated ...

northeast of the city. A

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...

of WIS 23 exists, using Lawson Dr in Green Lake. The highway concurrency of 23 and 49 enters

Fond du Lac County Fond du Lac County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond du La ...

two miles (3 km) east of Green Lake. 23 and 49 continue heading southeast to

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

. On the southeast side of Ripon, WIS 49 South, along with

WIS 44 State Trunk Highway 44 (often called Highway 44, STH-44 or WIS 44) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs in a diagonal southwest–northeast direction in east-central Wisconsin from Pardeeville to Oshkosh. Rou ...

South, cuts south toward

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

, Markesan and

Waupun Waupun is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, Dodge and Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 11,344 at the 2020 census. Of this, 7,795 were in Dodge County, and 3,549 were in Fond du ...

. WIS 44 has a short cosign with WIS 23 on the eastside of Ripon before it cuts north to Pickett and Oshkosh. WIS 23 continues east, crossing

WIS 26 State Trunk Highway 26 (often called Highway 26, STH-26, or WIS 26) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The route is partially a divided highway with a few freeway bypass sections for roughly 50 miles. The remaining sections of WI ...

in Rosendale. As the highway enters Fond du Lac, it junctions with

I-41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropolitan C ...

and becomes Johnson St., the main east–west thoroughfare through the city. WIS 23 crosses

US 45 U.S. Route 45 (US 45) is a major north-south United States highway and a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as . US 45 is notable for incorporatin ...

in the city center and US 151 on the east side. After a twelve-mile (19 km) rural stretch from Fond du Lac, WIS 23 enters

Sheboygan County Sheboygan County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after the Sheboygan River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 118,034. Its county seat is Sheboygan. The county was created in 1836 and organized in 1846. At th ...

The route passes near Greenbush about four miles (6 km) into the county, then becomes a freeway about two miles (3 km) northwest of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, without exit numbering. Around Plymouth, access is provided to CTH C,

WIS 67 State Trunk Highway 67 (often called Highway 67, STH-67 or WIS 67) is a Wisconsin state highway running from the Wisconsin–Illinois state line east of Beloit north to U.S. Highway 151 (US 151) east of Chilton. With the inclusion of ...

, CTH E, and

WIS 57 Wisconsin Highway 57 (often called Highway 57, STH-57 or WIS 57) is a state highway in Wisconsin, United States. It runs from its southern terminus at Wisconsin Highway 59 in Milwaukee to its northern terminus at Wisconsin Highway 42 in ...

. In Sheboygan Falls, an interchange is present at

WIS 32 State Trunk Highway 32 (often called Highway 32, STH-32 or WIS 32) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin that runs north–south in eastern Wisconsin. It runs from the Illinois border (at Illinois Route 137) north to the Michigan bord ...

. WIS 23 junctions with

I-43 Interstate 43 (I-43) is a Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Wisconsin, connecting I-39/ I-90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and I-41, U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and US 141 in Green Bay. State Trunk Highwa ...

at a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

just west of Sheboygan. The freeway segment ends a mile east of Interstate 43 at North 25th Street, with an exit at Taylor Drive. WIS 23 follows Kohler Memorial Drive and the straight-line portion of Erie Ave into the city, continuing as a divided highway until three blocks before its termination at

WIS 28 State Trunk Highway 28 (often called Highway 28, STH-28 or WIS 28) is a state highway in Dodge, Washington, and Sheboygan counties in southeastern portion of the US state of Wisconsin that runs east–west between Horicon and Sheboygan. Th ...

south and

WIS 42 State Trunk Highway 42 (often called Highway 42, STH-42 or WIS 42) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs for north–south in northeast Wisconsin from Sheboygan to the ferry dock in Northport. Much of the highway is ...

north. Erie Avenue continues undesignated for about .9 of a mile east, until coming to an end at a

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

a block west of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, overlooking Broughton Drive. WI 23-WI 28-WI 42 Terminus

History

The original 1918 routing of WIS 23 ended the route on the western terminus at Packwaukee at its junction with WIS 10. The route to the east of that point still exists as it is today. The route was extended in the early 1920s to the southwest, following its present routing from Packwaukee through Kilbourn (present day Wisconsin Dells), Reedsburg and Dodgeville, then along present day US 151 from Dodgeville to

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

via Mineral Point and Platteville. Later in that decade, the route was truncated back to Dodgeville when US 118 was signed, but then extended again – this time along its current route when US 118 became part of US 151. WIS 23 was relocated in the Sheboygan area to bypass Plymouth and Sheboygan Falls. Plans for this existed as early as 1972. Grading for the old alignment is still visible to the southwest of the current WIS 23/I-43 interchange, and the rest of the old alignment is still in use today as Greenfield Drive. Proposals were considered that would have rerouted WIS 23 around Lake Delton by following CTH H from Reedsburg directly to Wisconsin Dells, but the village of Lake Delton did not support the plan due to pressure from local businesses.

Future

WisDOT The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the :State highways in Wisconsin, state's highways. It is also responsible for plannin ...

had made Wisconsin 23 between Fond du Lac and Sheboygan a priority state corridor in its highway planning, studying the expansion of WIS 23 from Fond du Lac to Plymouth to a four-lane expressway, as the rural two-lane portion between Mount Calvary and Greenbush towards the county line, along with the two-lane narrowing just outside of Fond du Lac, has been the site of a number of various accidents with casualties. An Environmental Impact Statement draft was presented in 2004 and the bypass route following the existing alignment was chosen in 2005. Construction of the expansion was scheduled to begin in 2015, but was delayed by a lawsuit by an environmental group which prevented delegation of federal funds until resolved, along with overall political issues involving the state transportation budget. A new environmental study was compiled, filed and approved in October 2018, and construction began on the conversion and expansion in April 2019, and will conclude in the fall of 2022.

Major intersections

Business routes

Green Lake

Business State Trunk Highway 23 (Bus. WIS 23) in Green Lake follows the former alignment of WIS 23, after the highway was realigned in 1967.

Plymouth

Business State Trunk Highway 23 (Bus. WIS 23) in

follows the former alignment of WIS 23, after the highway was realigned in 1985.

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline, Wisconsin Highway 23 023 Transportation in Lafayette County, Wisconsin Transportation in Iowa County, Wisconsin Transportation in Sauk County, Wisconsin Transportation in Columbia County, Wisconsin Transportation in Adams County, Wisconsin Transportation in Marquette County, Wisconsin Transportation in Green Lake County, Wisconsin Transportation in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Transportation in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin