Transportation timeline - Wisconsin Department of Transportation

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Transportation timeline

1600-1900| 1901-25 | 1926-50 | 1951-75 | 1976-2000| After 2000

1600-1900

1634 - French explorer Jean Nicolet arrives at what is now Green Bay.

1672 - Marquette and Jolliet expedition through Wisconsin by canoe.

1783 - Territory comprising what is now Wisconsin comes under United States control. Transportation is primarily by trails and waterways.

1836 - Wisconsin becomes a territory. Territorial roads are authorized. The first military road completed from Ft. Howard to Fort Crawford.

1847 - Milwaukee to Watertown plank road constructed. Stage coach mail service begins.

1848 - Wisconsin becomes the 30th US state. State roads are authorized to accommodate travel by horse and horse-drawn vehicles.

1850 - First railroad in Wisconsin from Milwaukee to Wauwatosa.

1871 - First automobile developed in Wisconsin by Dr. J.W. Carhart.

1880 - The bicycle becomes a viable means of transportation.

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1901-1925

1905 - Auto license law passed.

1908 - Constitution amended to allow state funding of construction and improvement of public highways.

1909 - First aircraft flight in Wisconsin.

1911 - State highway commission is established when the State Aid law is enacted by the legislature.

1913 - Legislature gives the state highway commission authority to create seven divisions in locations around the state.

1916 - Federal Aid Road Act provides funding for the development of paved roads.

1917 - The 5000 mile state trunk highway system is established. First Wisconsin roadmap is produced.

1918 - Wisconsin develops uniform highway classification and numbering system which is later adopted nationally.

1921 - Federal Highway Act.

1925 - State highway commission requires prequalification of contractors.

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1926-1950

1926 - US highway system is established.

1927 - State Highway Commission Construction Department established.

1930's - During the depression many roads are built as part of new deal public works projects.

1931 - State highway commission assumes full responsibility and expense for state trunk highway maintenance.

1933 - State highway commission acquires and continues operation of the Merrimac free ferry.

1937 - State highway commission places a bituminous weatherproof surface on State Trunk Highway system.

1939 - Motor vehicle division created.

1941-1945 - World War II impacts transportation through rationing of fuel and parts.

1945 - Wisconsin state highway fund created and segregated from the general fund.

1946 - Wisconsin aeronautics commission created.

1947 - State trunk highway system enlarged to 12,000 miles.

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1951-1975

1953 - State Patrol receives first state-purchased cars for troopers.

1956 - The Interstate Highway Act was enacted under President Eisenhower to create a quality network of highways throughout the nation to serve national defense during the cold war.

1956 - "Bare Pavement" winter maintenance policy adopted. State highway commission installs first computer.

1958 - First segment of Interstate highway in WI dedicated - 7.5 miles of I-94 between Goerke's Corners and CTH "SS" in Waukesha County.

1959 - Edge line pavement marking started.

1960 - First interstate safety rest areas are constructed on I-94.

1965 - Legislature adopts new highway safety improvement law.

1967 - Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is created by merging the Divisions of Highways, Aeronautics and the Department of Motor Vehicles.

1968 - Highway Beautification Act. Bridge Inspection Program mandated by federal aid highway act.

1969 - Wisconsin rural Interstate system essentially completed.

1970 - Congress enacts the Environmental Protection Law.

1973 - The oil embargo and energy crisis lead to the enactment of the 55 mph rural speed limit.

1973 - Rustic Roads system created.

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1976-2000

1976 - Policy of preserving existing roads, rather than building new, was initiated.

1978 - Congress deregulates airlines.

1980 - Six-Year Highway Improvement Program approved.

1981 - Final segment of Interstate Highway in WI completed on I-43.

1982 - Child restraint law covering under-four age group in effect.

1984 - 30 miles of I-90/94, from Madison to Portage, are reconstructed from four to six lanes in one year.

1987 - Mandatory seatbelt law enacted. Relocated Madison South Beltline opens.

1988 - I-43 is extended from Milwaukee to Beloit.

1992 - Construction Quality Management Program is implemented.

1995 – Comprehensive, multimodal transportation plan, Translinks 21, is adopted.

1996 - I-39 is extended into Wisconsin from the Illinois border to Wausau.

1996 - WisDOT establishes Internet presence on information superhighway.

1998 - Airport Development Program implemented.

2000 - US 53 4-lane expressway from Eau Claire to Superior completed. WI 29 4-lane expressway from Chippewa Falls to Green Bay completed.

2000 - Hoan Bridge span fails.

2000 – Graduated Driver License (GDL) system is implemented.

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After 2000

2001- US 51 4-lane expressway up to US 8 completed.

2001- Hoan Bridge reopened to traffic and fully repaired.

2002 - Wisconsin's deadliest motor-vehicle crash involved 51 cars on I-43 in Sheboygan County. The October 11, 2002 crash claimed the lives of 10 while 50 people were injured.

2003- Wisconsin’s standard for drunk driving lowered from a 0.10 percent blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.08 percent BAC, bill took effect on September 30.

2003- Final plan to rebuild the Marquette Interchange adopted.

2003 - Merrimac Ferry ColSac II is replaced with ColSac III

2003 - WisDOT provides guidance on roadside memorials

2003 - US 10 expanded, connecting the Fox Valley with central Wisconsin.

2003 - "Baby Luke" law takes effect. Prohibits motorists from driving if they have any detectable amount of a controlled substance in their system.

2004 - A new bridge span opens at La Crosse carrying US 14/61/WIS 16 over the Mississippi River, providing a four-lane crossing.

2004 - Work on the largest highway construction project in Wisconsin history begins. The $810 million reconstruction of the Marquette Interchange in Milwaukee is completed under budget and ahead of schedule in 2008.

2005 - The Milwaukee Airport Rail Station opens at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, becoming the nation's fourth passenger rail-to-airport link and the first such link in the Midwest.

2006 - Annual indexing of the state's gas tax repealed in 2005, with the last indexing adjustment made April 1, 2006.

2009 - Primary safety belt enforcement law takes effect in Wisconsin on June 30, 2009.

Some information is compiled from Wisconsin Highways 1835-1945 and Wisconsin Highways 1945-1985, published by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

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