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

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. 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 U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

over the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

just northwest of

La Crosse La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 20 ...

. 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. The highway collects

Interstate 39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a north–south Interstate Highway in Illinois and Wisconsin that runs from an interchange at I-55 in Normal, Illinois, to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) approximately south of Wausau, Wisconsin. In to ...

, southeast of Tomah (near

Portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) 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 three triplex concurrencies of the

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

existence, the other two being in both

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

and

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. 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. The remaining routes continue south to Janesville and Beloit before exiting the state.

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 was 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