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The Central Wisconsin Interstate Alliance (CWIA) is a coalition of businesses, economic development organizations, and other entities committed to the safety and economic prosperity of the I-39/90/94 Corridor from Madison to Wisconsin Dells. Furthermore, we understand that improving this corridor is a gateway to economic growth for the entire state.
A safe, modern I-39/90/94 bolsters the products grown and manufactured in our state and facilitates access to Wisconsin’s renowned outdoor recreation and tourist destinations. Moreover, modernizing the corridor is about safety and reducing crashes and loss of life.
CWIA will work with WisDOT and other stakeholders to keep a modernization project for this vital route moving forward. In December 2024, the state’s bipartisan Transportation Projects Commission unanimously voted to advance the project. The alliance will advocate for the project’s inclusion in the 2025-27 budget.
CWIA Members
- American Center Owner’s Association
- Association of Wisconsin Tourism Attractions
- Baker Tilly
- Cascade Development
- Chula Vista Resort
- City of Sun Prairie
- Construction Business Group
- DeForest Yards
- DeForest Windsor Chamber of Commerce
- Destination Madison
- Destinations Wisconsin
- Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites— Madison
- International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139
- Iron Workers Local 383
- Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP)
- Midwest Food Products Association
- North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters
- Portage Area Chamber of Commerce
- Tommy Bartlett Exploratory
- Tourism Federation of Wisconsin
- Town of Delton
- Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin
- UW Health
- Vienna Tourism Commission
- Village of Lake Delton
- Wangard Partners
- Wisconsin Agri-Business Association
- Wisconsin Dells Visitors & Convention Bureau
- Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
- Wisconsin Fuel & Retail Association
- Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council
- Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association
- Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort, Wisconsin Dells
- More partners to come!
Wisconsin’s Commerce Corridor
The I-39/90/94 Corridor connects major population centers—Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis—to Wisconsin’s popular outdoor recreation and tourist destinations. It is also a primary long-haul truck route.
The State of Wisconsin has already modernized and expanded I-39/90 from the Wisconsin-Illinois state line to Madison. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is now looking to improve I-39/90/94 from Madison to Wisconsin Dells as the next leg in this corridor, which extends from the state line.
Vital to the region and our state’s economic health, this route between Madison and Wisconsin Dells is reaching the end of its useful life. Traffic volumes along the study corridor are increasing, causing vehicle congestion and backups on the Interstate and decreasing travel time reliability. Crash rates through 70% of the corridor, especially at interchanges, exceed the statewide average, with a traffic fatality occurring roughly every two months.
I-39/90/94 from Madison to Wisconsin Dells – What you need to know:
- The I-39/90/94 improvement project will run on and near the existing roadway alignment (no bypass).
- About $120 billion of freight travels through the corridor annually, with trucks accounting for about 25% of the daily traffic.
- Freight traffic volumes grew 12-16% from 2019-21 and are expected to continue growing. The WisDOT State Freight Plan projects truck freight tonnage statewide will grow 12% by 2030 and 50% by 2050.
- Corridor traffic continues to increase, causing vehicle congestion and backups and decreasing travel time reliability.
- Tourism in the counties along the study corridor generated $4.9 billion in economic impact in 2023, almost 20% of the state’s total.
- 60% of the 113 structures (bridges and overpasses) are close to end of life as of 2024.
- Since 2000, five flooding events have threatened or resulted in Interstate closures, impacting vital commerce and emergency services connections.
- Without an improvement project, almost every year for the next 50 years will see pavement projects somewhere in the corridor. This nonstop construction and perhaps emergency Band-Aids will present ongoing travel delays and commercial and recreational traffic congestion.
Bottom Line: Wisconsin has a choice. We can systematically modernize the aging I-39/90/94 Corridor from Madison to Wisconsin Dells, investing in our future and maximizing the ROI of the dollars spent to update the corridor from the Illinois-Wisconsin border to Madison. Or we limp along one mile and one bridge at a time, endangering lives and capping our state’s economy.
Corridor Quick Stats
corridor / year
that is truck
Tourism $ generated
along corridor in 2023
The Project
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation studied the I-39/90/94 Corridor from Madison to Wisconsin Dells. The 67-mile study corridor spans Dane, Columbia, Sauk, and Juneau counties.
As part of the study, WisDOT analyzed alternatives to address existing and future traffic demands, safety issues, aging and outdated corridor infrastructure, and corridor resiliency. The project alternatives were limited to on- and near-alignment alternatives (no bypass).
The I-39/90/94 Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) includes as the preferred alternative modernization with additional general-purpose lanes, consisting of a 12-foot inside shoulder and an additional 12-foot lane in each direction throughout most of the study corridor.
In addition to 15 existing interchanges, the project includes two new interchanges in Madison—one at Milwaukee Street and the other at Hoepker Road. These interchanges are crucial to providing access to regional medical facilities and ensuring the continued economic vitality of one of Wisconsin’s fastest-growing areas.
The project also raises roadway elevation to minimize flood risk at the I-39 split.
In December 2024, the bipartisan Transportation Project Commission (TPC) unanimously recommended the governor and legislature enumerate the project. The project must be included in the final 2025-27 state budget to move to the next stage.
With the project included in the 2025-27 budget and adequate funding, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation anticipates the project could start in 2029.