Wisconsin Highway 78

State Trunk Highway 78 (often called Highway 78, STH-78 or WIS 78) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in south central Wisconsin from Portage to the Illinois border near Gratiot.

State Trunk Highway 78
Route information
Maintained by WisDOT
Length92.83 mi[1] (149.40 km)
Major junctions
South end IL 78 in Gratiot
 
North end I-39 / I-90 / I-94 in Portage
Location
CountiesLafayette, Iowa, Green, Dane, Sauk, Columbia
Highway system
← WIS 77→ WIS 79

History

In the 1920s, Highway 78 was originally located on the Door County Peninsula on what is now Highway 57.

In 1963, the segment of STH-78 from the new I-90/I-94 freeway interchange south of Portage northerly to Highway 33 was improved to a four-lane divided facility. A year later, this four-lane divided highway (and the STH-78 designation with it) was extended northerly across the Wisconsin River then bypassing Portage to the west before merging into the existing two-lane route of US 51 north of the city. The entire four-lane divided portion of STH-78 from I-90/I-94 northerly to US-51 was shown as a full freeway with interchange beginning with the 1966 official state highway map, so it can be assumed the conversion to freeway occurred about this time (c.1965). In more recent decades, the short segment of STH-78 freeway was the only portion of the route from I-90/I-94 at Portage northerly past Wausau that was not signed as part of US-51, although signs along the route did indicate "TO US-51." Then in 1996, US-51 from Rothschild (south of Wausau) southerly to Portage was concurrently designated as Interstate 39 and to connect this new Interstate route with nearby I-90/I-94, the entire STH-78 freeway from US-51 north of Portage to I-90/I-94 was redesignated as part of I-39, with STH-78 losing approximately eight miles of length in the process.

Major intersections
CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
LafayetteTown of Gratiot IL 78 south – WarrenContinuation into Illinois
Gratiot WIS 11 west – ShullsburgWestern end of WIS 11 overlap
WIS 11 east – MonroeEastern end of WIS 11 overlap
Argyle WIS 81 west – DarlingtonWestern end of WIS 81 overlap
WIS 81 east – MonroeEastern end of WIS 81 overlap
Iowa
 No major junctions
GreenTown of York WIS 39 west – Mineral PointWestern end of WIS 39 overlap
WIS 39 east – New GlarusEastern end of WIS 39 overlap
DaneMount Horeb US 18 / US 151 – Madison, Dodgeville

Bus. US 18 begins / Bus. US 151 begins		US 151 exit 65; southern end of Business US 18 / Business US 151 overlap

Bus. US 18 east / Bus. US 151 north / CTH-ID (Springdale Street) / WIS 92 south (8th Street)		Roundabout; northern end of Business US 18 / Business US 151 overlap
Black Earth US 14 east – MadisonSouthern end of US 14 overlap
Mazomanie US 14 west / WIS 19 begins – Spring GreenNorthern end of US 14 overlap; southern end of WIS 19 overlap
Town of Mazomanie WIS 19 east – WaunakeeNorthern end of WIS 19 overlap
Town of Roxbury US 12 east – MadisonEastern end of US 12 overlap
SaukSauk City US 12 west / WIS 60 west (Phillips Boulevard)Western end of US 12 overlap; southern end of WIS 60 overlap
Prairie du Sac WIS 60 east (Prairie Street)Northern end of WIS 60 overlap
Town of Merrimac WIS 113 north – BarabooWestern end of WIS 113 overlap
Merrimac WIS 113 south – Merrimac FerryEastern end of WIS 113 overlap
ColumbiaTown of Caledonia I-39 south / I-90 / I-94 – Wisconsin Dells, Madison
I-39 north – Portage		Roadway continues at northbound Interstate 39
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also
  •  U.S. Roads portal

References
  1. Bessert, Chris. "Wisconsin Highways: Highways 70-79 (Highway 78)". Wisconsin Highways. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
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