Wisconsin Highway 97 Explained

State:WI
Type:WI
Route:97
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:WIS 97 highlighted in red
Length Mi:36.65
Length Ref:[1]
Length Round:2
Direction A:South
Direction B:North
Terminus A: in Marshfield
Terminus B: in Goodrich
Counties:Wood, Marathon, Taylor
Previous Type:WI
Previous Route:96
Next Type:WI
Next Route:98

State Trunk Highway 97 (often called Highway 97, STH-97 or WIS 97) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in central Wisconsin for 36.65miles from WIS 64 near Goodrich to WIS 13 in Marshfield.

Route description

WIS 97 starts at the intersection of WIS 13 and heads northeast. The road continues as Central Avenue southwest of the intersection and is signed as a special route of WIS 13. The highway then heads north and runs straight through Stratford as Weber Avenue and intersects WIS 153. It then goes through a diamond interchange with WIS 29 near Wuertsburg, then continues due North towards Athens. It then makes a right turn and then heads north again, crossing Black Creek. The route then merges with CTH-L and heads west and then continues north after splitting with CTH-L until terminating at WIS 64 west of Goodrich. The road continues north as Mink Drive and becomes a dirt road.

History

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) reconstructed the stretch between Northridge Street in Marshfield to Reflection Street in Stratford to increase traffic safety along the stretch. There were approximately 216 crashes that took place in that stretch between 2012 and 2016.[2] The construction involved replacing the existing asphalt, widening the shoulders and adding rumble strips, replacing the guardrail and deteriorated culvert pipes, and modify the intersections of CTH-AAA, Galvin Road, Staadt Avenue, and CTH-C by widening and adding left turn lanes to separate turning traffic from thru traffic.[3] The construction was completed in 2023.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bessert . Chris . Highways 90–99 . Wisconsin Highways . March 20, 2007 .
  2. Web site: How to Make Wisconsin Highway 97 Safer . July 13, 2020 . December 30, 2020 .
  3. Web site: WIS 97, Northridge Street (Marshfield) to Reflection Street (Stratford), Marathon County . Wisconsin Department of Transportation . December 30, 2020 .