WisDOT outlines five corridor concepts for US‑51/South Stoughton Road; next public meeting late 2025

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation on July 23 presented conceptual alternatives for a 4.4‑mile study of US‑51 (South Stoughton Road), telling the Madison Transportation Commission the project’s purpose is “to improve safety and mobility for all modes of travel and to improve community connectivity guided by local plans and goals.”

The project stretches from Bogus Road/Terminal Drive in McFarland north to just south of Highway 30 in Madison, and is adjacent to Monona and Blooming Grove. WisDOT staff said current weekday traffic varies from about 34,000 vehicles per day at the south end to nearly 48,000 vehicles per day between Broadway and Cottage Grove Road.

Why it matters: US‑51 is a major north–south arterial on Madison’s east side that serves commercial areas, neighborhoods and industrial truck traffic. WisDOT said the corridor’s principal needs are safety, mobility and connectivity; the agency and city staff framed the decisions around how to reduce speeds and add safe bike/pedestrian facilities while maintaining needed freight access.

What WisDOT presented: The study has advanced five corridor concepts (plus a no‑build) and three intersection approaches (traditional at‑grade, interchange upgrades, and “hybrid” intersections that separate…