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August 28,
2009
Enjoy Wisconsin's Rustic Roads
The road less traveled – that is
one way to describe Wisconsin’s
Rustic Roads. Rustic Road’s are
scenic, lightly traveled roads
that have been designated by
Wisconsin for preservation.
Currently, the state has 108
Rustic Roads, which cover more
than 550 miles in fifty-six
counties. As a former member of
the Rustic Roads Board, I have
been involved in preserving some
of these rural roads.
These scenic byways must have
outstanding natural features
such as scenic terrain, native
vegetation, abundant wildlife,
open areas or agricultural views
to qualify for the Rustic Roads
Program. They are between two
miles and thirty-seven miles in
length and are posted with a
brown sign which includes the
letter “R” followed by a one to
three digit number, indicating
the order in which the road was
selected to be a Rustic Road.
For example, the most recent
addition to the program is R108.
In order to encourage sight
seeing, the speed limit on
Rustic Roads is no more than 45
miles per hour. The statewide
network of rural byways gives
hikers, bikers, and motorists a
year-round view of some of our
state’s most scenic areas.
Therefore the program’s goals
include maintaining the safety
of the roads while preserving
their rustic and scenic
qualities through the
appropriate use of maintenance
and design standards, as well
as, encouraging zoning for
land-use compatibility, utility
regulations, and billboard
control.
Another goal of the program is
to identify roads where the
natural and undisturbed
conditions include outstanding
natural beauty, which should be
preserved. Local civic,
recreational and environmental
groups may nominate such roads
for inclusion in the Rustic
Roads program. However, a town
board or county highway
commission must pass an official
resolution before a roadway will
be considered for the program.
Town Chairs or County Highway
Commissioners generally have the
information needed to begin the
application process, but it can
also be found on the Department
of Transportation’s (DOT) Web
site. Twenty of the state’s one
hundred and eight Rustic Roads
are located in and around our
area: Rock County has two,
Walworth County has five,
Jefferson County has three,
Waukesha County has two, Kenosha
County has one, and Racine
County has seven.
A few of those roads include
R12, which runs between Highways
50 and 36 in Walworth County.
It is about six miles long and
traverses Back, Sheridan
Springs, Spring Valley and
Church Roads. This beautiful
drive includes Kettle Moraine
formations, plantations of pine
and spruce, a tamarack swamp,
and several ponds. It also
crosses the White River and
gives travelers a glimpse of
several quaint churches in
Lyons.
R87 in Jefferson County is
almost seven miles long running
on Creamery, McIntyre, Poeppel,
and Pond Roads from Highway 12
to Highway 26. The hilly area
includes active farmland, as
well as areas canopied with
trees. Wildlife is abundant in
the area and includes deer, wild
turkey, cranes, and hawks.
Other features include a cherry
orchard, the historic South
Koshkonong Cemetery and Mustang
Manor, the only riding stable in
the country, which features
once-wild mustangs.
R86 in Waukesha County is just
over seven miles in length and
follows Waterville Road, Town
Road G, County Road ZZ,
Strawberry and Piper Roads from
Highway 18 to 59. This trek
goes through the Southern Unit
of the Kettle Moraine State
Forest and provides views of
rugged forest and open prairie.
With the change of the seasons,
why not venture out and take in
some of our state’s bountiful
natural resources from one of
the 108 Rustic Roads?
Information is available in the
Wisconsin’s Rustic Roads
brochure or on the DOT website
at:
www.dot.state.wi.us. As
always, you may contact my
office for more information.
-30-
Sen. Kedzie can be reached in
Madison at P.O. Box 7882,
Madison, WI 53707-7882 or by
calling toll-free 1 (800)
578-1457. He may be reached in
the district at (262) 742-2025
or on-line at
www.senatorkedzie.com |
