History: Local:  Street Index

    Waukesha County Highway Trunk J: State Road (Highway) 164

Compiled, transcribed, with notes added by Michael R. Reilly

Updated 01/03/2006

Looking for history of Highway J/164; please send information to website Editor, see below. Also read Wisconsin State Road (Highway) 74

    Highway 92, Waukesha to Templeton, is in the first stages and will be open to traffic next Saturday.  Waukesha Freeman, September 28, 1922. Editor's note: Sometime between Nov. 1922 and Oct 1924 Hwy 92 changed to State Highway 164

Hurtgen's Pavilion, Duplainville, STH 164. Waukesha Freeman, May 19, 1927. Editor's note: Hwy 164 traveled from present day (April 19, 2005) from I-94 by the American store north to Duplainville where it jogged to the right, continued north to Hwy K, then west a 1/4 mile to resume its' northern direction (as Waukesha Ave.) to terminate at Hwy 74.

    New Road Widths Have Been Approved by Many Sixteen towns and villages of Waukesha county have approved the ordinance passed in January by the supervisors establishing the potential width of state and county trunk highways at 90 to 120 feet, County clerk William Koehler announced today. 

    Mr. Koehler explained that the plan merely looks into the future when roadways may need to be widened and serves as a warning against constructing buildings on land that may some day be condemned for highway purposes. "Since the present roadway width id 66 feet, it is obvious the measure is looking a long way into the future. 

    The natural question is where would a state or county trunk highway find a 120-foot roadway through the city of Waukesha?", said Mr. Koehler. The towns to approve the new width are: Brookfield, Menomonee, Merton, Mukwonago, Muskego, New Berlin, Oconomowoc, Ottawa, Vernon and Waukesha. The villages are: Dousman, Lannon, Mukwonago, Butler, Pewaukee, Sussex and Wales. Waukesha Freeman, March 12, 1931. Also see January 15, 1931, page 7 of 8.

    During the past week County Trunk J has been surfaced with a coat of black top from STH 74 north to the Catholic church on the county line. Waukesha Freeman, September 18, 1940. 

Want Warning Signal on Lisbon Plank Road - Complaints that the Soo Line crossing on County Trunk K (Lisbon Plank Road) in the town of Lisbon is unsafe, will be aired at a hearing called by the Wisconsin Public Service commission for 10 a.m. on July 18 in the Waukesha court house.

    The crossing is adjacent to STH 164 (State Highway or SR, State Road 164), and signers of a petition presented to the state commission claim that electric signals or other warning devices should be erected to safeguard the motoring public at this crossing Waukesha Freeman, June 26, 1946

Sophie Manak's Club 164, town of Pewaukee. Waukesha Freeman, April 19, 1944

Hwy SS near STH 164 intersection. Waukesha Freeman, June 14, 1944

Hwy 16, 1 mile east of STH 164. Waukesha Freeman, October 18, 1944

Beck's Mill (Wauke-Mills?) 100 yards from STH 164. Waukesha Freeman, June 13, 1945

STH 164 just south of city (Waukesha). Waukesha Freeman, January 1, 1946

Wonderland Tavern on STH 164. Waukesha Freeman, January 23, 1946

    Prior to and after 1966, CTH J originated from CTH KE (Jungbluth Road) as Glacier Road; paralleling CTH JJ (old Wisconsin Ave., between Pewaukee and Hartland); joining with CTH JJ where present day Wisconsin Ave., Glacier Rd. and Ryan Street (present day CTH KF, which, i.e., Ryan St., may not have existed in 1966; it was probably Hill Street) intersect; continues on into Pewaukee heading east (at intersection of Wisconsin, Hill, and Capitol) as Capitol Drive; crosses railway tracks north of  CTH SS (Watertown Road, later named CTH M) in Pewaukee, then as Sussex Road, crossed SR 16, traveled north to CTH JF (Lindsay Road - note: Lindsay is no longer a County Trunk Highway), then east along Lindsay Rd. for approx. one mile to CTH F (or Swan Road, CTH F terminates* there), becomes CTH J (Swan Rd.)  north to CTH K (Lisbon Road); turns east onto CTH K; turns north as CTH J becomes Maple Avenue (originally South Street); CTH J turns west at SR 74, then north again at present day site of Pick 'n Save food store; continues north and terminates at SR 175 (Appleton Avenue) in Ackerville. Note: When SR 16 was widened to four-lanes (or before), Sussex Rd. was terminated heading south, now joins/becomes Cecelia Drive to Capitol Drive (SR 190).

*CTH F actually continued on, following CTH JF west to KF, then north, where at Richmond Road, it becomes CTH F once more. This continued north, turning west on  SR 74, then north again through village of Merton along with SR 74, where at St. John's United Church of Christ Cemetery, it turned east then north (present day Center Oak Road; also the Merton-Lisbon town line). CTH F then ends as Waukesha CTH in Monches.

    After 1966:  STH 164 (two-Lane) extended north from Duplainville Rd.  Note: In an email reply from Gary Evans, P.E., Engineering Services Manager, Waukesha County Public Works, Highway Department, April 21, 2005, "I have a plan set dated July 1965 for the relocation of STH 164 from Duplainville Road to what is now STH 74. The project began at Duplainville Road and ended about ½ mile north of CTH K. The roadway was built as a two lane facility. The work probably took place in 1966, but contact WisDOT to be sure."

    A follow-up from WisDOT says the work was done in  1967. Trumpy, Jean jean.trumpy@dot.state.wi.us

    In the late 1960's, CTH J was extended from CTH K, directly north to it's SR 74 (present-day SR 164) intersection with Silver spring Drive (CTH VV)

    After 1977: SR 164 was to be widened to four-lanes. Initially, this four-lane highway was to extend through village of Sussex and town of Lisbon, at least north to CTH Q (border of Waukesha and Washington counties). Project never materialized, and with later residential development, alternative routes to link Interstate I-94 north to SR 41/45 were needed. Note: SR 164 ran south into city of Waukesha as North Street, and terminated at the intersection of Delafield, North and Moreland Sts.

    Hwy 164 south of Sussex to I-94 is open again. Hwy 164 was reopened from Hwy SS at Pewaukee to the expressway. It still remains closed south of I-94 as the bridge over the Pewaukee River won't be completed until December 9, 1977. A vehicle can now enter and exit I-94 at Hwy 164. Drivers no longer have to get off at County F or Goerke's Corners exchange at Barker Rd., Hwy 164 has been closed since June for construction of a second bridge over I-94, widening to 4-lanes, and the bridge over the Pewaukee river. Source: Sussex Sun, Tuesday, November 22, 1977, page 1 and 2.

    Originally, SR 83 was to be widened to four lanes, north of SR16, but that project was successfully defeated by resident opposition.

    In 1985 Waukesha County constructed a local trunk highway (originally designated County Trunk Highway F, and later renamed County Trunk Highway  J between Capitol Drive (SR 190), north to  Lindsay Road. Involved the filling in of as much as 7.5 acres of wetlands north of Swan Rd. Called Project 2780-01-76.

    Waukesha county Senior Civil Engineer Burt Kalister, what was to become the CTH J extension from was started April 1, 1985, and should be completed early Fall, then old "F" would be turned over to the towns of Lisbon and Pewaukee; the extension will cost over $1 million. Sussex Sun, Tuesday, May 14, 1985.

    Sussex Sun, September 24, 1985 - Last week Waukesha county renamed CTH F from Capitol to Waukesha city limits to "J"; The new section will be CTH J. Highway J west of Pewaukee or Glacier Rd. will be Highway GR from Capitol to Highway KE. Highway F (Moraine Drive) renamed CTH MD, from K to VV. These other name changes effective January 1, 1986.

    Note: In an email reply from Gary Evans, P.E., Engineering Services Manager, Waukesha County Public Works, Highway Department, April 21, 2005:

   "STH 164 was widened from I-94 to Capitol Drive in 1987 as a four lane facility."
    "In 1992 STH 164 was widened to Four lanes from STH 190 north to Main Street in Sussex."

    In a WisDOT email from Trumpy, Jean jean.trumpy@dot.state.wi.us, she states that Hwy 164 was widened to 4-lanes from Duplainville Rd. to SR 190 in early 1988, then later that year from SR 190 to CTH K (Lisbon Rd.). In 1994, it was extended to Main St. (SR 74) in Sussex. Editor's note: with these years now available, I will search the local newspaper for verification on years.

    According to a December 8, 1999 article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel http://www.jsonline.com stated the City of Waukesha "named the state Highway 59/164 bypass the Les Paul Parkway, after the electric-guitar pioneer" in 1998.

1999 WisDOT announced it was studying the widening of CTH J/SR 164

    Abt 1998-1999: County Trunk Highway J north of Capitol Drive is renamed State Road 164. 

    SR 164 now runs from Moreland Blvd in city of Waukesha, north to Capitol Drive, then proceeds west along Capitol Drive, then north on former CTH J, until terminating at SR 175 (Appleton Ave.) in Ackerville, Washington County. 

    Later, after the so called Ackerville bridge is built (over SR 175), Lover's Lane is renamed SR 164 and continues to CTH 60 in Slinger, Washington county. Note: In the city of Waukesha, SR 164 runs east along Moreland Blvd. (SR18) then southwest, then turning once more south/southeast to Big Bend, traveling under Interstate I-43 and continuing south.

    December 2004: CTH J from I-94 thru to Capitol Drive renamed SR 164. Former SR 164 from Interstate I-94 to Capitol Drive now becomes CTH F.

    April 2005: Widening construction begins on SR 164 from Capitol Drive, north to Prospect Court (just south of M&I bank in Sussex).

    In 2006, the highway is scheduled to be expanded from Prospect Court to Howard Lane in the Town of Lisbon.