Why Wisconsin's county highways are lettered, not numbered (2019)

19 days ago

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Wisconsin's county roads are labeled with letters instead of numbers to differentiate them from state highways.
The system was established in 1917 to avoid duplication in maintenance and repairs between state and county roads.
Each county board decides the naming of their highways, leading to duplicates due to the limited 26-letter alphabet.
When single letters are exhausted, counties use double letters (e.g., TT, SS) or combinations (e.g., CE).
Wisconsin was the first state to host road schools, sharing best practices and innovations in road maintenance.
The Wisconsin County Highway Association, formed in 1911, is the oldest such association in the nation.

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