"Kind of like a belt that doesn't go all the way around"

Southern terminus: Milwaukee County, at Highway 32 in Oak Creek

Northern terminus: Milwaukee County, at Highway 32 & I-43 (Exit 82) in River Hills

Mileage: about 40 miles

Counties along the way: Milwaukee, Waukesha

Sample towns along the way: Oak Creek, Franklin, Hales Corners, Greenfield, West Allis, Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Menomonee Falls, Brown Deer, River Hills, Bayside

Bypass alternates at: Actually, this IS a bypass

Quickie Summary: State “Trunk” Highway 100 runs as a "beltline" around Milwaukee County. It's not a road to follow for adventure in open countryside or getting away from it all, but it does link up a lot of things in the Milwaukee area and provides an interesting tour of the county and its many environments.

The Drive (South To West To North To East): Highway 100. It was Milwaukee's official bypass before the other official bypass (I-894) was built. You can go clockwise or counter-clockwise. In this version, we're going clockwise, from Oak Creek to Bayside. Let's head.

Highway 100 begins at Highway 32 right by the massive We Energies Power Plant in Oak Creek (pop. 35,223), was originally a township that annexed in 1955 to keep the city of Milwaukee from gobbling it up (in the 1950s, Milwaukee was growing by leaps and bounds and annexed anything that moved.) Highway 100 becomes Ryan Road and heads past Howell Avenue (Highway 38), the main north-south street for Milwaukee's grid numbering system. "Downtown" Oak Creek - there really isn't such a thing, but it's considered the main intersection in town - is north on Howell by one mile at the intersection with Peutz Road, a road with the distinction of not sounding very good based on its name. Highway 100 continues west as a major thoroughfare, reaching I-94/U.S. 41 at a major junction. This interchange features a variety of truck stops, restaurants, and furniture and appliance stores. Continuing west to 27th Street, you cross Highway 241, which is the traditional U.S. 41 - once part of that main road from Milwaukee to Chicago. It was at this intersection where Highway 100 westward was considered Milwaukee's official bypass as far back as the 1920's.

Past 27th Street, Highway 100 enters Franklin (pop. 32,548). Frankin incorporated around the same time as Oak Creek and contains some of the only remaining farmland in Milwaukee County. The city keeps gathering honors from magazines like Money, which ranked Franklin #90 on their "Best 100 Places to Live" survey for the U.S. in 2007. That same year, FDi Magazine put Franklin in the "Best Infrastructure Top Five" for Micro Cities in the North American region. Impressed? That probably depends on how many potholes you experience. The highway was recently rebuilt and widened, though, so for several miles that shouldn't be an issue. Past 60th Street, the Milwaukee County Sports Complex provides opportunities for batting cages, basketball court play, volleyball, and outdoor soccer and baseball fields that can be rented. Franklin is the home of NASCAR racer Ted Musgrave and is where Diamond Nexus Labs is located. Why is that anything of interest? They made the crown for the Miss USA pageant in 2009 - a crown worth $202,000. It's also the home of Carma Labs, makers of the famous Carmex lip balm.

In southwestern Franklin, Highway 100 leaves Ryan Road and begins to curve northward, taking on a few different street names. It crosses Highway 36 (Loomis Road), where U.S. 45 joins for the ride into Hales Corners.

Hales Corners (pop. 7,765) sprouted up, as its name hints, a major crossroads of earlier transportation routes. First settled in the 1830's, Hales Corners started as a family affair; Seneca and William Hale, two brothers, each claimed 160 acres of land and their father, Ebenezer (a name since dropping down on the list of popular baby names for boys) bought 160 more next door. Their former plots today are located where Highway 100 crosses Forest Home Avenue and Janesville Road (Highway 24). Its location on a series of key crossroads led to development, but it took until 1952 for Hales Corners to formally incorporate as a village. Buildings dating from much further back can be found along Highway 100, including the enjoyable Bosch Tavern at the corner of Janesville Road, a building constructed in the 19th century and still worth a stop in the 21st.

Just past Edgerton Avenue, U.S. 45 leaves for a ride on the freeway, which it has done since 1966. Prior to the construction of the Zoo Freeway in the 60's, Highway 100 and U.S. 45 ran together up the west side of Milwaukee County, turning into a major commercial strip for the mushrooming suburbs.

Milwaukee County Zoo

One of the top zoos in the world is right here in Milwaukee.

CONNECTIONS
South Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 32
Can connect nearby to: Highway 38, about three miles west

North Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: I-43, Highway 32
Can connect nearby to: Highway 57, about 3 miles west; Highway 167, about 3 miles north

Upcoming events in places along Highway 100:
Wisconsin State Fair, West Allis, August 5-15, 2010

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