Wisconsin Highway 119

Highway in Wisconsin

State Trunk Highway 119 (often called Highway 119, STH 119 or WIS 119), better known as the "Airport Spur", is a connector freeway in Milwaukee, in the southeastern part of the U. S. state of Wisconsin. The 1.89 mile (3 km) freeway connects Interstate 94 (I 94) to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. WIS 119 has had many different iterations dating back to 1919, and since has had five other variations including the modern day route. These different roads were short lived but were located throughout the state of Wisconsin in the Milwaukee area, Manitowoc and Green Bay. The current route starts at I 41/I 94 and has just one more exit at WIS 38 (Howell Avenue) before ending at the airport. Until 2007, WIS 119 was not signed but was commissioned and appeared on highway maps as a de facto unsigned route. After travelers in the area became confused because the route was not signed, officials decided to change the exit signs from I 94 in order to include the highway. There have been plans to rebuild WIS 119 as part of a larger project in the Milwaukee area.

WIS 119 starts at I 41/I 94 exit number 318 and continues eastbound as a four lane freeway. It progresses through a mainly residential area for most of its length, though noise barrier walls obscure most of this housing from view. There are multiple official signs directing Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport traffic along the route towards parking (with current capacity noted by electronic signage), cargo and terminals. At the terminus the speed limit drops to The WIS 119 routing officially terminates at the WIS 38 (South Howell Avenue) exit, with the road continuing towards the terminal undesignated. The terminus also features lit signage reading "MKE" eastbound resembling that of Los Angeles International Airport's larger "LAX" sign within the median.

WIS 119 has had many different versions throughout different areas of Wisconsin. The first route debuted in 1919 as a short connector trunkline along the present day route of WIS 83; within a few years this routing was replaced. The road was designed to offer more support to a growing Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and facilitate travel between the airport and Interstate 94. The project received multiple criticisms, such as the relocation of a historic B 25 bomber and the resignation of a highway official. This along with other factors prompted the Milwaukee Common Council to oppose the new freeway, and instead suggest a new airport be built outside Milwaukee County. The new airport was not built and in 1978 the freeway was completed. Since publication of the 1983–84 official map, state highway maps, maps from the local Milwaukee Map Service (which are often used for local navigation and dispatching purposes) and online mapping sources have labeled the route as Highway 119, though many road atlases and less expensive maps left the road unlabeled beyond the notation "Airport Spur", often because the map scaling of a Milwaukee area map would leave little room to indicate Highway 119's presence without the indicating shield covering the entire route. However, travelers had trouble finding the road, which was not identified as Highway 119 by highway signage. According to Robert Gutierrez a project supervisor, the plan would be to turn the freeway into "a boulevard of sorts." This project lasted from 2009 until the end of the 2010 construction season.