GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- U.S. Highway 41 in northeast Wisconsin will soon become part of the Interstate Highway System but it may not have to change numbers.
The last interstate conversion in Wisconsin happened in 1996, when U.S. 51 became I-39 between Portage and Wausau.
State Department of Transportation officials said Wednesday they requested "41" as the interstate designation number for the 142-mile stretch between Milwaukee and Green Bay.
A decision by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration is expected by mid-November.
Transportation department spokesman Kim Rudat said they hope to change the signs to the red and blue shield interstate signs in spring 2014, with a cost of $12 million.
