^Looking east from the junction with US Route 61 in Fennimore, October 2016.

In Wisconsin, US Route 18 runs east-west across the southern part of the state, from Prairie du Chien to downtown Milwaukee. Unlike US Route 14 and US Route 12, which run more diagonally across Wisconsin, US Route 18 is truly and east-west route in this state. After US Route 18 crosses into Wisconsin from Marquette, Iowa, on a bridge over the Mississippi River into Prairie du Chien, the highway cuts a little southeastward to cross the Wisconsin River. But it soon straightens out and heads eastward through Fennimore to Dodgeville, where US Route 151 converges with US Route 18. US Route 18 and US Route 151 head eastward on an expressway that continues until the suburbs of Madison, Wisconsin. The two routes bend northward to meet the Madison Beltline, which carries US Route 12 and US Route 14.  US Route 18 joins the Beltline eastward, and US Route 14 soon departs toward the south. This leaves US Route 18 on a concurrency with US Route 12 as it continues eastward beyond Madison. US Route 12 splits away from US Route 18 at Cambridge, leaving US Route 18 to continue east as a surface highway bound for Milwaukee. As US Route 18 continues east, it parallels Interstate 94 to the south. Before US Route 18 reaches Milwaukee, it encounters the City of Waukesha. US Route 18 now bypasses Waukesha's downtown to the south using a new four-lane bypass. US Route 18 continues deeper into the Milwaukee suburbs before entering the city proper. US Route 18 ends in downtown Milwaukee, where Lincoln Memorial Drive (the "Lake Shore Drive" of Milwaukee) meets Michigan Street.

My photo of a route marker for US Route 18 in Wisconsin comes from the small town of Fennimore, where US Route 18 meets US Route 61. Here, US Route 18 comes from the east to join US Route 61 north for a short distance. This photo looks north at a sign helping northbound travelers understand what is going on; those northbound travelers are on US Route 61, encountering US Route 18 for the first time. This photo was taken during a day trip to southwestern Wisconsin in October 2016.
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