Kenosha Reporter

Two highways in Kenosha County have been renamed following a jurisdictional transfer agreement with the state. The road previously known as county Highway KR, running from Interstate 94 to Highway 32 along the Kenosha-Racine county line, is now designated as state Highway 195. The section of this road west of I-94 retains its original name, Highway KR.

Meanwhile, what was formerly state Highway 75 has been renamed county Highway BD. This highway extends from Highway 50 in Kenosha County to Highway 20 in Racine County. The designation "BD" represents the towns it traverses: Brighton in Kenosha County and Dover in Racine County.

This transfer agreement was finalized between Kenosha County, Racine County, and the State of Wisconsin after significant upgrades were made to Highway KR. These improvements were aimed at supporting current and future development along the corridor, according to Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman.

“Highway KR, now Highway 195, in its current form is a major thoroughfare that really has the profile of a state highway,” said Kerkman. “At the same time, old Highway 75, now Highway BD, is a two-lane rural road with characteristics more like the rest of our county trunk highway system. As such, this change is beneficial to the taxpayers of both counties.”

Under this agreement, approximately 7.09 miles of old Highway 75 were transferred to Kenosha County and around 5.01 miles to Racine County. In exchange, about 7.1 miles of old Highway KR went to the state.

The state will now cover all maintenance costs for Highway 195—a responsibility previously shared by Kenosha and Racine counties when it was still known as Highway KR. Conversely, each county will be responsible for maintaining their respective sections of Highway BD.

Kenosha County's Director of Highways Greg Boldt noted that while there is an increase in roadway length for Kenosha County under this new arrangement, cost savings are anticipated regarding maintenance expenses.

“Highway 195 is an urban cross-section with four lanes of traffic," explained Boldt. "These types of roadways typically take longer to maintain during snowplowing operations," he added while discussing how costly long-term upkeep can be compared with typical county trunk highways.