An Act to create 84.1054 of the statutes; Relating to: designating the Tom Diehl Memorial Highway. (FE)
Summary
SB160 is a memorial highway designation bill. It directs the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to designate and mark the entire portion of USH 12 located in the village of Lake Delton in Sauk County as the “Tom Diehl Memorial Highway.” The bill creates a new statutory section, 84.1054, for that purpose.
The measure does not change transportation policy, roadway standards, or funding formulas; its effect is limited to an honorary naming and signage requirement for a specific segment of state highway. In practical terms, it requires the department to install and maintain memorial markers on the designated stretch of USH 12 in Lake Delton.
Impact
SB160 would add a new statute, s. 84.1054, to Wisconsin law authorizing and requiring the Department of Transportation to designate a portion of USH 12 as the Tom Diehl Memorial Highway. The bill affects state highway signage and memorial naming practices, but it does not alter traffic regulation, local government authority, or the underlying ownership or operation of the roadway. Its direct impact is on the DOT and on travelers using USH 12 in Lake Delton, who would see the commemorative designation.
Sentiment
The available record suggests the bill was noncontroversial in substance, as it is a commemorative highway naming measure rather than a policy change. No committee transcript or vote details are provided, and there is no indication of debate over the merits of the designation. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, but the record does not show that the failure was tied to opposition specific to the memorial highway proposal.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Because the bill simply names a highway segment after Tom Diehl, any disagreement would likely have centered on the appropriateness of the memorial designation, the choice of honoree, or the use of state resources for signage, but none of those concerns are reflected in the available transcripts or votes. The only clear procedural outcome is that the bill did not become law.
Designating a future interchange on K-10 highway as the Kris Norton memorial interchange, a portion of K-5 highway as the Rep Marvin S Robinson memorial highway, a portion of United States highway 160 as the CPL Monte Wayne Forrest memorial highway, a portion of United States highway 77 as the POW MIA memorial highway and bridge No. 82-14-6.88 (026) in Clay county as the POW MIA memorial bridge, and redesignating a current portion of the Harry Darby memorial highway for interstate highway 635.