MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - On this day, November 24, 1959, the first part of I-90 was opened in Wisconsin.

This first section of the interstate was between Janesville and Beloit.

The section was 15 miles long and had four lanes. The new section was an extension of the previously built interstate through Illinois.

I-90 was officially opened to the public at 4 p.m. on November 24, 1959. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony, and there was a band at the grand opening.

Then-governor Gaylord Nelson even made an appearance to mark the occasion.

The rest of I-90 opened in sections, ending 10 years later in 1969. That finished the Wisconsin section of what is now the longest interstate in the U.S.

Today, I-90 connects Boston, Massachusetts, to Seattle, Washington.

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