Few work zones to impair July 4th travel on major highways
Law enforcement will be paying special attention to catch drunk drivers
With the July 4th holiday falling on a Wednesday, road construction and
maintenance crews will be giving travelers a short break, but will still be
on the job that week. Most crews will wrap up their work by around noon on
Tuesday, July 3 to allow holiday travelers to get to their destinations with
as few lane restrictions and detours as possible. Work on most projects is
expected to resume by around 6 a.m. Thursday, July 5.
“Given the mid-week holiday, we don’t expect the swell of traffic we
normally see during the major summer holidays,” Don Miller, director of the
Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Project Development said.
“We’ll give motorists as many open roads as possible to take advantage of
the holiday. Nevertheless, travelers should allow a little extra time to
get where they’re going if they’re going to be taking advantage of the
one-day holiday.”
Miller highlighted a number of projects that could affect travel on major
routes. Madison’s Beltline traffic will see lane shifts with traffic
reduced to two lanes in each direction. In Milwaukee, the Marquette
Interchange project continues with full ramp closures between I-43/I-94 from
the south to westbound I-94 and from I-43 north and southbound to and from
I-794. Elsewhere, I-39/US 51/WIS 29 traffic through Wausau will have two
lanes open in each direction, but there may be width restrictions. And I-43
east of Beloit is down to one lane in each direction. (A more detailed list
is below.)
Miller cautioned, however, that travelers will still see projects in
progress with lots of orange barrels along the side of the road. He said
work zones require motorists to slow down and watch out for changing
conditions. “Work zones often have rough pavement, narrow lanes, lane
shifts, and congestion. When you see the signs for work zones ahead, be
prepared to slow down because your normal driving conditions are about to
change.”
One of the best ways to find out if there’s a work zone along your intended
route this summer is to log onto the Department of Transportation’s Web site
(www.dot.wisconsin.gov <./” target=_blank>http://www.mchange.org>.
2. I-43 at Moorland Road interchange, 1 mile. I-43 will have
two lanes in each direction through the work zone. Moorland Road will have
one lane open in each direction.
3. WIS 11 Burlington Bypass from WIS 83 to WIS 36/83, 11 miles.
Construction of the bypass requires WIS 11 through-traffic to detour using
WIS 75 and WIS 142. WIS 36/83 on the northeast side of the city is reduced
to a single lane of traffic in each direction.
4. WIS 67 in Oconomowoc, 1 mile. Bridge reconstruction
requires through traffic on WIS 67 to detour to the new Oconomowoc Bypass.
Follow the signed detour route.
5. WIS 60 in Hartford, 1.1 miles; WIS 60 from Kettle Moraine
Road to US 41/County C, 3.6 miles. Reconstruction of WIS 60 in Hartford
requires detour via Dodge County Highways P and S, WIS 83 and North Wilson
Avenue. Access is maintained to local businesses and residences.
Maintenance between Kettle Moraine Road and US 41/County C will limit
traffic to one lane in each direction.
6. US 41 between Fond du Lac County OO to WIS 26 at Oshkosh,
7.9 miles. Traffic will be open to two lanes in each direction through the
work zone.
7. US 10/441 Little Lake Butte des Morts Bridge, 1 mile.
Pavement and bridge repairs reduce traffic to one lane in each direction.
From US 41 to Winnebago County AP, work will require closure of most of the
ramps at the US 10/US 41/WIS 441 interchange. Alternate routes for the
closed ramps are posted.
8. I-43 from WIS 140 at Clinton to the east Rock County line,
5.2 miles. Pavement replacement limits traffic to one lane in each
direction.
9. US 12/US 14/US 18, the Madison Beltline, between Verona Road
and Park Street, 2 miles. Road reconstruction shifts traffic lanes. Two
lanes open in each direction, but with an 11-foot width restriction.
10. WIS 44 in Kingston between Vine Street and Green Lake County
B North, 1 mile. Repairs have closed WIS 44 to through traffic with detour
via County X and WIS 73. The highway will be open to local traffic and to
access local businesses.
11. WIS 73 in Plainfield, 1.9 miles. Reconstruction has closed
WIS 73 between 5th Avenue and Waushara County BB. Traffic is detoured via
I-39/US 51, County D and County BB. The detour route also has an 11-foot
width restriction at County BB and WIS 73 for approximately one quarter
mile.
12. US 10 between Portage County J and Lake Road, 5.9 miles.
Construction of new four-lane highway limits traffic to one lane in each
direction through the work zone.
13. WIS 66 from Portage County J to the west village limits of
Rosholt and from the east village limits to WIS 49, 10 miles. The road
within the work zone may have rough, uneven pavement for stretches.
14. I-39/US 51/WIS 29 through Wausau, 8 miles. Roadway and
bridge reconstruction requires width restrictions but two lanes will remain
open in each direction. Detailed information is available at
www.5129wausau.com <.” target=_blank>http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/news/docs/memday2007.pdf>. Numbers above
correspond to numbers on Web map.
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