For the City Times

Closure, detour scheduled to begin in late April

A $2.6 million project to improve Wisconsin Highway 54, between Lonesome Rd. and School Rd., in Wood County is scheduled to begin March 20.

Earth Inc., is the prime contractor for the project. Their crews will reconstruct the highway on new alignments (between the intersections of Lonesome Road and Smith Lane and at Wood County D) to straighten horizontal curves and improve safety.

Other improvements include: installing centerline rumble strips, constructing wider driving lanes with paved shoulders, and improving pavement drainage. When work begins, WIS 54 will remain open to traffic. Crews will first work to remove trees along the side of the highway. Motorists may encounter some flagging operations.

Traffic impacts:

• March 20 to early April: Short-term flagging operations.
• April 24 to late May: Crews will close WIS 54 and detour all through traffic via WIS 80, WIS 173 and WIS 73. The intersections with Hemlock Lane and School Lane will also be closed. County D will remain open.
• Late May to mid-July: WIS 54 remains closed and detoured. The intersection with School Lane will be closed. County D will remain open.
• Mid-July to early August: WIS 54 remains closed and detoured. The intersection with County D will be closed.
• Early August to August 31: WIS 54 remains closed and detoured. The intersection with Lonesome Road will be closed. County D will reopen.

Local access will be maintained throughout construction. However, some brief driveway and local road closures will be necessary during paving operations. Work is scheduled for completion by September 2017.

Construction schedules are dependent on favorable weather conditions and construction status. 80 percent of the project will be paid with federal transportation funds; the remaining 20 percent will be paid with state transportation funds.

For more information regarding construction-related traffic impacts in Wisconsin’s north central region:

• Follow on Twitter: @WisDOTnorthcent

• Check the region’s 511 website: http://projects.511wi.gov/region/north-central/