Residents in the Kieler and Dickeyville area were able to get a sneak peek at two upcoming road construction projects with two bridge locations last Tuesday. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation held a public meeting at the Dickeyville Community Center to field questions from residents as well as give them a glimpse of the proposed projects.
The proposed projects consist of bridge replacement at the US 35/61/151 and Eagle Point Road interchange and resurfacing (concrete deck overlay) of the WIS 11/ WIS 35 bridge over US 35/61/151. The resurfacing of the 11/35 bridge will most likely take place during the fall of 2013. Also taking place during the fall of 2013 will be the construction of two crossovers near the Eagle Point Road area. The crossovers will be installed to reroute southbound traffic into the northbound lane as the Eagle Point Road bridge will be closed during the construction. A crossover will be installed north of Eagle Point Road exit to divert southbound traffic into the northbound lane and a second crossover will be constructed south of the Eagle Point Road exit to return traffic to the southbound lane.
The Eagle Point Bridge replacement is slated for the spring of 2014. The estimated cost of the two projects is $2,400,000.
For the first part of the project, the concrete overlay of the 11/35 overpass of US Highway 35/61/151, temporary traffic signals will be installed at each end of the bridge and will allow traffic to use only one lane at a time. On both ends of the bridge within the interchange there will be an area for traffic to cross over. Once one side of the bridge is done, the other side will have the same traffic pattern.
Chad Halverson, the principal project manager for the Michael Baker Jr., Inc., Madison (representing Wisconsin DOT) said the deck of the 11/35 overpass is in disrepair. "The deck is in pretty rough condition and we are hoping to improve the ride and the overall life of the deck," Halverson said. "We hope the overlay portion will be complete in two months, however that is only an preliminary estimate."
The exit to Eagle Point road will be accessible at all times from southbound Hwy 151 and the southbound on ramp from Eagle Point will also be accessible, however the on ramp from Eagle Point road to the northbound lane of 151 will be closed for the duration of the project.
"The deck is deteriorating and getting toward the end of its service life," Halverson said. "It also has substandard width and vertical clearance from below."
All emergency vehicles will have access to residents during the construction process.