DOT Details County Road Projects

If you look at the top of the Door County road construction map supplied by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT), it looks like the 2.2-mile project slated for later this year from Gills Rock to the ferry launch at Northport will include straightening of the famously winding road.

But, not to worry, that resurfacing project does not include road straightening, said project manager Jeremy Ashauer, who stopped by the Peninsula Pulse office recently with Colleen Harris, deputy of the northeast region, and Kim Rudat, the DOT’s northeast region communication manager, to talk about the various road projects in the county planned through 2017.

While there will be a lot of DOT activity in Door County through 2017, Ashauer said everything will be done to make travel through the county as effortless as possible during the various projects, and then the DOT will leave Door County alone for a couple of years with a $20 million to $25 million infrastructure improvement.

“The last thing we want is traffic backups,” Ashauer said of all the planned projects.

Two of the projects scheduled for this year – the resurfacing of Hwy 42 from Sturgeon Bay to Egg Harbor and the previously mentioned far north resurfacing, is really just “a large Band-Aid” for those two road surfaces to hold them over until more substantial funding comes through.

For the projects that are expected to cause some disruption through detours and road closures, the DOT representatives said plans are well under way in working with municipalities as partners in the project, so that the work has minimal impact on businesses in the affected areas.

2014 DOT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Hwy 42/57 Maintenance in City of Sturgeon Bay

• County MM to Bayview Bridge

• Pavement repair, asphalt overlay in sections, and intersection modifications Hwy 42 & 57 intersection (south junction).

• Timeframe:  40 working days during summer and fall.

• Traffic impacts:  Lane closures will be permitted during off-peak hours on Hwy 57.

Hwy 42 Maintenance Resurfacing

• Twelve-mile stretch from County T in Sturgeon Bay to Rainbow Ridge Court, Egg Harbor (the hill just before entering the village).

• Work includes milling two inches of old pavement and repaving with two inches of asphalt.

• Timeframe:  20 working days to begin after Labor Day.

• Traffic impacts:  Minor delays, with work being done under flagging operations.

Hwy 42 Maintenance Resurfacing

• 2.2-mile stretch from Wisconsin Bay Road in Gills Rock to ferry landing in Northport.

• Work includes milling two inches of old pavement and repaving with two inches of asphalt.

• Timeframe:  15 working days after Labor Day.

• Traffic impacts:  Minor delays, with work being done under flagging operations.

2015 PROJECTS

Hwy 42 Reconstruction, Sister Bay

• Country Walk Drive to Scandia Road.

• Full reconstruction of roadway, including concrete pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalk, storm sewer and sidewalk lighting. Roadway is being widened slightly to accommodate bike and pedestrian traffic. The hill between Hwy 57 and Country Walk Drive will be lowered through rock blasting.

• Timeframe:  July 2015 to June 2016.

• Traffic impacts:  Hwy 57 will be closed from Hwy 42 to Canterbury Lane July and Aug. 2015; Hwy 42 will be closed between Hwy 57 and Country Walk Drive in Sept. and Oct. 2015 (all roads will be open for Fall Fest Weekend); Hwy 42 will be one lane northbound only from after Fall Fest 2015 to before Memorial Day 2016. Southbound traffic will be detoured. The village will erect signs for local detours within the village. Hwys 42 and 57 will be reopened to one lane each before Memorial Day 2016.

• Project website:  dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/neregion/42/index.htm.

Hwy 57 and County C Intersection Improvements

• Reconstruction of the intersection to a J-turn.

• Timeframe:  Sept. to Nov. 2015.

• Traffic impacts:  Hwy 57 will remain open with lane closures during off-peak times. Access to County C may be restricted at times.

• Public involvement meetings will be held this summer.

• J-turn educational video is available at dot.state.wi.us/projects/neregion/29/faq-jturn.htm and youtube.com/watch?v-nPcMeh0gDC0.

Hwy 42 Box Culvert Replacement, Forestville

• Closed at bridge and approaches, located between County X and County J at the south end of Forestville.

• Replacement of existing box culvert with a single-span bridge.

• Time frame:  Six to eight weeks in summer 2015.

• Traffic impacts:  Hwy 42 will be closed at the work site; traffic will be detoured via County X, D and J.

2016 CONSTRUCTION

Hwy 42, Sister Bay

• Work continues from 2015.

Hwy 42/57 Reconstruction, Sturgeon Bay

• Michigan Street to Egg Harbor Road.

• Full reconstruction of roadway. Intersections of Michigan Street and Egg Harbor Road to be constructed with roundabouts. The intersection of Alabama Street will be reconstructed with left turn movements prohibited from Alabama onto Hwy 42/57.

• Time frame:  Spring/summer 2016.

• Traffic impacts:  Roadway will be closed in spring 2016. Roadway will be opened to one lane each direction before the 4th of July. Sturgeon Bay detour routes to be determined.

Hwy 42/57 Bayview Bridge Maintenance

• Routine maintenance.

• Time frame:  To be completed during the roadway closure for the Hwy 42/57 reconstruction between Michigan Street and Egg Harbor Road.

• Traffic impacts:  Bridge will be closed.

Hwy 57 Resurfacing, Baileys Harbor to Sister Bay

• South junction of County Q to Hwy 42.

• Mill and asphalt overlay of existing pavement, culvert replacements and minor drainage improvements.

• Time frame:  Aug. to Nov. 2016.

• Traffic impacts:  Roadway will be closed after Labor Day 2016 and reopened for Fall Fest 2016; work completed before Labor Day and after Fall Fest will be done under traffic with one lane.

Hwy 42 Resurfacing, Fish Creek to Sister Bay

• Bluff Lane in Fish Creek to Country Walk Drive in Sister Bay.

• Mill and asphalt overlay of existing pavement, culvert replacements, minor drainage improvements, additional sidewalk in Fish Creek to improve safety to the school, storm sewer repairs and beam guard replacement.

• Time frame:  Oct. 2016 to June 2017.

• Traffic impacts:  Work is anticipated to be completed under traffic, but detour routes are being considered for portions of the project; some minor delays with flagging operations.

2017 CONSTRUCTION

Hwy 42 Resurfacing, Fish Creek to Sister Bay

• Continue 2016 construction work.