Village Answers More Questions on Hwy 42 Projects
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Officials from the Village of Egg Harbor and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation met with Egg Harbor residents and business owners to provide a clearer understanding of projects within the village along state Highway 42.
At the Jan. 10 evening meeting at the Donald and Carol Kress Pavilion, village officials reiterated that “Road Closed to Thru Traffic” signs on construction barricades, or signs permitting “local traffic,” mean only motorists who have a destination within the construction area can proceed around barricades into the construction zone.
“Local traffic doesn’t mean you’re a local resident,” said Megan Sawyer, Village Administrator.
Questions about sheriff’s deputies’ making stops and giving warnings within the construction area led to the answer that motorists could receive tickets if they drive through the construction area in the village without stopping at a location within that zone. One resident urged law enforcement to also monitor speeds of vehicles on Church Street, a local bypass of the construction area.
Concerns were expressed and the Town of Egg Harbor prioritized plowing, sanding and salting after complaints that some local detour routes, including County Road T and Heritage Lake Road, were not plowed or treated well after the first significant snow since construction began.
Business owners also received contact information of people to call in advance if they have large trucks scheduled to make deliveries.
Sawyer confirmed that the village will continue to post informational and directional signs near state-approved “road-closed” barricades to clarify that Egg Harbor businesses within the construction area remain open.
On Monday, Jan. 15, Egg Harbor Town Board Chair Steve Schopf said he talked with Sawyer and lifted a signage moratorium to allow Egg Harbor businesses to communicate with Hwy 42 motorists. During a meeting Monday, Schopf said the town may need to ask WisDOT or the Town of Sevastopol for similar consideration in April, as WisDOT plans initially call for the closing of both lanes of Hwy 42 for repaving.
Schopf noted to the town board an orange sign south of Carlsville stating “no access to Egg Harbor” has caused concern for businesses in and north of Carlsville, but he said that sign is state-approved.
During the previous week’s meeting at Kress Pavilion, Kim Jensen, owner of Village Café and Mojo Rosa’s, said she was glad that the construction crews made efforts to save some trees near her additional restaurant property at County Road E and Hwy 42 (formerly Trio’s). She said the contractor agreed to add just one concrete lane at a time at the entrance to Village Café, which should prevent her from needing to close for most of a week as concrete cures.
Sawyer noted that the contractor has some work that could result in temporary closures north of Cty T and south of Cty E early this winter. She said much of the work later should occupy just one lane, but there still will be times when both lanes are briefly blocked.
Updated details, including meeting videos, appear at villageofeggharbor.org/hwy42.
Engineer Shares Egg Harbor Wire-burial Timeline
Engineering consultant Mike Simon with McMahon Associates provided the village with an anticipated schedule for utility-burial work that complements the Hwy 42 construction project. The schedule may vary “based on weather conditions and the amount of rock excavation that may be required,” he said.
In addition to moving cable and electric wire from above ground to below, Frontier needs to run underground conduit for fiber for the future broadband project.
A bit of utility work will take place between now and Feb. 2 just north of Cty E as well as between Market Street and Harbor School Road.
Here’s the rest of the tentative schedule for burial of conduit and wire:
• Cty E to Orchard Road Jan. 29-March 22
• White Cliff Road to Market Street Jan. 29-March 2
• Orchard Road to just south of White Cliff Road March 18-April 26
• Conversion from overhead to underground utilities and removal of overhead wires and equipment April 22-May 3.
