Village Erects Signs to Direct Motorists to Businesses
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Signs assuring motorists that Egg Harbor is open for business went up this week along state Highway 42 after some initial construction-zone confusion.
The Village of Egg Harbor received Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) permission to place arrows around the local construction zone to show motorists different ways to drive to downtown businesses, said Megan Sawyer, village administrator.
The village also received permission to put up signs near official state-detour signs on Hwy 42 north of Sturgeon Bay near Carlsville and within the village near County Road T. Those signs indicate that Egg Harbor businesses are open and accessible, Sawyer said.
Confusion set in when the project began Jan. 2 in the village, and a circuitous state-approved detour pointed Egg Harbor traffic to Jacksonport on state Highway 57. The work within the village coincides with the WisDOT repaving of Hwy 42 starting in the Town of Sevastopol (see sidebar below).
New 511 WiDOT website details Hwy 42 work
A hard closure last week where contractors were replacing a culvert near County T added to confusion, but contractors soon reopened one lane to local traffic.
Sawyer said people also weren’t sure what kind of “local traffic” could go around barricades and enter the construction zone.
If motorists have a destination within the work zone, they can proceed to and from the business district, she said. People who are going to a business near Market Street or Orchard Road should access those businesses via Church Street. The construction zone is not for thru-traffic.
Sawyer said contractors will try to keep one lane open, but at times they will need to close a section of Hwy 42 for an hour or two for practical reasons or the safety of motorists and their crew.
People who drive to businesses within the construction zone still may experience delays.
After hearing clarifications from the village, many business owners in the Village of Egg Harbor took to social media to provide location-specific directions for customers.
For example, Big Easy Bagel and Beignet owner Lauren Schar let customers know how to access her business and parking spaces along the south side of Hwy 42 near Market Street, and emphasized that the Big Easy is open on Fridays and weekends. Schar also plans to reopen Fireside restaurant in the same building in May.
While the construction is a source of worry, Schar said she realizes all the business districts in northern Door County have to take their turn enduring highway improvement projects.
Village Public Works Committee member and Main Street Market owner Kaaren Northrop emphasized that motorists who want to come to Egg Harbor businesses should have no difficulty if they find their way to Church Street via Harbor School Road on the south, or the Church Street/Harbor Heights intersection on Hwy 42 on the north.
“If you get onto Church Street, you’re golden,” Northrop said.
New 511 WiDOT website details Hwy 42 work
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation launched a WIS 42 Project construction website for work this year in Door County. State work is scheduled for April-June on state Highway 42 from just north of the state Highway 57 intersection in the Town of Sevastopol to Rainbow Ridge Court in the Town of Egg Harbor. The resurfacing project with culvert replacements and intersection safety improvements will include the addition of right-turn lanes at Monument Point Road. The Village of Egg Harbor’s local project runs concurrently with the state project.