Road Work (file photo)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A two million dollar rehabilitation of the Lake Butte des Morts causeway is underway in Oshkosh. The project will accomplish a number of goals according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Mark Kantola.
“Replacing some of the structural approaches,” Kantola said. “That’s just a fancy way of saying the pavement leading up to the bridge. Removing and replacing the existing SWEF it’s called- the weigh-in motion- technology that helps us tell how heavy the trucks are.”
As a result, there are impacts to traffic.
“In the morning I just give myself a few extra minutes and then at night I’m taking 76 home to avoid it,” Simon Brehm of Oshkosh said.
The southbound to U.S. 45 exit ramp is now closed, and I-41 north and southbound lanes are temporarily down to two instead of three.
“A lot of people elect to get off the interstate when they know there are going to be slowdowns because of lane closures,” Kantola said. “So you put that extra pressure on the local system and those first few days can get a little hairy for motorists as we saw.”
This has already caused some headaches for those who use the interstate for their daily commute.
“I don’t really know what all going down but I know it’s a mess,” Fisher Peterson of Oshkosh said.
The DOT says drivers will have to get used to the backups, with work expected to last until October.
“What did I sit on the highway yesterday for probably 40 minutes going like one exit to another exit after work I mean I’m just trying to go home,” Peterson said. “You get sick of it you know.”
And with that in mind, practicing safety while behind the wheel is paramount.
“People still need to realize that stretch of 41 is under construction for a long time and they need to change their driving behaviors and pay attention,” Kantola said.
Though the work is on I-41, it’s unrelated to the expansion project between Appleton and De Pere. That’s not expected to wrap up until 2030.
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