The Door County Highway Department clears snow from Highway 42 in Ephraim March 18, 2026, two days after winter storms. PC: Fox 11 Online
EPHRAIM, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Door County Highway Department has finally cleared Highway 42 of snow.
One of the main roads into the northern tip of the Door peninsula remained buried in snow and impassable until about noon Wednesday.
“This is the worst I think it’s ever been,” said Sister Bay resident Brad Lindenberg.
Highway 42 through Ephraim was still impassable days after winter storms blew through the region. The storm dumping 30 inches of snow on the peninsula, but that’s only part of the story.
“It was just like a perfect storm,” said Randy Dvorak, with the Door County Highway Department. He said, “We got that snow Sunday night and into Monday and this, the way the winds were howling they just drifted this whole area in about a mile stretch.”
The drifts even too much for the plow drivers to handle during the storm.
According to Dvorak, “We were out all night so we just couldn’t keep up with it it was snowing so fast and the wind was howling so much. We couldn’t get through no more we just lost the highway.”
Lost it to, in some areas, 12 foot drifts — with five to six foot ones consistently covering the roadway. The snow piled up so high, days later, if not for the trees, you couldn’t differentiate the road from the water.
“I’ve been with the highway department 21 years, never nothing like this,” add Dvorak.
Dvorak spent almost 24 hours in the past couple of days clearing the snow off of the highway, trying to reopen access to and from Ephraim. Using a front loader he pushed, scooped and dumped the drifts away until the roadway was visible and passable.
“It’s kind of slippery underneath as you can see I’m spinning and stuff and icy underneath so it takes a minute,” said Dvorak.
The county planning to let nature take it course and simply melt the piles of snow it’s plowed off the highway.
National Weather Service reports show 30 inches of snow fell in Ephraim between Saturday night and Monday afternoon.
A Tuesday update posted to the Door County Highway Department’s Facebook page explained that crews were having difficulty reaching some areas and that they would resume plowing efforts at 4 a.m. Wednesday.
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