PLOVER – Residents and visitors who plan to attend Celebrate Plover this weekend at Lake Pacawa Park should encounter little disruption from the Portage County B reconstruction and repaving project as they try to access the event.
How do I access Celebrate Plover parking?
Celebrate Plover event parking space is on the west side of Hoover Avenue in grass and field space just south of Lake Pacawa Park.
Eventgoers using Portage County B will see the road narrowed to one lane in each direction for less than a mile west of Hoover Avenue. The two westbound travel lanes narrow to one prior to the Hoover Avenue intersection, but the turning lanes are open, allowing Celebrate Plover visitors to turn south toward the parking area.
The parking area may also be accessed from the south by exiting off of Interstate 39 at Exit 152 for State 54/Post Road/Business 51, turning west, then turning north onto Hoover Avenue.
More information on Celebrate Plover: Your guide to the 2024 Celebrate Plover event at Lake Pacawa Park
Update on the Portage County B project
“Segment one and two are complete and the signals are operational at the (Interstate 39) interchange and Village Park Drive,” Nathan Check, Portage County highway commissioner, told a Stevens Point Journal reporter.
The first stage of the project started April 8 and included total closure of the eastbound traffic lanes between Hoover Avenue and Interstate 39, while the westbound lanes were reduced to one lane. In the second stage of the project, the lane closure was reversed and both westbound lanes were closed and one eastbound lane was open.
The current phase of the over 1-mile long project is focused on the stretch west of the Hoover Avenue intersection and ending at Wisconsin Avenue near Post Road. The four-lane undivided highway is currently reduced to the two inside travel lanes while the outside lanes have their pavement removed, get regraded and have storm sewers installed, according to Check.
What road improvements are part of the project?
The section between Hoover Avenue and Interstate 39 saw replacement of the deteriorated concrete pavement. The section between Wisconsin Avenue and Hoover Avenue is being reconstructed from a rural to urban design and will get new curb and gutter or asphalt shoulders, widened pavement median, new concrete sidewalk and an asphalt multi-use path. That section will also see intersection reconstruction at the intersection with Mecca Drive to add traffic signals, according to the highway department.
Traffic signal upgrades also are planned at the intersection of Portage County B and Hoover Avenue.
The next significant interruption to travel in the work zone will come in mid- to late-August as the intersection of Hoover Avenue and Portage County B will need to be closed entirely for approximately 14 days, according to plans for the project on the Portage County Highway Department website . During that period, Portage County B will only be open from Wisconsin Avenue to Iber Lane.
When will the project be completed?
The first phases of the project experienced a few delays from rain and additional unplanned storm sewer work, Check said.
The entire project is expected to meet its planned completion date of Nov. 22.
Portage County HH construction: A half-mile stretch of Portage County HH will close for three weeks starting Monday
Interstate 39 construction: Construction on Interstate 39 near Stevens Point to begin Monday for $11.7M improvement project
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Will construction on Portage County B impact access to Celebrate Plover?
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