Finishing work on US 53 project in Washburn County set to start

SARONA — Finishing work on a multi-year, $17.59 million pavement replacement project on Highway 53 from Pine Grove Road in the Town of Sarona to Wildcat Road in the Town of Beaver Brook in Washburn County is set to resume Monday, May 6.

Hoffman Construction Co. of Black River Falls is the prime contractor for the project, which began in 2022.

Originally placed in the mid-1980s, this 6.5-mile segment of Highway 53 had reached the end of its service life. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) project:

Removed the existing pavement and a portion of the existing base course.Placed a new base aggregate layer for drainage and new concrete pavement.Replaced storm sewer, culverts, curb and gutter.Reconstructed the approaches to Highway 53 from existing intersections.Replaced shoulder rumble strips.

Expected to take two weeks to complete, work in 2024 will include restoring areas disturbed during construction and placing permanent pavement markings on portions of the project.

Traffic will remain on its respective side of the expressway but will be reduced to a single lane in each direction. All intersections in the work zone will remain open.

For more information regarding traffic impacts, transportation news and improvement project updates in Wisconsin’s Northwest Region:

Follow WisDOT on Twitter: @WisDOT northwest.Visit the region’s 511 website: projects.511wi.gov/region/northwest/.Visit the project’s 511 website: projects.511wi.gov/us53bc1.

Motorists are reminded that using handheld cell phones in Wisconsin work zones is illegal. Alerts and updates provided via these sites are not intended for use while driving. When driving, your focus should always be on driving.

Region-wide pavement marking project to start

To invest in Wisconsin’s transportation system, Gov. Tony Evers has signed a $2.55 million contract with prime contractor Century Fence Co. of Pewaukee for a region-wide pavement marking project. Construction is scheduled to start Monday, May 6.

WisDOT will replace epoxy pavement markings on highways in 17 of the region’s 20 counties, including Highway 48 in Birchwood to Highway 40.

The contractor plans to start in northern counties and move south. During these moving operations, highways will remain open to traffic, but motorists will encounter lane closures.

Construction is scheduled for completion in mid-October.