Here's a rundown of major Fox Cities road construction projects this summer
As summertime approaches, more people are getting outside to take advantage of the sun and warmer weather — including construction crews.
Except for a few projects that can continue work year-round, Wisconsin's construction season takes place April through November, said Melissa Kok, communications manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Northeast Region.
Listed below are road construction projects in the Fox Cities for motorists and pedestrians to keep in mind during the next few months, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and county highway departments.
The following projects are in Outagamie County:
I-41 preservation project
A $3.33 million pavement preservation project on Interstate 41 in Outagamie County began in early April and will wrap up at the end of May.
The project involves work on a 12.37-mile stretch of I-41 between State 15 in Grand Chute and County J in Kaukauna.
Work on the project includes cleaning and sealing pavement cracks and joints, repairing asphalt, repairing concrete pavement, paving road shoulders with asphalt and marking pavement.
The project will extend the life of the pavement and reduce maintenance costs until construction on the I-41 expansion project, which will expand the interstate between between Appleton and De Pere from four lanes to six and begins in 2025, according to the DOT.
Single-lane closures along I-41 during overnight hours will continue. Closure hours vary, but are permitted from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. weeknights and 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. weekends. Interchange ramp closures may also occur overnight, generally between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. There will not be closures of on-ramps or off-ramps at adjacent interchanges.
State 15 east segment reconstruction and expansion
A 3.4-mile stretch of State 15 from County JJ in Hortonville to Lily of the Valley Drive in Greenville started construction in April and is scheduled to continue until November 2023.
The roadwork involves the eastern segment of Outagamie County's State 15 four-lane expansion project, which began in 2021 and is scheduled to finish in 2024.
Work involves road grading, paving asphalt and concrete, marking pavement, working on culvert pipes and storm sewers, landscaping and more.
Roadwork is scheduled to be completed in different stages to keep State 15 open for most of the project. However, the highway will be closed for about 30 days in late 2022 while work happens around the railroad crossing between Manley Road and North Road.
During work at the railroad crossing, westbound State 15 will detour to State 76 to County JJ back to 15, while eastbound State 15 will detour to County JJ to State 76 back to 15.
Side roads along the segment will be closed periodically throughout the project.
State 15 bypass reconstruction and expansion
Also as part of the State 15 four-lane expansion project in Outagamie County, 3.6 miles of State 15 from Canadian National Railroad to County JJ in Hortonia, Ellington and Hortonville began construction in April and will continue until November 2023.
The work will involve road grading, base work, removal of landfill waste, paving asphalt, concreting curbs and gutters, marking pavement. landscaping, building drainage structures and retaining walls and more on the bypass.
This summer, County MM will close for a maximum of 40 consecutive days. All other side roads will stay open.
State 47 resurfacing
Construction on State 47 from County JJ in the town of Center to County B in the town of Black Creek is scheduled to begin in July and last until October.
During the project, 10.1 miles of road will be milled and resurfaced. Construction will additionally include replacing a box culvert, pipe culverts and beam guards, as well as pavement marking and permanent signing.
During the box culvert replacement, State 47 will be closed with a detour between County A and County S.
State 47 will stay open during the project with single lane closures during daylight hours and temporary flagging operations during resurfacing. There will be no lane closures during holidays.
State 55/County JJ roundabout and State 55 resurfacing
About 14 miles of State 55, from north of I-41 in the city of Kaukauna to State 54 in the town of Oneida, started undergoing construction in April that will continue into the fall.
The project involves resurfacing the segment of State 55 and building a new roundabout at the intersection with County JJ. Construction also includes a box culvert extension, pipe culvert replacements, a beam guard replacement, permanent signing, pavement marking and lighting.
During construction of the roundabout, State 55 and County JJ will be closed to traffic with detours. The 55 detour will follow I-41 to County N to County UU, while County JJ will have a detour that reconstructs County JJ from east of County N to State 55's western limits.
During the State 55 resurfacing part of the project, the highway will stay open with single-lane closures during daylight hours and flagging operations.
During work at the State 55 and County E intersection, the eastern part of E will close with a detour that follows 55 to County S.
During curb ramp work at the intersection of State 55 and County S, right turns will be restricted. A detour for eastbound County S to southbound State 55 right turn will follow County J to County UU.
County JJ reconstruction and roundabout
In conjunction with the state project described above, County JJ is undergoing reconstruction for wider lanes, paved shoulders and flatter ditch slopes between County N and State 55 in Vandenbroek.
Everything west of County CC is the Outagamie County project, while everything west of CC is part of the state DOT project, Outagamie County Highway Engineer Joe Zellmer said.
In addition to reconstruction of the road, a roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of County JJ and County N. A multi-use trail is also being considered on the south side of JJ.
An all-way stop is installed at the County N and County JJ intersection, and will remain indefinitely. During construction, JJ will be closed to traffic within the project's boundaries.
A detour for State 55 and County JJ will use I-41, County N and County UU.
Construction on the county project began April 25 and will continue to September, Zellmer said.
County J repaving
A stretch of County J in Kaukauna, from State 55 to Lamp Lighter Drive, will have asphalt replaced, in addition to any spot drainage and roadway repairs needed.
Construction will begin early to mid-summer and will last around two months, Zellmer said.
The section of County J under construction will be closed to traffic with a signed detour using State 55 and County OO.
County VV reconstruction
County VV, from Isaar Road to County Y in Seymour, will undergo construction to lower the roadway profile to allow for a wider paved road and shoulders, beginning after the Fourth of July and lasting for about four months, Zellmer said.
A detour will use State 55, County G and County Y.
City of Appleton repaving projects
In the city of Appleton, there are a few asphalt and concrete paving projects that will close the following segments to traffic during the following time frames:
Concrete paving:
Appleton Street (College Avenue to Atlantic Street): April 11–July 15
Atlantic Street (Oneida Street to Lawe Street): June 20–September 9
Meade Street (Pacific Street to Commercial Street): June 20–August 19
Headwall Circle (Canyon Lane to Kurey Road): May 16–July 15
Amethyst Drive (Providence Avenue to Bluetopaz Drive): May 16–July 15
Blue Topaz Drive (Providence Avenue to Calmes Drive): May 16–July 15
Tiburon Lane (Applehill Boulevard to Purdy Parkway): May 16–July 22
Asphalt paving:
Elsie Street (Mason Street to Richmond Street): May 2–July 6
Madison Street (Taft Avenue to Calumet Street): June 6–July 21
Jackson Street (Calumet Street to Fremont Street): July 4–August 22
The following projects are in Winnebago County:
Racine Street bridge replacement
A project to replace the existing Racine Street bridge in the city of Menasha with a new bascule bridge began in September 2020 and will wrap up in November.
Currently, the Racine Street bridge, located on Racine Street between Oak and First streets, is closed to vehicles. It's not schedule to reopen until after the 2022 construction season.
In late May and early June, construction will move to the final stage of the project, which will involve building Racine Street roundabouts at Main Street on the north side of the river and Ahnaip Street on the south.
Racine Street intersections at Main and Ahnaip streets are currently closed.
A detour takes Third Street to Tayco Street to Nicolet Boulevard to Ahnaip Street.
County CB/County JJ roundabout
Construction crews are working on building a roundabout at the intersection of County CB and County JJ in Neenah. The project aims to improve traffic capacity and safety at the intersection. Also, it will extend Pendleton Road to County JJ.
Roadwork is expected to take place in early June and continue through the end of September. The area is blocked off for a separate project extending underground sewer and water lines run by the City of Neenah. Although the Neenah project wrapped up May 6, city and county engineers decided to keep the area closed off until the Winnebago County project begins.
RELATED: Neenah roundabout construction will start in June, after monthlong lull in activity
The following projects are in Calumet County:
State 114 resurfacing
Construction crews are resurfacing five miles of State 114, from the 114 and U.S. 10 interchange to the south junction of 114 and State 55.
The project entails milling and rubblizing pavement, road grading, pouring asphalt, marking pavement and concreting sidewalks, curbs and gutters. It's scheduled to begin in June and will last three to four months, Kok said.
There will be multiple lane and road closures as a result of the project:
Stage 1: Work is primarily being done in Sherwood. Motorists can expect single-lane closures, flagging and road closures, in addition to a two- to three-week closure for culvert and base and subgrade repair, as well as intersection work. A detour will use U.S. 10 to State 32/57 to State 114.
Stage 2: Work is primarily being done in Sherwood. Motorists can expect single-lane closures, flagging and road closures, in addition to the following road closures:
Castle Drive will be closed at the State 114 intersection for reconstruction, lasting three weeks.
There will be a one- to two-week closure of the roundabout at State 55/State 114/Stommel Road for resurfacing. A detour will use U.S. 10 to County M.
There will be a one- to two-week closure of State 114 from the State 114/55 intersection in Sherwood to the State 55/114/Stommel Road roundabout for railroad work south of the roundabout. A detour will use State 55 to U.S. 10 to County M.
Stage 3: Work will primarily be done north of the roundabout at State 55/State114/Stommel Road to just south of the interchange of U.S. 10 and State 114. This portion of State 114 will be closed to thru traffic. The State Park Road and Pigeon Road intersections will also be closed. A detour will use U.S. 10 and State 55.
The dates of when each stage begins have not yet been determined.
County T culvert replacement
Beginning May 31, the Calumet County highway department will replace culverts on County T from Honeymoon Hill Road to County X. There is a full road closure on that stretch of road, expected to last about three weeks.
Southbound traffic will be detoured east on U.S. 151 to State 67, south on State 67 to County X, west on County X to County T. Northbound traffic will be detoured east on County X to State 67, north on State 67 to U.S. 151, and west on U.S. 151 to County T.
County N reconstruction
Beginning May 12 and lasting until Labor Day, County N is closed between U.S. 10 and County KK for reconstruction of the County N intersection with Midway/Schmidt Road.
The project involves reconstructing the County N intersection with Midway Road/Schmidt Road into a roundabout, as well as installing a sidewalk on the west side and a multi-use trail on the east side of County N from Midway Road to County KK.
During the nearly four months of construction, traffic from the south will be able to travel up to Manitowoc Road, while traffic from the north will be able to travel to Hoelzel Way.
A detour for northbound traffic will go east on U.S. 10 to State 55, north on State 55 to County KK, and west on County KK to County N. Southbound traffic will detour east on County KK to State 55, south on State 55 to U.S. 10, and west on U.S. 10 to County N.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton-area road construction projects set for this summer
