Wisconsin DOT commission unanimously approves U.S. 151 improvements in Dodge County

Daphne Lemke, Fond du Lac Reporter
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DODGE COUNTY — The Wisconsin Transportation Projects Commission unanimously approved two Wisconsin highway projects at its Dec. 13 meeting, one step closer to inclusion in the state budget.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, one of the projects would make safety improvements to U.S. 151 from Columbus to Waupun, including removing its at-grade crossings in favor of interchanges. The same would be done on U.S. 18/151 from Madison to Dodgeville.

Both stretches of highway are heavily used freight corridors critical to agricultural economies. According to DOT Secretary Craig Thompson, they also have significantly higher crash rates than the statewide average.

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"Safe, reliable infrastructure connects the dots for Wisconsin’s economy and workforce," Gov. Tony Evers said in the news release from the DOT. "The bipartisan votes in favor of these two projects shows our shared interest in improving our roads."

Evers is chairman of the commission, which includes five state senators, five Assembly representatives and three citizen members who review, approve and make recommendations regarding major highway projects in Wisconsin. He had restarted the TPC in 2019 after it had been dormant for five years.

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Project candidates are considered based on their potential to enhance economic development, relieve traffic congestion, improve safety and achieve community objectives while minimizing environmental impacts. They must also undergo an environmental review process.

More about the TPC and the Dec. 13 meeting is available on the Wisconsin DOT website, wisconsindot.gov.

Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Wisconsin DOT commission approves U.S. 151 project in Dodge County