Highway 27 project gives public time to plan routes
Justin Shavlik, Short Elliott Hendrickson, shows where the State Hwy. 27 project will take place, beginning in Cadott, and ending in Cornell. The 2027 project will also see traffic detoured for a time, when replacing a box culvert. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young
It’s over two and a half years out, but the WisDOT wants to make sure the public is aware of what will take place in 2027, when they undertake a project that begins just north of State Hwy. 29 in Cadott, ending just south of Johnson Road in Cornell, at a length of 15.5 miles. The purpose of the project, is to address the division of pavement.
“There are also substandard guardrail structures and drainage,” said Justin Shavlik, Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc., at an informational session Nov. 13. “And that all needs to be improved, to maintain a safe, sufficient transportation system.”
Included in the scope of work, will be a 2-inch mill and overlay of pavement, with the existing paved shoulders widened from three feet to six feet. They’ll also replace the box culvert just north of 135th Avenue, as well as work done on the Yellow River Bridge.
The pedestrian underpass in Cadott, leading from the high school to the elementary school, will be replaced, with curb and gutter sidewalk work. The DOT is also upgrading pavement markings and adding centerline rumble strips outside city limits.
“The majority of the work will be done under either flagging or lane closures,” said Shavlik. “But, there will be a portion of the project that will be detoured.”
Routing traffic on State Hwy. 29 and State Hwy. 178, the detour will mainly be utilized when replacing the underpass. The detour is anticipated to last one to two months. Homeowners and businesses will be notified if driveways will be blocked, or any other issue arises.
Cadott School District administrator Josh Spaeth, shared that he is concerned about when the project will happen in the area of the schools, requesting that the DOT begin past the school intersection, to get through the school year.
“Right now, we have a congestion problem,” said Spaeth.
Village president Randy Kuehni also asked if the DOT is widening the sidewalk over the underpass, so the public works department can plow with a truck, instead of a Bobcat. Shavlik said there is no plan to do that.
Kuehni also felt that they will see a lot of detouring down Cadott’s Main Street, even though signs point somewhere else.
“It’s going to be a problem, I think,” said Kuehni.
Eric Weiland, village trustee/EMS, questioned if that does happen and roads are damaged by unauthorized heavy trucks, who pays for that. Unfortunately, the DOT is not responsible if trucks veer off the designated path, but law enforcement can stop them or get license plates, and make the trucking companies accountable.
When approaching Cornell, city works superintendent Derek Braun wanted to know if the plans include traveling up a few feet onto Johnson Road, as the city did not venture all the way to the highway.
“We stayed back a little, knowing that the project was coming,” said Braun.
Shavlik had no knowledge of the culvert in that intersection, but promised to look into the matter. The 15.5 miles of work for 2027, is funded by 80 percent federal and 20 percent state, at an estimated $8 to $9 million.
“We haven’t nailed down timing yet, this project is still quite a ways out,” said Shavlik.
