Memorial Day drivers will find plenty of road construction

A backhoe dumps chunks of old concrete into a crusher to be recycled on the Interstate 94 North/South Freeway project just south of Grange Avenue on Friday in Milwaukee. Memorial Day motorists will find similar scenes across the state this weekend as road construction picks up for the summer. (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

Memorial Day weekend travelers will find a few work zones that may slow their travels.

Projects on the state’s Interstate Highway System will allow at least two lanes in each direction, however delays can be expected during peak travel periods, according to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

In Milwaukee, at the I-94/I-43/I-894 Mitchell Interchange, ramps from northbound I-94 to westbound I-43/I-894 and from eastbound I-43/I-894 to southbound I-94 are closed with detours posted via local streets or via I-94 through downtown Milwaukee.

Other major projects that may impact travel include I-94 in Waukesha and Dane counties and work on U.S. 41 in Oshkosh and Green Bay.

State safety officials remind motorists that they should stay alert, slow down, and allow a safety cushion between vehicles when approaching and driving through work zones. The most frequent crash in a work zone is a rear-ender.

During the Memorial Day weekend, law enforcement agencies will be participating in the Click It or Ticket mobilization, encouraging motorists to buckle up to protect themselves in the event of a crash. Unbuckled motorists will get a ticket.

Officials note that during the Memorial Day weekend last year, 11 people were killed in 10 traffic crashes. On average, Memorial Day weekend crashes claim eight lives.

Motorists are advised to give adequate time to get to their destination, be patient when encountering traffic congestion, and, if possible, avoid driving during peak travel hours of between noon and 8 p.m. on Friday, May 27 and noon and 8 p.m. on Monday, May 30.

Work zones motorists may encounter during the Memorial Day weekend are:

• I-94 from Russell Road to the Wisconsin state line, 1 mile.  Lane reductions due to construction.

• I-43/I-894 between Loomis Road and I-43/I-894/I-94 Mitchell Interchange, 1.6 miles and I-94 between College and Howard avenues, 4 miles. The ramp from I 894 eastbound to I-43/I-94 northbound is closed with a detour via Loomis Road and Howard Avenue. Lane restrictions along I-94 between the Mitchell Interchange and College Avenue, both directions.

• I-94 westbound between North 32nd Street and North 70th Street in Milwaukee County, 2.6 miles and I-94 in both directions between 124th Street and WIS 16 in Waukesha County, 9 miles. Traffic reduced to two lanes in the work zones.

• I-94 at Waukesha County P, 1 mile. Lane shift with two lanes open in each direction on one side of the median.

• WIS 83 between Waukesha County NN and WIS 59, 6 miles. Reconstruction has closed highway with detour via I-43, WIS 164, and WIS 59.

• I-43 between Oostburg and Sheboygan, 10 miles. Traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction between Oostburg and just north of WIS 42 at Sheboygan.

• WIS 42 from Howards Grove to U.S. 151, 17.9 miles. Pavement repairs and bridge and culvert replacements have closed WIS 42 with detour via WIS 42, I-43, and U.S. 151.

• U.S. 41 from one mile south of WIS 26 to Breezewood Lane, 16 miles. Construction requires 11-foot width restriction and has narrowed shoulders. Interchanges at 9th Avenue, U.S. 45, and Breezewood Avenue are closed.

• U.S. 41 at the Scheuring Road Interchange at Green Bay, 1 mile. The interchange is closed for reconstruction.

• WIS 22 from WIS 29 to Shawano County B, 0.7 mile. Bridge work has closed highway with detour via WIS 29 and WIS 47/55.

• I-94 from the I-39/90/94 Badger Interchange to Dane County N, 5.2 miles. Traffic is limited to two lanes in each direction on one side of the median with a 55 mile per hour speed limit.

• WIS 26 between Fort Atkinson and Watertown, 22 miles. Bypass construction may result in reduced lane widths and closed shoulders throughout the corridor.

• U.S. 12 between I-94 and Baraboo, 7 miles. Construction of new highway on new alignment requires some lane restrictions and lane shifts.

• WIS 23 east of Princeton, 5.4 miles. Reconstruction of WIS 23 and a short segment of WIS 23/73 has closed the highway. Detour of WIS 23 is via Green Lake County D, WIS 73, County K and County A. Detour of WIS 73 is via Green Lake County D. WIS 23 and WIS 73 are open to local traffic.

• U.S. 10 between Wood County BB/WIS 13 and Stadt Road, at Marshfield, 3 miles. One lane in each direction.

• WIS 13 between Marshfield and Spencer, 3.3 miles. WIS 13 between 26th Road and Apple Street is closed to through traffic with a detour via WIS 97 and WIS 153.

• I-39/U.S. 51 at the Foxglove Road overpass, 1 mile. Reconstruction of the northbound bridge over Business 51 and reconstruction of the Foxglove Road overpass has closed on-ramp from Business 51 to northbound I-39. Traffic is detoured via Business 51 and WIS 29.

• WIS 64 at the Wisconsin River and Center Avenue bridges in the city of Merrill. Bridges are open to one lane of traffic with traffic controlled by temporary traffic signals, one direction at a time.

• WIS 13 at Medford, 2 miles. Reconstruction has closed WIS 13 with detour via Taylor County O, Q, and M.

• U.S. 53 at Galesville, 1.1 mile. Bridge replacement has closed U.S. 53 requiring detour via Trempealeau County TT and T.

• U.S. 8 from Glacier Drive in St. Croix Falls to WIS 35, 2.3 miles. Traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction.

• WIS 77 from Deer Lake Road to the east Burnett County line, 2.5 miles. Reconstruction of WIS 77 and replacement of the bridge at Webb Lake narrows has closed WIS 77. Westbound traffic is detoured via U.S. 53, WIS 70 and WIS 35. Eastbound WIS 77 traffic is detoured via WIS 35, WIS 70, and U.S. 53.