STH 23 Improvements

Thanks to nearly $35 million in improvements, a 3-mile stretch of State Trunk Highway 23 in Fond du Lac County is now much safer and easier for motorists to navigate.

The improvement project, which was completed in January 2023, focused on a two-lane section of STH 23 from U.S. Highway 151 to Taft Road between the cities of Fond du Lac and Plymouth.

The new, four-lane highway is sized appropriately to handle the current traffic load, and dangerous at-grade crossings have been replaced with two new interchanges, reducing the potential for accidents.

STH 23 previously had a number of driveways that accessed the highway directly. In order to make the highway safer for those property owners, the area was reconfigured and a roadway parallel to STH 23 was added.

Perhaps the most notable safety enhancement was at St. Mary’s Springs Academy, where at-grade intersections for school access were replaced with a new interchange, making coming and going from the school much safer for students and faculty.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation was the owner of the project, while GRAEF provided design and engineering services. The project was completed on time and under budget.

“The feedback received by the design team suggests the expansion project is a huge success,” said GRAEF’s Eileen McGarvie Mack. “Community members love the safer, easier thoroughfare, and county and state officials have very positive comments on its success.

“Not only did the design solve safety problems, it fixed long-time environmental concerns and makes getting from here to there a more pleasant experience.”