WisDOT buys former Poblocki Sign building for $8.64 million

The state transportation agency bought the former Poblocki Sign Co. building in West Allis.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation on Tuesday bought the 6.8-acre parcel at 922 S. 70th Street for $8.64 million, a state real estate transfer record showed. The agency bought the property from 70th Street Industrial Property Group, LLC, which lists its registered agent as Madison-based SARA Investment Real Estate, records showed.

The building was home to Poblocki Sign Co., which closed its doors for the last time in May 2024 after more than 90 years of business. The company stopped its operations and laid its workers off after filing for receivership. The farewell was revealed by former employees and public records.

WisDOT acquired the site to replace the department’s regional electrical field unit and materials lab, which is located at 935 S. 60th St., a spokesperson for WisDOT said.

The building will house the electrical unit, which provides emergency response to traffic signal, lighting outages or knockdowns, the spokesperson said. Traffic signal cabinets are tested at the building before they’re installed with construction projects across the state. There are around 10,000 light poles and more than 520 traffic signals that are maintained at the WisDOT location, which covers the southeast region, they added.

WisDOT will also test materials such as soils, asphalt and base aggregate and run quality checks at the lab for construction projects, the spokesperson added.

The current facility will be impacted by the Washington Street extension, WisDOT officials said. The Washington Street extension will serve as a mitigation to the upcoming new Hawley Road interchange configuration by providing direct access between 70th Street and Hawley Road, officials added.

The Hawley Road interchange will be reconfigured as a half-interchange as part of WisDOT’s $1.74 billion Interstate 94 East-West project, which will stretch the highway from six lanes to eight. The project is expected to begin in late 2025.