US 51/Marathon County U and K/Business 51 interchange reconstruction scheduled to begin in Wausau

March 5, 2013

Property owners, public invited to attend construction information meeting on March 18

The $28 million reconstruction of the US 51/Marathon County U and K/Business 51 interchange in Wausau is scheduled to begin as early as the first week in April. The start date is dependent on favorable weather conditions.

The public is invited to attend a construction information meeting to learn more about the planned construction activities, the construction schedule, and how traffic will be managed.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in rooms 101/102 of Rasmussen College, 1101 Westwood Drive, Wausau. A brief presentation is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing and require an interpreter may request one by contacting Kristin McHugh at (715) 421-8380 at least three working days prior to the meeting.

The prime contractor for the reconstruction project is Michels Corporation of Brownsville. Crews will:

• Repave US 51 from West Wausau Avenue to Decator Drive
• Replace the deck on the existing US 51 bridges over County K/Business 51 and the southbound US 51 bridge over Decator Drive
• Replace the County U bridge over US 51
• Reconstruct the US 51/County U/County K/Business 51 interchange as a single diamond interchange at County K/Business 51 with a half diamond interchange at County U. Roundabouts will be constructed at the County K/Business 51 interchange ramps.
• Reconstruct County U from Westwood Drive to Business 51 as a four-lane urban roadway.
• Install traffic signals at the County U/College Drive/Business 51 intersection.
• Pave Overlook Drive from County U to County K.
• Construct a multi-use path from the cul-de-sac at 14th Street through Northcentral Technical College’s property and ending at the College Drive/Business 51 intersection.

Motorists can expect the following traffic impacts:

• Two lanes of traffic in each direction will be maintained on US 51 during peak travel hours.
• A four-night closure of US 51 to remove the County U bridge over US 51. Traffic will be detoured via the existing interchange ramps. The contractor is tentatively scheduling this for April 1 through April 4, 2013.
• County U will be closed to traffic beginning April 1, 2013 for approximately six months. During the closure, traffic will be detoured via Westwood Drive and Bridge Street.
• Periodic 15 to 20 minute closures of US 51 for blasting operations and beam placement. Blasting operations are tentatively scheduled to start in mid-May 2013.
• Periodic, temporary closures of interchange ramps.
• County K traffic will be detoured to through traffic for approximately six months in 2014. Traffic will be detoured via County U and Overlook Drive.

The entire project is scheduled for completion in November 2014.

The project will be paid for with a combination of federal, state, and local transportation funds. 

For more information, contact:
Communications Manager Kristin McHugh, WisDOT NC Region
(715) 421-8380, kristin.mchugh@dot.wi.gov