Plans & Projects > Find by location > NW Region > US 8 Corridor Preservation >

Tier 1, US 8 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

Location | Overview | Status/phase

Status/phase

Study completed 2007

Project location

US 8, WIS 35 North (Polk County) to US 53 (Barron County), passing through communities of Range, Turtle Lake, Almena, Poskin and Barron.

• View maps from this study

Project overview

Study initiated by legislative mandate to determine how to best meet long-term transportation needs of this corridor. Alternatives for the corridor include:

• Improvement of the existing route to a four-lane highway
• Potential bypasses of Turtle Lake and Barron
• Realignments in several locations

This 40 mile segment of US 8 classified as a Corridors 2020 connector route in Wisconsin's State Highway Plan, making traffic movement and safety high priorities.

Majority of US 8 is a two-lane rural road. WisDOT has recently added passing lanes at various locations to increase safety. US 8 is a four-lane undivided road through the urban areas of Turtle Lake and Barron.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) worked with the Highway 8 Coalition to address the needs and potential solutions for the corridor. The coalition includes:

• Barron, Polk, Price and Rusk County highway commissioners
• Highway committee chairpersons
• Community members from each county.

Their mission is to work cooperatively in promoting, developing and prioritizing improvements to US 8 from the Minnesota/Wisconsin border to WIS 13 in Price County.

Final EIS document approved by FHWA and WisDOT October 5, 2007.

Tier II

Tier II studies (segments below) are a more detailed analysis of segments of the Tier I Corridor Study that address site-specific details of project impacts, costs and mitigation measures.

• Deer Lake - 200th St. to 120th St., Polk County – Currently in progress
• Range - 120th St. to 15th St., Polk County – Not currently scheduled
• Turtle Lake/Almena - 15th St. to Hay River, Barron and Polk Counties – Currently in progress
• Poskin/Barron - Hay River to US 53, Barron County – Currently in progress

Enough detail of a preferred design is completed to enable the official mapping of the future right of way.

Each Tier II segment takes approximately two years to complete with Tier II scheduled to be completed by 2015.

Tier III

Tier III is the final design and construction. In order to advance to this tier, the legislature needs to approve funding.

Return to top

Questions about the content of this page, contact:
WisDOT Northwest Region Office, nwr.dtsd@dot.wi.gov
Last modified: July 23, 2012