WisDOT pulls back orange barrels for Memorial Day weekend

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Construction work on most major highway projects throughout the state will be suspended during the three-day Memorial Day weekend to help travelers reach their destination safely and efficiently, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Most construction in highway work zones will stop by noon on Friday, May 27, and will not resume until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31. Peak travel times for the Memorial Day weekend are expected to be from noon until 8 p.m. on both Friday, May 27, and Monday, May 30.

“Although most lanes through work zones will be open to handle the heavy holiday traffic, drivers may still encounter narrow lanes, lane shifts and rough pavement. They will need to stay alert, slow down, and not tailgate. Rear-end collisions caused primarily by distracted driving, speeding and following other vehicles too closely are the most frequent type of crash when approaching and driving through work zones,” says Don Greuel, WisDOT chief project services engineer.

During the Memorial Day weekend last year, there were 13 traffic fatalities in Wisconsin. “To prevent deaths and injuries, law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin will be out in force during the holiday weekend to crackdown on unbuckled drivers and passengers as part of the Click It or Ticket mobilization, which runs until June 5,” says David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety.

The Wisconsin State Patrol will also be using its aircraft for traffic safety enforcement. 

Significant road construction projects that may affect highway travel during the Memorial Day weekend include the following:

  • Zoo Interchange project in Milwaukee County – lane closures on I-94 eastbound at Sunny Slope Road and on I-41/I-894 northbound at Lincoln Avenue. The system ramp from I-94 westbound to I-41/I-894 southbound and various other exit and entrance ramps remain closed.
  • Lakefront Gateway project in downtown Milwaukee – access to the lakefront at Lincoln Memorial Drive is closed. Posted detours show alternate access to lakefront destinations and locations to re-enter the freeway system.
  • In Elkhorn, the US 12/County NN Interchange has closures on its on/off ramps affecting travel to the Lake Geneva area. Adjacent collector/distributor roadways remain open providing access to I-43 ramps. Detour routes are posted.
  • I-39/90 in Dane and Rock counties – new exit ramp location from I-39/90 southbound to WIS 59 (Exit 163) near Edgerton and Newville. Ramps to/from I-39/90 northbound at US 51 interchange (Exit 156) are closed until late September 2016. Alternate routes are required.
  • Verona Road and the Madison Beltline in Dane County.
  • I-90 in La Crosse reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction.
  • US 51 in Marathon County – reduced speed limit of 55 mph between Decator Drive and County WW.
  • WIS 29 in Marathon County – single lane closures and a reduced speed limit of 55 mph between Sunrise Drive and Business 51.
  • US 51 in Oneida County – passing lanes between Rocky Run Road and South Blue Lake Road are closed. US 51 remains open to one lane of traffic in each direction.
  • Business 51 (Post Road) in Portage County – single lane closures and temporary traffic signals between Green Drive and Springville Drive.
  • I-41 in Brown County – there are narrowed travel lanes and shoulders in several locations and reduced speeds to 55 mph from Grant Street to Lineville Road. Also, the southbound I-41 off-ramp to Velp Avenue remains closed with a marked detour.
  • I-43 and I-43/I-41 interchange in Brown County – I-43 between Atkinson Drive and I-41 is reduced to a single lane in each direction with speed reduced to 55 mph. The southbound I-41 off-ramp to I-43 remains closed with a marked detour. Also, the northbound I-43 ramp to I-41 southbound remains closed.
  • In Manitowoc County, I-43 will be down to one lane between US 151 and WIS 42. Travelers can use I-41 as alternate route north or south.
  • US 10 eastbound between Winnebago County CB and I-41 northbound is reduced to a single lane.