Construction work for the new roundabouts at the Main Street intersections of Wisconsin and Iowa Streets in Prairie du Chien began earlier this week. But before the work started, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation held a public information meeting at the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce.
Joshua Nelson, project manager with the WisDOT, said the intent of the meeting was to provide an overview of the work that would be done over the next several months.
According to Brad Banfield, corporate president of Buesing Associates, the first step in the project is to put in road guards to dictate the flow of traffic on Iowa Street. He said that process would only take two to three days.
The construction work will cause detours and changes to the flow of traffic on and off of the Marquette-Joliet Bridge connecting Southwest Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa at various times throughout the rest of the year.
The construction of the Wisconsin Street roundabout will begin by early June, with an expected completion date this coming August. There will be a section of Main Street closed to traffic from Blackhawk Avenue to halfway between Wisconsin and Iowa Streets.
The third stage of the project is separated into four smaller phases. The roundabout for Iowa Street will be built in two pieces, with detours changing as construction progresses through each phase. Stage 3 is expected to start this August and go into late November.
Construction work has an “interim completion date of Nov. 20,” but there are some tasks that may need to be finished after that date.
Banfield said there will be new lighting for the roundabouts and suggested there are known supply chain issues for the needed materials. For that reason, the WisDOT doesn’t anticipate full project completion until mid-2027.
“If anybody tells you, ‘Oh my god, they’re going to still be doing it next year,’ the reason for that change is just lighting. The roundabouts, the pavement, the sidewalks, the curb and gutter and pretty much everything will be done as intended. But there is a new completion date out there,” said Banfield.
The construction team is planning to work five days a week with a standard 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. work day.
“It is construction, and if we get behind, there might be a need to accelerate into some Saturday work,” said Banfield.
He added that time restrictions are built into the construction schedule to accommodate local events, such as the Rendezvous on St. Feriole Island, which takes place next month. “There are a lot of other events that are also factored into our plans.”
According to the WisDOT website, the single-lane roundabouts are intended to improve safety based on crash data, which recorded 39 crashes between 2014 and ‘18 and 51 between 2018 and ‘22, with a total of 31 injuries.
The roundabouts are expected to measure 120 feet at the Wisconsin Street intersection and approximately 130 feet at the Iowa Street intersection. Those measurements included the apron, traffic lane, barriers and sidewalks/pedestrian areas. For comparison, the corresponding intersections on WI-35 were 165 feet and 175 feet, respectively.
Other proposed improvements include storm sewers, city utilities, lighting, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps and the preservation of accommodations for oversized and overweight (OSOW) vehicles.
For further information, contact the WisDOT La Crosse Office at (608) 785-9022 or swr.dtsd@dot.wi.gov.
