Design plans for WIS 26 & WIS 59 to be presented at public information meeting September 11

September 3, 2008

The design plans for WIS 26, from Janesville to Fort Atkinson, and WIS 59, from Mary Street to Vickerman Road in Rock and Jefferson counties, will be presented at a Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) public information meeting on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008.

The open house meeting will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at Northside Intermediate School, 159 Northside Drive, Milton. There will be a brief presentation at 6:30 p.m. The meeting site is handicap accessible. Hearing impaired persons needing assistance at the meeting may call the Wisconsin Telecommunication Relay System at 1-800-947-3529 to arrange for assistance.  Calls should be made no later than three working days prior to the meeting.

The southern two miles of the WIS 26 project between County Y and Town Line Road improvements include, but are not limited to a bike & pedestrian overpass, adding frontage roads between County Y and Woodcrest Drive, construction of an interchange at Townhall Road and extension of Townhall Road north to Town Line Road. Construction of this section of WIS 26 is scheduled to take place in 2012.

The next six miles of the WIS 26 project from Town Line Road to the south Fort Atkinson interchange will realign WIS 26 east of the existing highway by providing a four lane freeway with a 60-foot median with interchange access at relocated WIS 59 and at County N. North of County N to the south Fort Atkinson interchange WIS 26 will be reconstructed along the existing highway corridor to expressway standards with four lanes and a median, but will allow at-grade intersecting access to local roads and most existing driveways. Bridge overpasses will be constructed at various local road crossings. Construction of this project is scheduled to take place from 2012 through 2014.

The WIS 59 relocation project begins at WIS 26 and St. Mary Street and extends easterly for one and one half miles connecting back to existing WIS 59 one-quarter mile west of Vickerman Road. The proposed roadway will have one travel lane and one bike lane in each direction, divided by a median, for the westerly mile. The eastern one-half mile will be a rural two lane roadway. The proposed roadway will incorporate two roundabouts in the 2009 project in anticipation of the future WIS 26 bypass interchange ramps. The WIS 59 relocation project also includes the relocation of existing County M from Town Line Road to existing WIS 59. The proposed County M road will extend northerly from Townline Road to its intersection with proposed WIS 59. The intersection of the proposed WIS 59 and the proposed County M roadway will also include a roundabout. Construction of the WIS 59 project is scheduled for 2009.

Design plans and other exhibits will be on display at the public information meeting. Representatives from WisDOT and their design consultants will be available to discuss the project and answer questions. WisDOT real estate staff will also be in attendance to answer concerns about the real estate acquisition process. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more about the project and discuss their comments or concerns. 

Persons who are unable to attend the meeting on September 11 can contribute comments about the project by contacting the WisDOT project manager Mark Vesperman, P.E., at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2101 Wright Street, Madison, WI 53704, (608) 246-7548, mark.vesperman@dot.state.wi.us.

For more information, contact:
Mark Vesperman, Project Manager
(608) 246-7548, mark.vesperman@dot.state.wi.us

Michael Bie, Regional Communications Manager
(608) 246-7928, michael.bie@dot.state.wi.us