Public hearing July 1 for US 53 freeway designation in Barron and Washburn counties

June 22, 2009

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will hold a public hearing that will provide an opportunity for members of the public to give official input regarding designation of portions of US 53 as a freeway.

All interested persons are invited to attend the hearing on the above matter at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at the Haugen Elementary School located at 615 5th Street, Haugen.  Staff from WisDOT’s Northwest Region and the consultant, Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc (SEHÒ), will be present from 6 - 7 p.m. for an informal open house for interested persons. A project exhibit will be on display and a statement about the proposal will be available.

The project proposes to designate US 53 as a freeway in accordance with Section 84.295, Wisconsin Statutes, named and officially laid out as US 53 located in Barron and Washburn counties between 26th Avenue and 30th Avenue near the village of Haugen.

Provisions have been made for the submission of written statements or other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, the testimony presented at the public hearing.

This additional testimony will be included in the official hearing transcript if mailed or faxed no later than July 16, 2009.  Testimony is to be addressed to Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Attention: Marc Bowker, Northwest Region, 7102 Green Valley Road, Spooner, WI 54801; fax (715) 635-6373.

The WisDOT will review all testimony presented and reserves the right to designate all or part of the above described section of US 53 as a freeway.

Information concerning the proposal is available for inspection and copying at the WisDOT office located at the following address:

Wisconsin Department of Transportation
7102 Green Valley Road
Spooner, WI 54801

The hearing site is wheelchair accessible. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and require an interpreter, please contact Marc Bowker on or before June 24, 2009 at (715) 635-4975, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Calls can also be placed through the Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay System (711).

For more information, contact:
Marc Bowker, Project Manager
(715) 635-4975, marc.bowker@dot.wi.gov
 
Chris Ouellette, Regional Communications Manager
(715) 833-9814, chris.ouellette@dot.wi.gov