July 19, 2007

Submitted by Linda Parrish, Promotions Coordinator, 608-822-3599, Toll Free 800-822-1131

Stage Three Detour Ends July 20 -Road construction work in Fennimore continues to run ahead of schedule. Stage three construction on Fennimore's east side (12th Street between Lincoln Avenue to Marsden Park Road) will be completed and open to traffic sometime Friday, July 20.

Prep work for stage four road construction has already begun. Detour signage and directional signs to Fennimore businesses will be completed on Friday. At the recent public information meeting WisDOT project engineer, Jeremy Krachey announced the stage four detour is scheduled to go into affect sometime Friday afternoon July 20. Krachey explained "it is necessary to immediately implement the stage four detour for safety reasons. Some pavement is still not complete at the northeast corner of 12th and Lincoln Avenue making it impossible for large vehicles to make a northbound turn from Hwy 18 east." Customers of main street businesses may continue to park on Lincoln Avenue the weekend of July 21 and 22; however no through traffic is allowed.

Stage Four Detour - 12th and Washington Street will serve as the official detour route for all traffic during stage four of the road construction. The public should note this detour runs through a residential area. Keep in mind the speed limit for the detour route is 25 mph. New stop signs have been installed at the intersections of 10th and Washington Streets; east and west bound traffic must stop.

Residents must keep in mind street side parking will not be allowed along the 12th and Washington Street detour route; residents must park in their driveway or yard. The reason Washington Street was chosen as the detour route is the fact the road was built to handle truck traffic for the former Country Delight Dairy and has the base in place to handle truck traffic. Residents of Washington Street are encouraged to use caution when leaving their driveways. Parents are asked to be sure children use caution when playing near detour routes.

Road construction work planned for the week of July 23 includes:

• Monday & Tuesday July 23 and 24 - crushing machine will begin breaking concrete on the Lincoln Avenue roadway from north of 12th Street to 4th Street. Businesses and residents are encouraged to have pictures or fragile items off shelves by 10 a.m. on Monday, July 23.
• Tuesday, July 24 - removal of pavement will begin and will continue through the remainder of the week.

Sidewalks - sidewalks between 8th and 12th Street will remain in place for at least a month so customers will have front door access to businesses.

Parking - it is important to remember all businesses will remain open for business. Parking is available for customers behind some businesses along with side street parking or two parking lots located one block off Main Street. St. Mary's parking lot is located at the corner of 9th and Jefferson Street or the Fennimore Elementary School parking lot (available until school begins) is located at the corner of Madison and 8th Street.

The City of Fennimore will complete removal of street lights through out the construction area. There will be no changes in the way garbage and recycling is handled during stage four construction. During stage four construction there will be times when water and sewer lines may be out of service for a short period of time. Property owners will be given at least 24 hours notice. There is no interruption of electric service anticipated.

The next public meeting will be held Thursday, August 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fennimore Memorial building. All businesses and residents living between 12th and 4th Street affected by the stage four construction are encouraged to attend.

Note: the report is our best estimation and can be affected by weather or other items beyond our control.

For additional information or questions contact WiDOT Project Manager, Jeremy Krachey, P. E. - Civil Engineer - Transportation - Senior Project Leader Southwest Region - LaCrosse Office. The local field office is located at 1030 Lincoln Avenue other contact information includes Phone - (608) 822-3992 or jeremy.krachey@dot.state.wi.us

Meeting Updates

Project Timeline

Detour Route Maps