MONROE — The Wisconsin 11 project is shuttered for the winter, but only the Wisconsin 69 westbound on- and  offramps will remain closed during that time. Those ramps are the same ones that have been closed since Oct. 25. 

“We were hoping to get it all done, obviously,” said Marc Schweiger, Wisconsin DOT project manager for the Wis. 11 work. “But mother nature did not cooperate.”

When the cold snap hit unexpectedly in recent weeks, Schweiger said it was decided to do some temporary construction to make sure even more ramps weren’t closed. A temporary road was built over about a week so that the Wis. 81 westbound on- and offramps could remain open, he said.

The stopgap measure allows motorists to cross over the median at the Wis. 81 interchange, rather than have to travel down to the next exit. The interchange was opened Dec. 6 due to those efforts and will remain open during the winter. Construction will resume when weather allows in the spring. 

The overhaul of nearly 6 miles on Wis. 11 began in late March for the reconstruction of the highway and its bypasses. The project is addressing the deteriorating concrete and poor ride quality between Wis. 81 and Hiltbrand Lane and includes work on ramps at Wis. 11, 69 and 59. Work will also improve the intersections with County KK, Stauffacher Road, Richland Road and Hiltbrand.