MONROE - Monroe's new gateway to the city will be opening this week.
Construction on the 8th and 9th Street corridor is coming to an end, with some back-to-normal traffic flow along detour routes.
The official opening is planned for mid-week.
But as drivers itch to get on the new roadway - and indeed, some have already found their way onto the pavement - city leaders are asking drivers to be cautious.
Al Gerber, city engineering supervisor, cautions drivers to be alert to temporary work zone closures to finish last-minute details on the new street.
Police Chief Fred Kelley also asks drivers to be cautious entering 10th or 11th Street from the side streets. The temporary one-way traffic flow on 10th and 11th streets from Wisconsin 69 to 13th Avenue will return to previous two-way traffic and detour route signs will be removed. Slower speed limits in work zones will also be lifted soon.
The $4.3 million project, a portion of which was paid by the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation and by city utilities, included new water and sewer mains, a widening of the street from 20th Avenue to Wis. 69 and a new trail bridge spanning the three lanes.
"The bridge really marks the gateway into the city," said Mayor Bill Ross.
Landscaping along the street, particularly the decorative street lights and the colored, stamped crosswalks, ties in with the design of the downtown Square, Ross noted.
"The city should be very proud of the two projects. It really looks nice," he added.
Shutting down the main thoroughfare in the city had caused major inconveniences for travelers and for local business owners and their customers, Ross said.
"I thank the citizens for their patience with the detours and the business owners along that street for their patience. I know they were hurt economically during this project," he said.
The project began in March.
The City of Monroe water and wastewater utilities took advantage of the state's street widening project to update the aging waterworks beneath. Their portion of the project was about $900,000.
The city bonded for about $1.1 million - $700,000 for its share of the street-widening construction and $350,000 for land acquisition. It covered half of bridge cost, about $150,000, from its undesignated fund balance.
The city delayed the project in 2010 for one year to ensure the water mains were replaced along the entire stretch of road and to avoid interfering with Cheese Days.
Construction on the 8th and 9th Street corridor is coming to an end, with some back-to-normal traffic flow along detour routes.
The official opening is planned for mid-week.
But as drivers itch to get on the new roadway - and indeed, some have already found their way onto the pavement - city leaders are asking drivers to be cautious.
Al Gerber, city engineering supervisor, cautions drivers to be alert to temporary work zone closures to finish last-minute details on the new street.
Police Chief Fred Kelley also asks drivers to be cautious entering 10th or 11th Street from the side streets. The temporary one-way traffic flow on 10th and 11th streets from Wisconsin 69 to 13th Avenue will return to previous two-way traffic and detour route signs will be removed. Slower speed limits in work zones will also be lifted soon.
The $4.3 million project, a portion of which was paid by the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation and by city utilities, included new water and sewer mains, a widening of the street from 20th Avenue to Wis. 69 and a new trail bridge spanning the three lanes.
"The bridge really marks the gateway into the city," said Mayor Bill Ross.
Landscaping along the street, particularly the decorative street lights and the colored, stamped crosswalks, ties in with the design of the downtown Square, Ross noted.
"The city should be very proud of the two projects. It really looks nice," he added.
Shutting down the main thoroughfare in the city had caused major inconveniences for travelers and for local business owners and their customers, Ross said.
"I thank the citizens for their patience with the detours and the business owners along that street for their patience. I know they were hurt economically during this project," he said.
The project began in March.
The City of Monroe water and wastewater utilities took advantage of the state's street widening project to update the aging waterworks beneath. Their portion of the project was about $900,000.
The city bonded for about $1.1 million - $700,000 for its share of the street-widening construction and $350,000 for land acquisition. It covered half of bridge cost, about $150,000, from its undesignated fund balance.
The city delayed the project in 2010 for one year to ensure the water mains were replaced along the entire stretch of road and to avoid interfering with Cheese Days.