Monroe City Administrator Philip Rath praised the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, city staff and engineers involved in the Eighth Street project for working together to publicize alternative routes as the "main drag" on the city's west side is being rebuilt.
The $4.5 million project began last month, and while Eighth Street remains open, it's often just two, or even one lane. Drivers, mainly city and rural Green County residents, have cooperated by driving on the alternative routes to get to businesses, places of work and other locations.
"It's surprising, in a positive way, to see drivers avoiding Eighth Street while using alternative routes," Rath said. "I'm constantly traveling that area and see very little traffic on Eighth Street. Signage and directions to alternative routes have made an impact. I don't see a lot of downturn in people doing business there."
That's not to say everything about the project has been perfect.
Early on, the city had turned its stop lights on Eighth Street to either blink yellow to signify caution or blink red to signify a stop. The problem is, Rath said, some drivers at the yellow blinking light came to a complete stop. When approaching a blinking yellow light, the driver has the right-of-way and should cautiously proceed.
"The flashing yellow lights did cause some concern, but that's resolved now because there are stop signs at those intersections," Rath said.
The rebuilding of Eighth Street was necessary as the pavement was failing. Eighth Street gets a lot of traffic under normal conditions. Just looking at Eighth Street as it's under construction gives one the impression that Monroe has gone back to the drawing board.
"Over the years, when the street was widened or something was added in the area - storm sewer, sewer and water mains were put in at one time," Monroe Director of Public Works Alan Gerber said. "We're getting rid of the old fixes and additions and replacing it with all new material."
Gerber said the project is on track to meet its Sept. 29 completion date. By the end of May, the first new layer of asphalt will be poured on the south side of the street.
"The biggest thing for people patronizing businesses there to do is to be patient," Gerber said. "Don't be afraid to patronize the businesses. A good job has been done so far of keeping driveways and side routes open. There is a way to get where you want to go."
With this being Wisconsin, Monroe will also jump into another big road project in 2018-19.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has plans to repave 7.7 miles of Wisconsin 11 north of Monroe. Also to be repaved are the three interchange ramps leading into the city. The estimated cost of the project is $16.5 million.
"The design is coming along well," said Kurt Johnson, the DOT's manager for the project. "It's a pavement replacement project. We'll be adding more base course to the road to help provide better drainage."
Johnson said the timetable for the project could change depending on how much money the DOT has available. The DOT sometimes postpones a project due to funding, Johnson said.
Will Monroe get a break from the back-to-back road projects?
"That's unlikely," Johnson said.
Drivers being jostled around when hitting potholes on the highway will likely prefer a smoother ride.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
The $4.5 million project began last month, and while Eighth Street remains open, it's often just two, or even one lane. Drivers, mainly city and rural Green County residents, have cooperated by driving on the alternative routes to get to businesses, places of work and other locations.
"It's surprising, in a positive way, to see drivers avoiding Eighth Street while using alternative routes," Rath said. "I'm constantly traveling that area and see very little traffic on Eighth Street. Signage and directions to alternative routes have made an impact. I don't see a lot of downturn in people doing business there."
That's not to say everything about the project has been perfect.
Early on, the city had turned its stop lights on Eighth Street to either blink yellow to signify caution or blink red to signify a stop. The problem is, Rath said, some drivers at the yellow blinking light came to a complete stop. When approaching a blinking yellow light, the driver has the right-of-way and should cautiously proceed.
"The flashing yellow lights did cause some concern, but that's resolved now because there are stop signs at those intersections," Rath said.
The rebuilding of Eighth Street was necessary as the pavement was failing. Eighth Street gets a lot of traffic under normal conditions. Just looking at Eighth Street as it's under construction gives one the impression that Monroe has gone back to the drawing board.
"Over the years, when the street was widened or something was added in the area - storm sewer, sewer and water mains were put in at one time," Monroe Director of Public Works Alan Gerber said. "We're getting rid of the old fixes and additions and replacing it with all new material."
Gerber said the project is on track to meet its Sept. 29 completion date. By the end of May, the first new layer of asphalt will be poured on the south side of the street.
"The biggest thing for people patronizing businesses there to do is to be patient," Gerber said. "Don't be afraid to patronize the businesses. A good job has been done so far of keeping driveways and side routes open. There is a way to get where you want to go."
With this being Wisconsin, Monroe will also jump into another big road project in 2018-19.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has plans to repave 7.7 miles of Wisconsin 11 north of Monroe. Also to be repaved are the three interchange ramps leading into the city. The estimated cost of the project is $16.5 million.
"The design is coming along well," said Kurt Johnson, the DOT's manager for the project. "It's a pavement replacement project. We'll be adding more base course to the road to help provide better drainage."
Johnson said the timetable for the project could change depending on how much money the DOT has available. The DOT sometimes postpones a project due to funding, Johnson said.
Will Monroe get a break from the back-to-back road projects?
"That's unlikely," Johnson said.
Drivers being jostled around when hitting potholes on the highway will likely prefer a smoother ride.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
