DOT Holding Informational Meetings On Summer Road Projects In Fox Valley

The start of spring means the start of road construction projects in the state of Wisconsin.

This week, officials with the state Department of Transportation are updating drivers in the Fox Valley about spring and summer road projects. The department is hosting meetings for the public and business owners about work that will shut down some ramps for two years.

An estimated 69,000 vehicles drive on parts of state Highway 441 each day. The four-lane road will expand to six. It circles the Fox Valley, including Appleton, Neenah and Menasha.

A long-term closure of the Racine Road interchange in the Town of Menasha will start in April.

Kurt Peters, the Highway 441 project construction manager, said some of the project is expected to last through most of the fall.

“That interchange will remain closed until mid-October, but when we do open the interchange, the ramp from Racine Road to West Bound 10 will remain closed until the summer of 2018,” Peters said.

Peters said the DOT is hosting informational meetings on Thursday for business owners and the general public.

“We’ll give some updates on where the design process is, on future projects, and then give them updates on what construction updates they should expect to see this year,” said Peters.

The work began in 2014 and parts of it won’t be done until 2021. Peters said some on and off ramps will be closed until October. He said most lane closures will be done at night to avoid congestion.