Highway Construction Suspended For Holiday, But Speeding Limits Will Still Be Enforced

Highway construction workers are getting the Memorial Day weekend off, but the Department of Transportation says drivers still need to slow down.

Even though construction projects statewide are suspended from Friday afternoon until Tuesday morning, DOT spokesman Mark Kantola says barriers will still be up and fines in construction zones will still be doubled during that time.

“It is really dangerous to speed in any construction zone, and it’s dangerous to speed at any time,” said Kantola. “But when you’re in a construction zone, you have those concrete barriers and those 11-foot wide lanes which are much more narrow. Sometimes you have no shoulder at all.”

One area of particular concern will be in northeastern Wisconsin, which always sees heavy travel over Memorial Day weekend as people head “up north” or to Door County. Currently, orange barrels line much of state Highway 41 in Brown County, especially in the Green Bay area, where the road is being expanded and new ramps are being constructed.

One bit of good news for drivers in that area: Green Bay’s Leo Frigo Bridge — which joins Highway 41 with Interstate 43 — is repaired and open after a major sag led to its closure this winter.