Governor Evers approves US 53 project in Barron, Washburn counties

Work also includes replacing pavement and completing work to improve safety

Release date: August 28, 2023

To invest in Wisconsin's transportation system, Gov. Tony Evers has signed a $21.89 million contract with prime contractor Hoffman Construction Co. of Black River Falls for a multiyear pavement replacement project on US 53 from 26th Avenue north of Rice Lake in Barron County to Pine Grove Road south of Sarona in Washburn County. Construction is scheduled to start Tuesday, Sept. 5.

This segment of US 53 has reached the end of its service life. To address this, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation project will:

• Remove the existing pavement and a portion of the existing base course on US 53.
• Place a new base aggregate layer for drainage.
• Replace the pavement on US 53.
• Rebuild the intersection approaches.
• Install cable barrier in the median between 26th and 27th avenues and a friction surface on the pavement in the same area to reduce crossover crashes.

During construction, motorists will encounter single-lane closures in 2023. Traffic will be moved between inside and outside lanes as temporary crossovers are built in the median and sideroad intersections are widened to the outside. In 2024, one lane of traffic will operate in each direction on one side of US 53 as the other side is being constructed; the northbound lanes are scheduled to be rebuilt first.

Construction in 2023 is expected to be complete in October. Weather pending, work in 2024 is expected to resume in mid-April, with completion in October.