Northwest Region Construction Update - March 31

​Release date: March 31, 2023

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) provides weekly updates on road construction projects in the following counties in northwest Wisconsin: Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Rusk, St. Croix, Sawyer, Taylor, Trempealeau and Washburn counties.

Buffalo County
Highway: WIS 35
Location: Two are in Fountain City; one is northwest of Cedar Street, and the other is southwest of the intersection of WIS 35 and Old 35. The third is in the town of Buffalo northwest of the WIS 35/54 intersection.
Schedule: Feb. 28 to August
Cost: $4.25 million
Description: Replacing three bridges.
Traffic impacts: WIS 35 is open to one lane, with traffic controlled by temporary signals at all bridge locations and lanes having an 11-foot width restriction.

Chippewa County
Highway: County TT
Location: Cobban Bridge between Jim Falls and Cornell
Schedule: Aug. 8 to late October 2023
Cost: $4.7 million
Description: Replacing the bridge.
Traffic impacts: County TT in the work zone remains closed.

• The shoulder and right-turn lane on northbound WIS 178 are closed by barrier wall.
• The Old Abe Trail remains open.

Eau Claire County
Highway: I-94
Location: Just west of the WIS 312/County EE interchange to the Chippewa River Bridge northwest of WIS 37.
Schedule: July 11, 2022, to September 2023
Cost: $23.71 million
Description: Reconstructing east- and westbound I-94 by removing and replacing the existing pavement from WIS 312/County EE to County E, replacing culverts and guardrail, installing median cable barrier, restoring the ditches and slopes and placing new pavement markings. Making improvements at the I-94/WIS 312/County EE interchange, including replacing the joints on the bridge, overlaying the deck with concrete and replacing the pavement on either side of the bridge and the ramps. Resurfacing east- and westbound I-94 by milling and overlaying the existing asphalt pavement from County C to the Chippewa River Bridge.
Traffic impacts: Motorists will encounter bidirectional traffic on I-94 and WIS 312.

• I-94 traffic is operating on the westbound lanes from County E to just west of the WIS 312/County EE interchange.
• WIS 312 traffic is operating on the eastbound lanes in the interchange area.

St. Croix County
Highway: I-94
Location: Safety and weight enforcement facility (SWEF) off eastbound I-94 east of Hudson
Schedule: Sept. 12, 2022, to October 2023
Cost: $6.14 million
Description: Replacing the existing SWEF building with a modern one, reconstructing the parking lots and ramp/loop roadways and constructing an automated truck traffic monitoring system along eastbound I-94, a virtual weigh station along US 12 and an approximate 300-foot communications tower near the new building.
Traffic impacts: The off-ramp from eastbound I-94 to the SWEF site is closed.

• Eastbound I-94:
• The week of April 10, there will be off-peak driving lane closures for paving the outside shoulder in temporary widening areas.
• There will be a continuous outside shoulder closure with barrier wall at the SWEF ramp locations until tie-in work is completed this summer.
• Westbound I-94:
• The week of April 10, there will be off-peak median lane closures for setting barrier wall.
• There will be a continuous median shoulder closure with barrier wall until temporary widening of the eastbound median is removed later this summer.