Governor Evers approves US 53 pavement replacement project in Washburn County

​​​​​Work also includes replacing c​ulverts, storm sewer and rumble strips

Release date: July 20​, 2023

To invest in Wisconsin's transportation system, Gov. Tony Evers has signed a $22.74 million contract with prime contractor Hoffman Construction Co. of Black River Falls for a multiyear pavement replacement project on US 53 in Washburn County from Wildcat Road in the town of Beaver Brook to County A in the town of Spooner. Construction is scheduled to start Monday, July 31.

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 north-and southbound US 53 and the ramps at the US 63 and WIS 70 interchanges.
• Place a new base aggregate layer for drainage.
• Replace the pavement on US 53.
• Replace the pavement on the interchange ramps at US 63 and WIS 70.
• Replace the pavement on WIS 70 between the ramp terminals.
• Rebuild existing intersection approaches.
• Rehabilitate the bridges on US 53 over the Yellow River, US 53 over US 63 and WIS 70 over US 53 with concrete deck overlays and other repairs.

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 side road​ 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 by the end of September. Weather pending, work in 2024 is expected to resume in mid-April, with completion in October.