Southbound US 53 traffic to be switched to reconstructed lanes

Multiyear project has included replacing north- and southbound concrete pavement

Release date: September 12, 2023

The week of Sept. 18, the southbound lanes of US 53 from Pine Grove Road in the town of Sarona to Wildcat Road in the town of Beaver Brook in Washburn County will reopen to traffic, meaning motorists traveling south on US 53 will no longer be using the median crossovers and stay in the southbound lanes.

Once the southbound lanes reopen, north- and southbound traffic will operate in a single lane, which will be shifted between the driving and passing lanes, until project completion. In addition, the US 53/County B intersection will remain open during the final stage of construction.

Originally placed in the mid-1980s, this 6.5-mile segment of US 53 had reached the end of its service life. To address this, the multiyear Wisconsin Department of Transportation project has:

• Removed the existing pavement and a portion of the existing base course.
• Placed a new base aggregate layer for drainage and new concrete pavement.
• Replaced storm sewer, culverts, curb and gutter.
• Reconstructed the approaches to US 53 from existing intersections.
• Replaced shoulder rumble strips.
• Placed pavement marking.

Remaining construction activities include:

• Reconstructing the concrete pavement near the County B intersection, where gaps of old concrete remain both north and south of the intersection.
• Removing temporary crossovers near the County B intersection. The crossovers near Zimmerman Road and Veterans Way will remain in place for the 2024 construction activities along US 53.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in November and is weather dependent.