STH 13 projects planned
By Kevin O’Brien
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is planning a pair of major projects along the local stretch of State Highway 13 in either 2022 or 2023, according to notices recently sent to city officials in Abbotsford and Colby.
One of those projects would stretch from CTH N (Monroe Street) in Colby all the way down to STH 98 in Spencer. The DOT says the concrete pavement on that stretch is showing “signs of faulting and spalling joints, linear cracking and corner breaks.” Guard rails and pedestrian curb ramps will also be replaced as part of the project.
Local officials have been invited to a Nov. 15 meeting with DOT representatives at Memorial Hall in Unity, with the goal of getting input on the proposed improvements and “strategies for traffic management during construction.”
“We would also like to discuss any interest in converting the urban sections through Unity and Spencer to a three lane confi guration,” project engineer Wendy Arneson wrote.
The second project will stretch from Monroe Street in Colby north to Pine Street in Abbotsford.
The DOT says the pavement along that stretch is “showing signs of deterioration” and rutting, and several sidewalk curb ramps need to be replaced to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The three-part project will include milling and resurfacing the roadway, reshaping gravel shoulders, and replacing curb ramps. The first phase will run from Monroe to North Street in Colby, followed by the second section from North Street in Colby to Linden in Abbotsford, and finally, Linden to Pine Street.
“Construction is currently scheduled for 2023 but could occur as early as 2022,” the DOT’s letter states.
Motorists can expect single lane closures and flagging operations while work is being done, the DOT says. Some intersections will also be temporarily closed during construction, and the Highway 29 on and off ramps will briefly be closed at night to do work in that area.
“Access to businesses and residential driveways will be maintained,” project engineer Preston Bohn wrote. “However, single driveways will be temporarily closed for short periods of time when the milling or paving operations are in the immediate vicinity of the driveway.”
Pedestrians will also encounter some sidewalk ramp closures, though the DOT plans to provide temporary alternatives.
Notification letters were sent to property owners along the project route this week, and public hearings in both Abbotsford and Colby are planned in February of 2020.
The last major STH 13 project in the Abby-Colby area was completed in 2013.
