Edgar prepares for CTH H project in 2025

By Kevin O’Brien

Edgar residents will have to contend with some significant traffic disruptions next year when Marathon County digs up CTH H through the center of the village.

But, before the $2.5 million project can move forward, landowners with corner lots along the thoroughfare need to negotiate temporary limited easements (TLEs) so dozens of sidewalk ramps can be reconstructed.

Representatives of Quest Civil Engineers, which is designing the project, spoke to a small group of village residents at a public informational meeting held last Thursday in the Edgar High School auditorium. After a brief overview of the project, which will run from STH 29 to CTH N, residents were given an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns. Adam Osypowski, the lead roadway designer, said the project is needed to replace deteriorating asphaltic pavement that is breaking apart, and to reconstruct curb ramps that do not comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In order for those ramps to be replaced, 42 landowners will need to sign TLEs by October of this year so contractors can work on private property in 2025; otherwise, the project will be delayed until 2027.

“We really would appreciate your cooperation and help in trying to achieve this project on schedule,” Osypowski told the audience.

The road work will be split into three sections: CTH N north to Royal Avenue; Royal Avenue to Chesak Avenue; and Chesak Avenue to the STH 29 interchange. Osy- See EDGAR/ page 2

Adam Osypowski Edgar

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powski said a “full-depth” road replacement will be done along most of the construction corridor, with an additional 1.5 inches of pavement being added.

Paved shoulders will also be added in the rural areas.

“We will also need to go back, probably about 10 feet off the edge of the road, to match driveways to this new (road) profile so everything ramps up smoothly,” he said.

The section between Royal and Chesak avenues, running through the heart of the village, will include the bulk of the work being done, Osypowski said. This includes modifications to the northeast corner of the Chesak Avenue intersection to allow for better visibility at the stop sign, along with the addition of a curb ramp and sidewalk heading north, he said.

From Chesak Avenue north to STH 29, the work will be limited to resurfacing the existing roadway, which is in better shape than the sections to the south, Osypowski said. The shoulder will be widened by about two feet on the eastern side of the road to provide safer pedestrian access to the Dollar General store, he noted.

During construction, pedestrian traffic will be temporarily rerouted around curb ramps while they are being rebuilt. Motorists will encounter road closures when different sections of roadway are being reconstructed and paved, but Osypowski said the contractor will work to maintain access to local homes and businesses.

“We’re not closing off and digging up the whole two miles of road at once,” he said, noting that no signed detours are planned during the project.

When a resident asked about accessing driveways during construction, Osypowski acknowledged it will be “very difficult” when crews are digging up and reconstructing the roadway, but that should only last a limited time.

Village president Terry Lepak expressed concerns about local EMTs and firefighters having to travel long distances when parts of the village are blocked off, especially since a bridge on Chesak Avenue east of the village will be replaced at the same time as the project. Jim Wendels, the project manager at Quest, said they could require the contractor to put in gravel ramps at the end of each workday to allow temporary access for emergency vehicles.

“It may not be to road standards, but it would be accessible,” he said. “I think that’s probably important for us to put in our contract.”

Osypowski said the project schedule is “quite accelerated,” with Quest planning to finish its preliminary design and submit it to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for review by March after considering any public input. The tightest part of the timeline involves the negotiation and acquisition of the limited easements, which must be completed during a roughly eightmonth window, he said.

The village has hired Becher-Hoppe, an engineering and land surveying firm in Wausau, to negotiate the easement acquisitions based on real estate appraisals of the individual parcels. The village will pay the company a lump sum of $59,300 to acquire the easements.

Federal funding will cover 80 percent of the project costs, with the village paying 20 percent of the cost just for the new parking lanes and curb ramps (about $103,550).

“Now, whether you assess landowners for your portion of the 20 percent, we always try to leave that up to the village according to your ordinances and policies,” Wendels said.

Village administrator Jennifer Lopez said the village itself is planning to pay the 20 percent match, but there could be additional expenses for replacing a few sections of sidewalk or curb and gutter along the project corridor.

“It would just be the broken-up areas,” she said.

The village board has not had any discussions about special assessments.

At the end of the hearing, one woman asked what would happen to a large tree near her house at the intersection of CTH H and Elm Street. Osypowski said a few smaller-diameter trees in the boulevard will need to be removed, but the engineers adjusted their plans to avoid those situations as much as possible.

“Our idea was to minimize impact to trees as much as we could,” he said. “We were really concerned about that.”

CURIOUS LANDOWNERS - Luke Hardinger, an engineer from Quest Civil Engineers, helps an Edgar woman answer a question during a public hearing last Thursday about the impact of a planned CTH H project that affects her property.

STAFF PHOTO/KEVIN O’BRIEN