STH 107 project planned for Marathon in 2026

By Kevin O’Brien

With the Wisconsin Department on Transportation (DOT) planning to resurface a nearly mile-long stretch of STH 107 through Marathon City in 2026, village officials are wondering whether anything can be done to improve parking on what is locally known as Main Street.

At an informational meeting held at village hall last Thursday, DOT officials laid out the scope of the project, which will run from south of Eighth Street to just north of North Street. In addition to milling off the top 1.75 inches of roadway and replacing it with new asphalt pavement, construction crews will be widening the intersection of Fourth Street and STH 107 to accommodate increased truck traffic.

The curb and gutter on the northeast corner of 107 and Fourth will be pulled back about 20 feet to provide more room for semis turning north onto STH 107, and a pedestrian island will be installed to provide a safer, two-stage crossing.

Project plans also call for upgrading pedestrian curb ramps to more closely comply with requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A culvert pipe north of Eighth Street will be replaced and another culvert on the southwest corner of Eighth Street will be removed.

According to the DOT’s project schedule, the agency will start negotiating temporary and permanent easements with private landowners on 30 parcels along the construction route later this summer, with the goal of finalizing the plans in April of 2025 and doing the project in 2026.

Brian Smitz, the project engineer with RJS Engineering, said he was involved with designing a complete reconstruction of STH 107 in 2007, which included new asphalt pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalks, storm sewer and lighting.

Since then, the pavement and other infrastructure has deteriorated and the curb ramps no longer meet current ADA requirements, he said. Smitz said traffic simulations at the Fourth Street intersection have also shown the need for a wider turning lane for large semis.

“They’ll be able to turn without any encroachment into the other lane,” he said.

At the Eighth Street intersection, a culvert will be removed and the nearby ditch will be regraded, making it easier to maintain that area, he said.

Traffic on STH 107 will be reduced to one lane during construction, and the road will remain open with flaggers directing traffic, Smitz said. Work at the Fourth Street intersection will be done in stages to keep that area open for both motorists and pedestrians, he added.

“Emergency access will be maintained through the project to all businesses and residents, always,” he said. “That’s always a priority.”

During a question and answer period, several village officials posed questions about parking on STH 107 throughout the village.

Trustee Keith Paul said many vehicles, especially larger semis, regularly cross the centerline between First and Fourth Street because drivers don’t feel there is enough room when cars are parked on both sides of the street.

“It is not an ideal situation for a road that has this much commercial traffic going through,” he said.

Smitz said addressing that issue would require a full reconstruction of STH 107 through that area, which is not planned by the DOT.

Village president Kurt Handrick said one solution would be to limit parking to one side of STH 107, but that raises the question of what businesses would get on-street parking for their customers. Handrick said he would also like to see parking allowed between Sixth and Eighth streets, where it is currently off-limits, to accommodate church-goers on Sundays.

Smitz said the village can make its own decisions on parking, but if it wants to move the centerline over as part of that plan, the DOT would have to be consulted.

When the road was reconstructed 15 years ago, Smitz said it was designed to meet the needs of the community at that time, which dictated where pedestrian bump-outs were installed and parking was allowed.

“Maybe we’re talking 2046, but it would be nice to have a wider road,” Paul said.

The DOT is accepting public comments on the STH 107 project until next Friday, April 26. Additional information and an online survey is available at www.wisoconsindot. gov, under the Projects and Studies section, North Central Region.

Questions and comments can also be directed to project manager Elle Miller at 715-315-9237 or at elizabeth.miller@dot. wi.gov.