Two projects start on Highway 29
By Kevin O’Brien
Traffic on two local stretches of State Highway 29 will be squeezed into two lanes this summer as part of a multi-phase effort to resurface portions of the major thoroughfare in Marathon County.
On Monday, crews from American Asphalt started working on the westbound lanes from Purple Martin Lane west of Marathon City to the Little Rib River crossing in Wausau. According a press release from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT), Gov. Evers signed a $10.1 million contract with American Asphalt to resurface the roughly nine-mile section of the highway, while also replacing culverts and installing new guardrail along the route.
“The purpose of this project is to improve safety and extend the service life of the roadway,” according to a project overview on the DOT’s website. “The proposed work will include a mill and overlay to extend the service life of the pavement.”
Crews will also repave the ramps at the exits for STH 107, CTH O and 72nd Street.
The construction corridor will be open to one lane of traffic in each direction during construction, which is expected to last until this fall.
Work is also slated to begin today (Wednesday) on the stretch of STH 29 between the Clark County line at the STH 13 bridge and CTH E South three miles west of the STH 97 interchange.
According to a project overview on the DOT’s website, the pavement on the westbound lanes in that area is “showing signs of
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deterioration,” and the westbound off-ramp at Silver Maple Road on the east side of Abbotsford is in poor condition, so the concrete pavement will be replaced.
Gov. Evers signed a $6.1 million contract with Chippewa Concrete Services to complete the project, which will involve patching the pavement and ramps at the STH 13 interchange, replacing guardrails and asphalt shoulders and installing new pavement markings.
“WIS 29 will remain open to traffic during construction by utilizing crossovers at each end of the project,” the DOT website states. “One crossover will be just west of the County E south intersection and the second crossover will be just east of the westbound off ramp to WIS 13.”
Work is expected to be completed by Oct. 17 of this year, but the actual end date will depend on weather conditions. Construction activities will temporarily cease during the Fourth of July and Labor Day holiday weekends (from noon on Thursday, July 3, through 6 a.m. on Monday, July 7, and from noon on Friday, Aug. 29, through 6 a.m on Tuesday, Sept. 2.)
This summer’s two projects are the first of several that are slated for completion over the next few years. Next year, the DOT plans on resurfacing STH 29 from the bridge over CTH D in Owen to the western exit into Abbotsford. Another segment, from just west of Purple Martin Lane to just east of Pheasant Falls Road, will also be completed in 2026.
