Waukesha has many road construction projects on summer schedule

Published on: 5/30/2013

Orange construction barrels will be out in full force this summer around Waukesha.

That's because there are some large road projects that will take place over the next few months.

While preliminary work is already taking place at some of the locations, here is a complete list of the projects motorists will see in the coming months.

1 The biggest project in the city is at South East Avenue from Estberg Avenue to College Avenue. It will be a five-month overhaul as City of Waukesha Project Engineer Margaret Liedtke said it includes reconstruction of the street, upgrading traffic signals, installing street lighting as well as water main and storm sewer installation.

The road will be closed during construction. College Avenue and North East Avenue will be open under a stop condition except for a two-week closure for underground utility work.

While the project is tentatively scheduled to start mid-June, Liedtke said utility work has already begun for this project, scheduled to be completed at the beginning of November.

The project will be managed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Liedtke said.

Liedtke said to get this project done, the city applied for funding several years ago and it was accepted for this year. This area, Liedtke said, is a need since these roadways are in its original form from the 1920s.

2 Nearby, another big project in the city will take place at North Grand Avenue from the railroad tracks at Williams Street to Wisconsin Avenue. The project includes reconstruction of the street, installing street lighting, water main installation as well as sanitary sewer rehabilitation.

The road will be open with one lane in each direction and there will be a two-week closure at the intersection of Williams Street and North Grand Avenue for underground utility work.

Liedtke said a tenative start time is also mid-June with completion at the end of September.

The cost of the project is $1.56 million.

3 A more expensive project will take place at Buena Vista Avenue from 100-feet NE of Delafield Street to Pewaukee Road, northwest Barstow Street from Buena Vista Avenue to East North Street and Riverview Avenue from Buena Vista Avenue to 400 feet northwest of Buena Vista Avenue. The project includes reconstruction of the street, water main installation and sanitary sewer rehabilitation.

The road will be closed during construction. Access to the upper City Hall parking lot will be maintained, Liedtke said. A tentative start time is mid-June with completion in mid-September.

The cost of this three-month project is $1.75 million.

4 Later in the summer, a replacement of the concrete pavement on West Moreland Boulevard from Pewaukee Road to Riverview Avenue will take place in mid-August.

But Liedtke said before the pavement replacement, the Waukesha Water Utility will replace the water main. The road will be open with one lane in each direction.

5 There will also be a concrete pavement replacement at Arcadian Avenue from Eugene Court to Les Paul Parkway. The tentative start time is not yet finalized but could begin in July or August, Liedtke said.

The road will be open with one lane in each direction.

·Asphalt street resurfacing will also take place throughout the city, Liedtke said. This includes repairing sanitary and storm manholes, updating curb ramps, repairing concrete curb and gutters, milling the existing asphalt surface and installing a new asphalt surface.

The roads, however, will be open to traffic during construction, Liedtke said. A tenative start time is June with completion at the end of August.

The project will cost around $1.76 million.

Town of Waukesha

Meanwhile, the Town of Waukesha's construction plans haven't been finalized yet.

Jamie Salentine, town clerk-treasurer, said once all the bids are in, the Town Board will meet to go over them before any approvals are made.

The town is accepting sealed bids for a 2013 road repair contract. Sealed bids must be returned to the Town Clerk's Office at W250S3567 Center Road before 3:30 p.m. June 12. Bids will open at a 6 p.m. June 13 Special Town Board meeting. All bidders are invited to attend.

All roadwork and asphaltic pavement must be completed and installed by Sept. 1.

The town has outlined many roads needing a facelift, that includes crack filling, paving and slag.

Waukesha County

Below are county-approved projects that will take place this summer.

· The Oconomowoc River Bridge on Highway E was removed earlier in the year and county officials said they expect a new bridge to be installed by July.

The county paid contractors $850,000 and commuters have been forced to take Highway Q to Hartley Road to avoid the project site since last fall.

· Approximately one mile of Highway KC on Merton Avenue is being repaved over the summer, from Highway JK (Lisbon Avenue) to Highway K. County officials said that there was no definitive timetable for the project yet, but it is expected to be completed sometime between May and October.

Altogether, the KC project is expected to take less than three weeks and roads will be open during the project, with road crew flagging traffic. The KC project is expected to cost taxpayers approximately $170,000.

· 1.6 miles of Waukesha KF, from W. Wisconsin Ave. to Bayberry Drive, will be repaved over the summer. County officials said there was no definitive timetable for the project, but it is expected to be completed sometime between May and October.

The project is expected to take less than three weeks and roads will be open during the project, with road crew flagging traffic. The KF project is expected to cost taxpayers approximately $236,000.

· 1.9 miles of Highway MD, stretching from Highway VV to Highway K, will be repaved over the summer.

The road, which runs past the Ironwood Golf Course, is expected to be repaved sometime between May and October and will take about a week and a half to complete. The road will be open during the project, with contractors flagging traffic. The MD project is expected to cost $32,000.

· The bypass lane that allows traffic on Highway K to enter onto Highway KE will be repaved over the summer.

The repaving is expected to take less than a week to complete and will be performed sometime between May and October. Roads will remain open during the construction and will cost taxpayers approximately $20,000.