DOT plans Highway 16 work in 2014 and 2016

Posted: Feb. 13, 2013

Village of Hartland - The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) is planning two separate projects to improve the bridges and roadways along Highway 16.

The first project will rehab or replace 11 bridges and one box culvert between Highway 67 and I-94, and is scheduled to commence in spring 2014. The second project, scheduled to begin in spring 2016, will rehab Highway 16 pavement to extend the life of the roadway and improve ride quality.

The bridge project is expected to cost $9 million, and the roadway project is expected to cost $12 million, according to DOT Project Manager Doug Cain.

The bridge project will involve mainly single-lane and shoulder closures, although the Highway KE (Jungbluth/North Shore) and Highway KF (Ryan Street) bridges over Highway 16 will each be completely closed for two months for replacement of the bridge decks. Those closures will be staggered so that each can serve as a detour route while the other bridge is closed.

Bridges that will undergo work as part of the project include:

Highway 67 bridge over Highway 16

Highway 16 bridge over the Oconomowoc River (two bridges)

Highway P (Brown Street) bridge over Highway 16

Highway 16 bridge over Highway P (Sawyer Road) (two bridges)

Highway KE bridge over Highway 16

Highway KF bridge over Highway 16

Highway 16 bridge over I-94

The box culvert included in the project is under Highway 16 just east of Highway E; the Bark River flows through this culvert. Concrete surface repairs inside the culvert structure are planned.

The roadway project will include two stretches of 16, from Highway P to Merton Avenue and Capitol Drive to I-94, and will include some Highway 16 lane closures at nonpeak times, said DOT design leader Steve Rotier. Deteriorating pavement at various ramps along those stretches will also be replaced.

The roadway project will also include the installation of barricade racks or ramp gates at the tops of the Highway 16 on-ramps. Both devices are designed to allow law enforcement to close access to the freeway. A barricade rack is a permanent rack used to hang traffic control barricades on, while a ramp gate is an arm that can be lowered to extend across the lanes.

Ramp gates cost more and are used where traffic volumes are higher, Cain said. Racks will be installed at the ramps west of Highway KC (Merton Avenue) and ramp gates will be installed east of KC.

The DOT also plans to replace the stretch of ultrathin bonded wearing surface on Highway 16 under the Highway JJ bridge. This specialized surface is a membrane placed on pavement to improve friction, Cain said, and is typically used in areas identified as having a higher number of crashes due to slick conditions.

At a local officials meeting on Feb. 4, Hartland Public Works Director Mike Einweck requested that work near Merton Avenue not take place late at night, as a residential area lies close to the Merton Avenue bridge. Einweck also asked the DOT to try to work around the Hartland Hometown Celebration, which takes place every year the weekend before the Fourth of July.

The public is invited to learn about both projects at an informal open house-style meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, in the Board Room at Hartland Village Hall.