The last section of the I-94 North-South Construction project started Tuesday. There's now more than 18 miles of construction on I-94.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation broke the interstate work into three separate parts to all be worked on at the same time.
Construction work on the north piece, from Highway 20 to College Avenue, started Tuesday. Meanwhile, work for the south section, from Highway 142 to 20, started in June. The central portion, from Highway 20 to County Road G, started in July.
Wisconsin DOT Regional Communications Manager, Michael Pyritz, says drivers are already managing a construction filled area so there won't be much in the way of alternate routes of suggestions. For the North work zone, he says there won't be any immediate massive disruptions to traffic.
"Starting tonight it's going to be very minimal impact," he said. "At least for the next couple of weeks. Then with the 27th street closure, you are going to have to start working on some different access points."
Mid-September, the 27th Street entrance ramp to I-94 east and the exit ramp from I-94 west will permanently shut down. Other large closures like Oakwood Road and West Frontage Road (south of Root River) are temporary shutdowns.
Steven Huppert has more than 1,000,000 miles of semi-truck driving under his belt. Now retired from the trucking industry, Huppert says his feelings about construction are the same--it's good for the economy. He argues construction is a minor headache for the long-term solution of safer roadways.
"Think of the big picture and get over it," said Huppert. "Honestly, you gotta make sacrifices in life for the greater good."
The I-94 North-South Project is listed as a mega project according to Pyritz. This mega project will go down in Wisconsin DOT history as the first mega project to be completed in less than two years since the anticipated completion date is Memorial Day 2020.
