CEDARBURG, Wis. — Washington Avenue in Cedarburg has fully reopened, ending months of construction, lane shifts and closures that disrupted neighbors and businesses along the city's southern gateway since March.
Crews pulled the final orange barrels off the newly reconstructed road, and the city marked the milestone Thursday morning with a ribbon-cutting celebration. The roughly $3.9 million project finished days early and under budget, according to City Administrator Mikko Hilvo.
TMJ4 reporter Alex Gaul has more on what this reopening means for voters:
The work included a full reconstruction and resurfacing of the road itself, from Lincoln Boulevard on the north end to Pioneer Road on the south end. It also added new crosswalks and sewers along the corridor. Hilvo and Mayor Pat Thome said the work was a long time coming, necessitating several months of work.
"We appreciate your patience and support," the mayor said to a group of business owners before the ribbon-cutting.
The reconstruction did not come without a cost to local businesses. Ryan Olsen, who owns Olsen's Piggly Wiggly along Washington Avenue with his wife, Megan, said the work cut into sales as drivers avoided the area.
"It nicked us for about 10 to 15% of our overall sales," Olsen said. "We started a new ad. 'Open roads, hot deals.' (We're) trying to welcome our community back to the South Business District."
For neighbors, the reopening has already made everyday errands easier. Barbara Matovina, who made her grocery runs along Washington Avenue amid the changing traffic patterns and closures, said she didn't realize how much the road needed work until crews began.
"Until they started fixing it, then I thought, oh yeah, it needs fixing," Matovina said. "Today was great. It was so nice. I went all the way down to the gas station and got gas. It was quick and easy."
City leaders said the finished product made the months of inconvenience worth it.
"It's always good to see the finished product, and that always makes it worthwhile," said Mike Wieser, director of engineering and public works.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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