LAKE GENEVA — There are only two ways to drive into Lake Geneva from US Highway 12. One route is an orange cone zone for pavement replacement this summer and WisDOT will reconstruct the other route starting next year.
Walworth County is replacing the pavement and utilities on County Road H north of downtown Lake Geneva, which is also known as Interchange North. Crews started removal and resurfacing this month and will likely not finish until August.
"This is our high time, the worst time of year you could do it," said Ron Amann, a Lake Geneva local who owns two AirBNB rental properties along the route. "Everybody's got to deal with it, but it's tough."
The construction is also affecting businesses such as Next Door Pub & Pizzeria, which is one of Lake Geneva's oldest restaurants.
"We've had a few instances where you couldn't turn into either of our entrances from the north," said Next Door Pub owner Chad Bittner. "You had to go all the way up to the stoplight, make a U-turn, then come back down."
This summer's road work from Walworth County is the prelude to a larger project starting next year. WisDOT will replace and resurface Highway 50, which is the other route into Lake Geneva from US Highway 12, starting next year.
"I'm really nervous about what's going to happen next year on Highway 50," Bittner said. "I'm really hoping our downtown businesses can weather the storm."
There's also road construction on US Highway 12 itself going through Lake Geneva this summer. Amann said he is trying his best to adjust to the widespread summer road projects in the city.
"I get frustrated," Amann said. "We're on a timeline, right? We all have deadlines. I've got to be somewhere every minute of the day. It holds you up."
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