MEQUON, Wis. — Residents in Ozaukee County are navigating detours as a major road resurfacing project gets underway on Mequon Road, impacting local travel and access to businesses.
The construction started last week. It's causing the closure of nearly four miles of Mequon Road to non-local traffic between Wasaukee and Buntrock. While neighborhood residents can still get through, they're asked to use alternate routes for the next several months.
Helen Ward has witnessed significant changes during her six decades living in Mequon. The county's population has more than doubled since she moved here in the 1960s. Her morning walks give her perspective on how the area has transformed.
"A lot of people coming in," Ward said. "I don't know where everyone comes from," Ward said.
With population growth comes the need for infrastructure improvements and new development. Balancing such developments with the area's history is an issue many neighbors here care deeply about.
The latest project involves Wisconsin Department of Transportation contractors resurfacing Mequon Road just outside Ward's neighborhood. It has made getting to and from her neighborhood more difficult.
"It works, but it adds a couple of miles to my trip," Ward said. "There are a lot worse detours than this one," Ward said.
Watch: Mequon Road construction creates detours for residents and shoppers
The construction is impacting not only residents but also patrons of nearby businesses. Edie Bell found the road construction while driving up from Bayside for her local grocery run.
"It got very confusing," Bell said, "I guess I'm worried about crashing into somebody, or having somebody smash into me.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says the official detour is driving three miles South to the nearest state road, Brown Deer Road. Residents hope their neighborhoods don't become unofficial detour routes during the construction period.
Construction is expected to end in late 2025.
Access to local traffic (motorists with destinations within the work zone) will be maintained along WIS 167 (Mequon Road) during this project. Through traffic is encouraged to use the posted detour. WisDOT is required to utilize state roads when establishing the detour. It is anticipated local and regional traffic will also use alternate adjacent routes to get around the work zone.
In the first week of this project, WisDOT’s project team has adjusted drums and added temporary marking lines and additional signage to improve traffic flow.
Safety is always WisDOT’s top priority. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as this project moves forward.
For more information on this project, and to sign up to receive updates from the project team, please visit https://projects.511wi.gov/167mequon/ [projects.511wi.gov]
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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