Highway 18 resurfacing project expected to begin in July
By Ted Pennekamp
Plans have been finalized for the resurfacing of Highway 18 in Grant County and bids will soon go out, so motorists can expect a construction zone this summer from the Wisconsin River Bridge and heading southeast 6.3 miles to the US 18/WIS 35 intersection near the River Ridge school.
“That project goes out for bids in May,” said DOT Project Manager Tim Maedke. “Usually it is four to six weeks after that before all the contract documents get submitted and approved and the contractor is actually ready to go to work, so my best guess would be around the Fourth of July (for construction to begin).”
The project will involve milling off two inches of pavement and repaving. There are no alignment changes or roadway expansions so it won’t resemble the 2016 Highway 18-60 project from Prairie du Chien to Bridgeport. The road will look very similar to what is there now except for a new driving surface and the paved shoulders changing from the current three feet wide to five feet wide. Along with the asphalt pavement, the guardrail will also be replaced.
Maedke said funding for the project is a mixture of state and federal money. Due to the bidding process, DOT estimates are confidential but bids are expected to come in between $2.5 and $3.5 million.
The project is expected to take about two and a half months to complete.
No public meetings are expected because it is a basic resurfacing project with no real estate acquisitions, community involvement or detoured traffic. Message boards will go up in advance of the project warning motorists of the upcoming construction. Information about the project will also be on the WisDOT website and the 511 site.
The project will be constructed under traffic. Roadway flagging operations will control traffic throughout the construction process. Access to businesses and residences along the project route will be maintained except for limited periods of time during underground utility relocations and driveway improvements.