Milton highway projects draw near
After years of planning and discussion, Milton can see part one of two major highway projects on the horizon.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation plans to start moving almost 2 miles of Highway 59 south in April as part of its Highway 26 renovation project.
The second element, constructing a Highway 26 bypass around the city, is scheduled to start in 2012.
The DOT will hold a public information meeting about both projects Thursday at Northside Intermediate School, 159 Northside Drive. Officials will answer questions about the project, including the DOT’s process for buying land.
Rerouting Highway 26 around Milton is just one part of a $400 million upgrade to the highway between Janesville and Watertown. The DOT plans to turn the corridor into a four-lane highway with few intersections or other impediments, said Mark Vesperman, project manager.
Many of the roads that now connect to Highway 26 will become underpasses or overpasses, and the highway will be redirected around the cities of Milton, Jefferson and Watertown.
“The intent is to move it out of the community, where it should help reduce accidents by moving trucks and other vehicles out of the central business districts,” Vesperman said.
Work on the Milton bypass up to the Fort Atkinson interchange is expected to run from 2012 to 2014.
But first, the DOT will move a stretch of Highway 59 between St. Mary Street and Vickerman Road about a quarter-mile south. The move will create an eventual interchange between highways 59 and 26 southeast of the current intersection.
The DOT wants to move Highway 59 so it doesn’t intersect with Highway 26 too close to the railroad tracks, Vesperman said.
The new interchange will be in the middle of the city’s industrial park and will help draw new businesses, City Administrator Todd Schmidt said. Already, the city has seen excitement from businesses looking for easy highway access, he said.
“Access to higher-speed highways is an important factor for getting goods in and getting goods out,” he said. “Some business rely on visibility from the highway, too.”
But the improvements come at a price: The city will spend an estimated $330,000 on sidewalks, infrastructure and connecting streets along Highway 59, Vesperman said.
Several local farmers will be asked to sell land for both projects. The DOT is already in the process of buying a 100-foot-wide strip for the Highway 59 realignment and expects to finish the process in the next two months, Vesperman said.
The DOT has met with some “concern” from property owners but not steadfast resistance, he said.
“They’re just concerned about us trying to keep the right-of-way to a minimum,” he said.
The department plans to start buying land for the Highway 26 bypass next summer or fall, Vesperman said.
The state wants to negotiate with the landowners but will resort to eminent domain—the power of the state to acquire private property for public use—if necessary, he said.
“We are in a tight timeframe,” he said. “We’ll use (eminent domain) if needed, but we’ll certainly negotiate with the property owner until the end of that eminent domain process.”
Oct 23, 2008 at 4:19 a.m.
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Why is it that these new bypasses are being setup with really dangerous intersections? I heard the 12 bypass already has a few fatals at some of the screwy intersections.
I'm surprised the HWY 11 bypass around the SW side of janesville hasnt had a bad crash at one yet (probably due to not much traffic using them). Why they built the River Rd intersection just after teh crest of a hill or the Afton Rd one at a blind corner (bridge blocks some view) I havent the clue.
Oct 23, 2008 at 1:04 a.m.
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Last point... :)
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John Paul Road /will/ need to be upgraded if any significant growth occurs on Milton's west side. If 26 were put on its original alignment, the west side of the city would be better service via Janesville and points south and as I already noted, there is an existing four-lane highway that services the east side of the city and that would see less traffic since all of the through traffic would now be on the John Paul alignment.
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My six cents.....
Oct 23, 2008 at 1:01 a.m.
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Just to drive the point home... look at the Hwy 12 bypass of Whitewater. Yes, in that case, skirting around the city instead of through the city makes sense because there they needed to go all the way through town instead of cutting across the thinnest part of the city. That said, the bypass itself, particularly the interchanges, was very, very poorly thought out.
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They aim to do the same with the proposed 26/59 interchange.
Oct 23, 2008 at 12:54 a.m.
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The ethanol semis would use the existing Hwy 26. Why would they go through town on High St? They either meet up with the John Paul alignment just north of I-90 in Janesville or they'd meet up with the John Paul alignment north of town.
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The John Paul alignment would not cut Milton in half any more than it already is. The /only/ road that goes E-W through the city of Milton is Madison Avenue. Put a bridge and an interchange there.
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One could, for instance, put a bridge and interchange over Madison Avenue just east of the current Madison Ave - John Paul Road intersection. Only a few houses would be affected. Yes, the loss of a few houses is tragic but so this must be weighed against realigning 26 quite close to Storrs and Bowers Lakes as well as tearing up a square mile of fields for the proposed 26/59 interchange.
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Now for High St... Remove the existing High St - John Paul intersection and route High St around to meet up with Vincent St / Manogue Road. Put a bridge and interchange there too. Now through traffic that has no business slowing down near Milton zips right through on a straight shot. The city is now serviced by two interchanges. The existing Hwy 26 between Janesville and County N sees traffic relief. And there is no need for this massive new 26 / 59 interchange.
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The DOT is using NO imagination. If I were still local, you'd be sure that I'd be present at these planning meetings.
Oct 22, 2008 at 10:13 p.m.
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I would moth ball it till the budget gets squared away. It works fine right now.
Oct 22, 2008 at 9:55 p.m.
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Why would the DOT want to put 26 on the John Paul alignment?? All of those ethanol plant bound semis would wreak havok on the High St hill. Getting in and out of M.H.S or Schilberg park would be impossible too.
Maybe a 4-lane road might finally solve the accident trap at 26 & N.
With the new bypass, there are going to be alot of upset golfers when they find out their course is being erased......and homeowners who will have all the vehicle noise in thier backyards....
Sep 19, 2008 at 2:08 p.m.
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It sounds like all of this is being done for other interests -- for the interstate commerce from the trucks that use 26 as a shortcut between 94 and 90. Why does all our lives have to be changed for this? Why is there always money for such projects but never money to help develop the town and local businesses?
Sep 11, 2008 at 11:46 a.m.
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To put that road on John Paul, it would basically cut the city in half as no roads would be able to cross John Paul. Also the state would have to purchase and destroy almost all homes, businesses, etc that has its access points on the road. The state wants a limited access Hwy 26 in the Milton area. Putting in within the city limits would be way too costly.
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Milton area: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/wi...
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New Hwy 59 relocation at Bypass 26 (with roundabouts): http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/wi...
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Other parts of the project are located on the right side of the links provided above.
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And here is a link to the overall project from Janesville to Watertown including alternatives, preferred route, etc. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/d1...
Sep 11, 2008 at 9:51 a.m.
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I still do not understand why they don't just put Hwy 26 back on its original alignment -- John Paul Road. It's a straight shot NNE to pick 26 back up before Hwy N. Put a separated grade intersection at Madison Avenue and some sound walls near that intersection. This removes the issue of environmental impact near Storr's Lake and shaves a few miles off the routing. It would also spur development within Milton instead of solely on the east side of town and on the outskirt of town at that.
Sep 11, 2008 at 9:28 a.m.
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The meeting is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday with a short presentation at 6:30 p.m. It is at Northside Intermediate School, 159 Northside Drive, Milton. This information was inadvertently left out of the online version of the story.
-Stacy Vogel, reporter
Sep 10, 2008 at 1:08 p.m.
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Do you know what time the meeting is going to be held?
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