CRIVITZ – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) said a $1.94 million road improvement project on Highway 141 in Crivitz is scheduled to start July 21 and should result in safer travel through the village.
The project involves about 1.4 miles of U.S. 141, from Owl Lane to the south junction of Old Highway 141 in Crivitz, where the highway will be reconfigured from four lanes to three lanes with a two-way left-turn lane – also called a TWLTL – for improved traffic flow. The goal is to reduce the number of collisions by giving left-turning cars a place to wait until it’s safe to turn, the DOT said. This also reduces the number of vehicles who swerve to get around a car waiting to turn, creating another traffic hazard.
The DOT uses the term “road diet” for this kind of project because it reduces the number of lanes and conflict points to reduce the incidence and severity of crashes.
U.S. 141 will be open for travel during construction work, except for a five-day closure scheduled for September for railroad work, said Mark Kantola, northeast region communications manager at the Wisconsin DOT.
Aside from the railroad work, he said, “We may have to close a driveway for 30 minutes to tie into the highway, but that’s about it.
Access will always be maintained for emergency services, businesses and property owners.”
While the project was expected to take about four months and be completed in November or December, the DOT’s most recent announcement said it should be completed by mid-October.
Northeast Asphalt Inc. in Greenville is the prime contractor for the project.
Vehicles are expected to slow down in the work zone. “Motor vehicles and our workers will be on the same road and within feet of each other. We are not closing the road to work. People can drive on it. We are building improvements while cars drive by,” Kantola said. The road also will be resurfaced with two inches of asphalt when the reconfiguring work is completed.
While keeping the road open during construction will minimize inconvenience, it’s important for drivers to stay alert, exercise caution and reduce their vehicles’ speed. “Each year in Wisconsin, both highway workers and motorists are killed and injured in crashes that happen in highway construction zones,” the DOT said.
According to the DOT, the stretch of U.S. 141 in Crivitz being improved averaged about 8,800 vehicles per day in 2021, with a peak of 11,000 vehicles per day. A three-lane TWLTL is designed to accommodate as many as 16,000 vehicles per day and keep traffic flowing freely and without delays. The left-turn lanes reduce rear-end crashes involving vehicles turning left and cars weaving to avoid left-turning vehicles. TWLTLs also reduce right-angle crashes involving vehicles attempting to cross lanes.
The DOT also stated that intersections become safer with the switch to left-turn lanes. To improve the traffic flow at U.S. 141 and County W, new traffic signals will be installed with left-turn arrows.
At the intersection of Old Highway 141, an extended dedicated right-turn lane will be constructed for northbound traffic on U.S. 141.
Raised medians will be installed at the approaches to the railroad crossing and the existing concrete approaches will be replaced with asphalt, the DOT said.
During construction, the department plans to post project updates on its website under “Northeast Region Weekly Highway Construction Advisory” at https://projects.511wi.gov/weeklyupdates-ne/.
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