Northwest Wisconsin Highway Construction Update - Jul. 31, 2026

NORTHWEST WISCONSIN -- This week’s updates from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) on road construction projects for Barron, Burnett, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, and Washburn counties.

Barron County

Highway: County O

• Location: East Branch Upper Pine Creek Bridge north of the village of Dallas
• Schedule: June 15 to early August
• Cost: $ $501,425
• Description of work: Replacing the bridge and reconstructing 149.5 feet of approaching roadway
• Traffic impacts: County O is closed at the structure, and traffic is being detoured via County D, WIS 25 and County U.

Highway: County O

• Location: Wisconsin Avenue intersection in Rice Lake
• Schedule: April 20 to late September
• Cost: $1.1 million
• Description of work: Realigning and extending the County O left-turn lanes, constructing right-turn lanes both north and south along Wisconsin Avenue, replacing traffic signals and adding sidewalk and a pedestrian crossing on County O
• Traffic impacts: County O and Wisconsin Street remain open to traffic, but motorists will encounter temporary lane closures during sidewalk construction on the southwest corner of the intersection.

Highway: US 53 South

• Location: Bridges between Cameron and New Auburn, structures over US 8, Knapp Street, County A, County AA and Carlson School Road, 2025; and structures over 20th Street, County I and the Chetek River, 2026
• Schedule: Feb. 23 to October, 2026 construction; May 5, 2025, to October 2026, overall project
• Cost: $10.91 million
• Description of 2026 work: Replacing the decks on the bridges over the Chetek River and 20th Street; replacing the bridge over County I; milling pavement on both sides of each structure and placing new asphalt pavement on the approaches; milling and overlaying the pavement on the southbound US 53 on- and off-ramps at the County I interchange; and replacing guardrail, pavement markings and signage
• Traffic impacts: Southbound US 53 remains open to traffic, but motorists will encounter:
  • Single-lane closures on southbound US 53 and a reduced speed limit of 60 mph.
  • Single-lane closures on County I through the duration of the project
  • Closure of the ramp from County I to southbound US 53
    • The ramp closure is anticipated to be in place through late September.
    • Traffic is being detoured on northbound US 53 to the US 8 interchange, where motorists will exit and then re-enter southbound US 53.
  • The following closures are planned for next week but are weather dependent:
    • Closure of 20th Street under US 53 on Wednesday, Aug. 5 during the day for a bridge deck pour.
    • Closure of County I under US 53 from 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 to 6 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7 for setting girders

Highway: US 63

• Location: Beaver Dam Lake in Cumberland
• Schedule: April 24 to early September
• Cost: $2.64 million
• Description of work: Removing the existing box culvert carrying Beaver Dam Lake under US 63, building a bridge with a longer span to replace the box culvert, removing the Lake Street Bridge, dredging Beaver Dam Lake under US 63 and the Lake Street Bridge, building an ATV trail on the east side of US 63 from Arcade Avenue to Nedvidek Street, reconstructing US 63 on both sides of the new bridge, reconstructing portions of Lake Street, Nedvidek Street and Babcock Avenue to match the raised profile of US 63 and constructing curb, gutter and sidewalk
• Traffic impacts: US 63 is closed to traffic on both sides of the structure.
  • Traffic is being detoured via WIS 48, US 53 and WIS 70. In addition:
    • Lake Street is closed just past the boat landing.
      • Access to the boat landing is being maintained.
      • The Lake Street Bridge is open to emergency vehicles only through mid-August.

Highway: US 63

• Location: US 8 East in Turtle Lake to WIS 48 West in Cumberland
• Schedule: July 20 to mid-November
• Cost: $8.66 million
• Description of work: Milling 2.25 inches of asphalt from the roadway surface and paving 3.25 inches of hot-mix asphalt; cleaning, lining or replacing culverts; replacing guardrail; replacing curb and gutter at various locations; installing new pavement markings; and completing the following improvements to increase safety: Installing shoulder rumble strips, placing a high-friction surface treatment on two curves and widening paved shoulders from 3 feet to 5 feet
• Traffic impacts: US 63 remains open to traffic, but motorists will encounter single-lane closures controlled by flagging and temporary traffic signals.

Burnett County

Highway: WIS 35

• Location: Lanquist Street in Siren to WIS 70 East
• Schedule: May 4 to mid-October
• Cost: $8.55 million
• Description of work: Replacing pavement with new concrete from Lanquist Street to Southshore Drive, replacing storm sewer and expanding its capacity from Lanquist to Works Progress Street, resurfacing the roadway from Southshore Drive to WIS 70 East, reviewing and revising access points, improving turning movements in all quadrants at the WIS 35 and WIS 70/County B intersection in the city of Siren, replacing traffic signals, replacing curb ramps and removing extra lanes from Park Street to Northshore Drive to reduce flooding potential
• Traffic impacts: WIS 35 remains open to traffic, but motorists will encounter:
  • Shoulder closures on northbound WIS 35 from Lanquist Street to Bradley Street; southbound WIS 35 from the WIS 35/70 intersection to Bacon Street; and east- and westbound WIS 70 from 1st Avenue to the WIS 35/70 intersection
  • Various shoulder closures on north- and southbound US 53 from Southshore Drive to WIS 35/70 roundabout
• Closure of WIS 35 to northbound traffic from Lanquist Street to Southshore Drive
  • WIS 35 is open to southbound traffic only in that segment.
  • Northbound car detour: County B, 4th Avenue North and Elizabeth Street
  • Truck detour: WIS 70/MN 70, I-35 (MN), MN 48/WIS 77 and WIS 35

Polk County

Highway: WIS 46

• Location: US 8 to WIS 35
• Schedule: April 15 to early October
• Cost: $8.49 million
• Description of work: Recycling 4 inches of pavement in place on the rural portion of the project; placing 2.75 inches of new asphalt and installing centerline rumble strips; milling 3.25 inches of pavement in the village of Balsam Lake and placing 3.35 inches of new asphalt; cleaning, extending, lining or replacing culverts; replacing or adjusting existing guardrail; and replacing curb ramps in the village of Balsam Lake
• Traffic impacts: Motorists will encounter moving single-lane closures controlled by flagging operations.

Highway: US 8

• Location: WIS 35 North to WIS 46 South
• Schedule: May 11 to late August
• Cost: $7.52 million
• Description of work: Milling 2.25 inches of existing asphaltic surface and placing 3.25 inches new asphalt; reconstructing two locations of roadway where sloughing is occurring; widening the paved shoulders from 3 to 5 feet; installing centerline and shoulder rumble strips; cleaning, extending, lining or replacing existing culverts and replacing deteriorating end walls on some structures; replacing or adjusting guardrail; and completing roadside maintenance, including clearing and ditching
• Traffic impacts: US 8 remains open to traffic, but motorists will encounter single-lane closures controlled by flagging with a pilot car Monday through Thursday, Aug. 3-6.

Rusk County

Highway: US 8

• Location: Little Soft Maple Creek northwest of Weyerhaeuser
• Schedule: June 23 to late September
• Cost: $1.92 million
• Description of work: Constructing a temporary bypass on the north side of US 8 to carry traffic during construction, removing the existing box culvert, constructing a single-span bridge half at a time to replace it, replacing roadway approach pavement on both sides of the structure and installing guardrail
• Traffic impacts: US 8 remains open to a single lane of traffic controlled by temporary traffic signals.

Sawyer County

Highway: County D

• Location: Chippewa River Bridge east of Exeland in the town of Weirgor
• Schedule: March 23 to early September
• Cost: $1.08 million
• Description of work: Replacing the bridge deck, making concrete surface repairs to the abutments, piers and girders, completing bridge joint, shoulder and guardrail work and replacing the roadway approach pavement
• Traffic impacts: County D is closed at the Chippewa River.
  • Traffic is being detoured via WIS 40, WIS 70 and WIS 27.

Highway: WIS 27

• Location: West Boylan Road northeast of Stone Lake to 700 feet north of West Carol Drive southwest of Hayward
• Schedule: July 27 through late September
• Cost: $5.21 million
• Description of work: Milling off a portion of the existing roadway and placing new pavement, placing new base aggregate on shoulders, replacing or repairing and cleaning culverts, making spot repairs to curb and gutter and completing inlet maintenance
• Traffic impacts: WIS 27 is closed to through traffic in the project limits through late August.
  • Through traffic is being detoured via WIS 70, US 53 and US 63.
  • Access to properties in the work zone are being maintained; however, there will be areas that are impassable starting Monday, Aug. 3.

Highway: WIS 70

• Location: County GG in the unincorporated community of Loretta in Sawyer County to Pixley Wilderness West Road in the Price County town of Lake west of Fifield
• Schedule: June 15 to late August
• Cost: $5.5 million
• Description of work: Removing a portion of the existing asphalt, repaving the roadway with new asphalt pavement, installing centerline rumble strips, replacing or repairing guardrail as needed, placing gravel along the shoulders and replacing pavement markings
• Traffic impacts: WIS 70 remains open to traffic, but motorists will encounter lane closures controlled by flagging.

Highway: WIS 13 and WIS 77

• Location: WIS 13, Price County line to Morse Road between Mellen and Glidden, and WIS 77, Teal River Bridge northeast of Hayward
• Schedule: WIS 13, April 27 to late October; WIS 77, July 27 to late September
• Cost: $5.19 million
• Description of work: WIS 13: Replacing, resetting, extending or abandoning more than 50 existing culvert pipes and constructing a new box culvert at Becky Creek; making concrete surface repairs at the bridge over Dryden Creek northwest of Glidden; patching the deck on the bridge over the Chippewa River southeast of Glidden; overlaying the deck with concrete on the bridge over Butternut Creek south of Butternut; and replacing guardrail at the structures and one other location in the project limits; WIS 77: Milling and overlaying the existing bridge deck, overlaying concrete pavement approach slabs, milling and overlaying roadway approaches, making concrete surface repairs on parapets, grouting voids under abutments, supplementing riprap at abutments, adjusting guardrail and installing new pavement markings
• Traffic impacts: WIS 13 remains open to traffic, but motorists will encounter:
• Single-lane closures controlled by temporary traffic signals at Becky Creek and active culvert pipe installations
  • Signals at Becky Creek are in place continuously.
  • Those at culvert pipe locations are in place during work hours only.
• Single-lane closures controlled by flagging during paving at culvert sites – typically on Fridays
• WIS 77 at the Teal River is reduced to a single lane of traffic controlled by temporary traffic signals.

Washburn County

• No current WisDOT projects

Regionwide Pavement Marking Project

Highway: Various

• Schedule: April 14 to early August
• Cost: $2.08 million
• Description of work: Replacing pavement markings
• Traffic impacts: Motorists will encounter daytime and nighttime lane closures depending on the location of work. Once work resumes Monday, July 6, crews plan to work in the following counties:
  • Washburn County:
    • US 53 at mile marker 153