Evers visits Steuben to see future road project
Crawford County Highway Commissioner Kyle Kozelka, WisDOT Assistant Secretary Joel Nilsestuen and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers survey County Road E near Steuben.
Gov. Tony Evers paid a visit to Crowley Park outside the Village of Steuben on August 12 to observe a section of County Road E.
Evers, who arrived with Wisconsin Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Joel Nilsestuen and members of the Wisconsin State Patrol, met with Crawford County Highway Commissioner Kyle Kozelka to learn more about the resurfacing project, which will cover a 5.6-mile stretch between U.S. Highway 27 and Wisconsin 179.
The project will consist of a mill overlay and improvements to guardrails and signage. Milling is a process where the road surface is scraped and leveled. The scraped material can be recycled and mixed with new material to resurface roadways.
The county could take three to four years to start the resurfacing project so the county has time to complete other improvements to the roadway to minimize traffic disruption.
“There’s some work we’re going to do ahead of this resurfacing project, like reestablishing drainage and taking care of any culvert replacements or mediations,” said Kozelka.
Once the resurfacing begins, he estimated the construction work would take approximately one to two months.
The project is partially funded through federal and state money granted through the Surface Transportation Program, which provides funds for rural and urban roadway improvements. The WisDOT allocates those funds to prospective projects through the STP.
This past week, Evers announced that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will provide more than $200 million for more than 150 road and bridge improvement projects in Wisconsin.
“So, how much of the money is going into this project?” Evers asked.“About $1.6 million,” answered Kozelka.
STP funds will account for 80 percent, while the remaining 20 percent (approximately $320,000) will be the responsibility of the local government, according to Kozelka.
“It’s an awesome relationship, and it has benefited this state as a whole,” added Kozelka.
County Road E serves as a vital connection between the Seneca area and Steuben for resident and agricultural traffic, according to Kozelka.
“It’s a major connection, and I know you saw some cars come through here. It’s nothing like an urban section of roadway, but it’s an important piece of infrastructure for the locals here,” he said. “It’s a good chunk of roadway. It’ll keep us busy.”
When Evers asked if the county had considered replacing bridges on the roadway, Kozelka said they would remain in place, but the approaches to the bridges would be improved. He cited the summer of 2020, when water flooded multiple approaches on the county road.
After the briefing, Evers said, “This is a beautiful part of the state. I’ve been to Crawford County several times, but not this area. They’re doing good work here.”
