Utility work begins on Highway 22

An $8 million street reconstruction project has started in Oconto Falls and will continue until November. Jossart Brothers Inc. last week brought large equipment to the construction area. On Monday, the De Pere company placed detour barricades on Union Avenue. Traffic will be detoured to West Highland Drive. The contractors will replace water mains, sanitary sewer and storm sewer on state Highway 22 from Main Street to Chestnut Avenue. Streets will be patched with asphalt after the utility work is completed, and work will continue next spring when the streets are redone. Construction is scheduled to end in fall 2015. According to Craig Schuh, project engineer/manager, access will be open to businesses on Main Street and North Chestnut Avenue for the first three to four weeks of the project. Union Avenue will be closed to through traffic, along with the intersections of South Franklin Street, South Washington Street and South Adams Street at Union Avenue. The boundaries of the project are West Highland Drive to East Highland Drive. Roadwork will take place on Main Street, through the three-block area of the downtown where businesses are located, and circle around Union Avenue to Chestnut Avenue, before ending at the intersection at East Highland Drive. The project calls for new pavement, storm sewers, curb and gutter, and sidewalks.