Main Street in downtown Oconto Falls will go from a dirt road to pavement this week, five months into the Highway 22 street construction project in the city. The westbound lane of traffic was scheduled for paving on Wednesday.
“It will start coming together. It will start looking like something,” Duke Peters, project manager for Peters Concrete Company, told a handful of city employees at a Highway 22 informational meeting Friday at City Hall. City employees have nicknamed the westbound lane “the Antique side” because Salscheider’s Antique Bar is located on that side of the street.
While the concrete cures this week, traffic will be reduced to one lane.
“Traffic will be kind of tight there,” Peters predicted. A gap will be open at Caldwell Avenue for traffic to cross. After the concrete cures, sidewalk work will begin.
Main Street construction is the second stage of a two-stage project which began in the spring as part of a 1.6-mile upgrade from West Highland Drive to East Highland Drive. Stage 1, from East Highland Drive to South Main Street, began in April and concluded in August. The second stage of construction, from South Main Street to West Highland Drive, is scheduled to conclude in early November.
Since construction in the Main Street business district started Aug. 10, side road access has been reduced at Cherry Street, Caldwell Street and Central Street. People patronizing Main Street businesses are encouraged to park on a side street and walk to their destination, using a back entrance whenever possible.
The $3.95 million state Department of Transportation project includes pavement removal and replacement, curb and gutter, sidewalks, storm sewer, street lighting, pavement marking and street signing.
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