HWY 14/Main Street Improvements
If you would like to receive information on updates and changes regarding the Main Street Improvement Project, you can join an email list by filling out this Microsoft form: Main Street Improvement Email List
Update 12/6/24
Highlights: Main Street fully open as of Late Friday afternoon, minor work to occur early next week
We are thoroughly impressed with how fast traffic has adjusted to the one-ways on the west side of downtown. Thank you for adapting so quickly!
Today crews are cleaning up the construction area for winter shutdown. We should have the flashing pedestrian crossing beacons (aka RRFBs) at Jefferson operating early next week. On Monday there will also be temporary paint applied to cover the left-hand turn lane on Jefferson for the north bound traffic. Left-hand turns are no longer allowed at this location. Sadly, we will not be able to install the traffic signal at South Street until the spring. They are currently halted by ground frost and awaiting signal components.
As you can surmise it is still too cold to do the larger area concrete work. So, unless otherwise noted, there will be no further pavement or concrete removal until the spring. This means no further closures. As mentioned, this break in work means that we only have 2/3rds of the project completed. Still to come are the bumpouts and last bit of the red crosswalks at East Court, Jefferson and Terhune, fully painting the new traffic patterns on Main and painting the angled parking on the one-way streets. We appreciate your continued patience as we managed through this incomplete project over the winter.
Update 11/26/24
Highlights: Cold weather impacting continued work. West Jefferson is now a one-way street. Main Street fully opened through the weekend.
We have completed the required closures on the west side of Main Street! This is a huge milestone; the project is 2/3rds complete. For the reminder of the week there will be no closures on Main Street or the side streets. That means parking is allowed on Main Street for the rest of the week, and longer for some areas.
Important to note: The west side of Jefferson between Main Street and Rock Avenue is now a one-way street going east. Meaning you will be able to turn onto Main Street from Jefferson. However, you will not be able to turn from Main Street onto West Jefferson. This is going to take some getting used to, especially with painting not able to happen immediately due to low temperatures. Parallel parking is allowed on both sides of West Jefferson but all cars should be pointing east towards Main Street. Please spread the word and lead by example. Thank you for your help!
Unfortunately, with the low temperatures, crews are no longer able to pour concrete or paint traffic markings. As such, the full scope of Phase 4, the final phase, will be delayed until there is a two-week break in the cold weather. This means that the bumpout work on the east side and full repainting of traffic markings likely will not happen until the spring, but is dependent on the weather. As such, unless there is a two-week break in cold weather, Main Street traffic and parking will be fully open until the spring, with only a short term, smaller closure needed to finish the on-going electrical work.
The current plan is to continue with the electrical work. The goal is to have the traffic signals at South Street and the flashing pedestrian crossing beacons (aka RRFBs) at Jefferson operating by mid-December. As such, scheduled for Monday December 2nd, there will be a short-term, smaller lane closure, starting just north of the Jefferson intersection to just past South Street. The east side of the South Street intersection will also be closed to through traffic. During this time, in this stretch only, parking lanes will be closed on Main and traffic will be diverted to drive on the west side of Main Street (the reserve of what has happened previously).
All in all, this break in work means that we only have 2/3rds of the project completed. Still to come are the bumpouts and last bit of the red crosswalks at East Court, Jefferson and Terhune, fully painting the new traffic patterns on Main and painting the angled parking on the one-way streets. We appreciate your continued patience as we managed through this incomplete project over the winter.
Update 11/15/24
Highlights: Electric work done at West Decker and Jefferson, starting to pour concrete!
First, the City would like to thank everyone one for their continued patience with the project. The project is behind schedule but still within the contract deadlines. We know this is hard on everyone, especially the downtown businesses. We will continue to press on the contractor to keep things moving. We also look forward to a new downtown space that will be inviting to patronize and safer for all.
This week was a big week for the NW corner of Decker, with a ton of electrical work. This area took longer than expected. But we have TWO traffic lights in operation for the first time in months! They have poured the curb and will be ready to pour the remainder of the street concrete Tuesday.
Jefferson has seen a lot of concrete work this week and the rest should be poured on Monday. A reminder, when Jefferson reopens, (possibly as early as Thursday) it will be a one-way street going into Main Street. No left turns will be allowed off of Main onto Jefferson permanently as you will be driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
South Street still requires significant electrical work with the new traffic light installations including boring wires under Main street. The plan is to complete all the electrical, asphalt and concrete work by the end of next week.
We hope to never have move this date again… Phase 4 should begin Monday the 25th. This phase sees work starting on the east side of Main which means traffic will be moved to the westernmost lanes of Main Street. At this time East Jefferson and East South Streets intersections will be closed and operate as they do currently on the west side.
Update 11/8/24
Highlights: Work will be wrapping up on West Jefferson, West South and the NW corner of Main and Decker.
We had setbacks with weather this week. This is a normal factor in construction, but we are thankful that weather delays have been minimal up to now. Crews should be wrapping up at the open intersections next week.
This week has been focused on the electrical work for traffic signals, streetlights and RRFBs. That work will continue next week. On Tuesday, at the NW corner of Decker, the traffic poles should be switched to their new locations and concrete work started. West Jefferson now has new intersection streetlights installed. There will be RRFBs set and concrete poured next week as well. West South Street has a lot of electrical work still to come for the traffic signal installation. This includes boring conduit across Main Street. We are hoping they will be able to get concrete poured at South Street next week too.
Concrete crews will be back Monday or Tuesday. A reminder: If there is yellow caution tape around an area of concrete, DO NOT WALK THROUGH IT!
If all goes well Phase 4 will start on Monday Nov. 18th. Phase 4 sees work starting on the east side of Main which means traffic will be moved to the westernmost lanes of Main Street. At this time East Jefferson and East South Streets intersections will be closed and operate as they do currently on the west side.
Update 11/1/2024
Highlights: Work will continue on West Jefferson, West South and the NW corner of Main and Decker.
Work keeps plugging along at the three intersections: West South, West Jefferson and the NW corner of Main and Decker. As of today, they have finished the storm sewer work at Decker and are currently working on storm sewer work at Jefferson. The traffic signals at Jefferson have been removed and RFBs (Rapid Flashing Beacons) will be installed in their place in the next 2-3 weeks.
Monday and Tuesday will see a flurry of activity with electrical work for both street and traffic lights at West South, West Jefferson and the NW corner of Main and Decker. On Wednesday Nov. 6th, Xcel crews will be boring electric across East Jefferson and turning up towards Main. East Jefferson will remain open; however, some parking areas will be closed and traffic flow limited until they complete their work. There will be a period of 2-4 hrs Wednesday morning, where the alley that goes to the Post Office parking lot on the south side will be blocked. At the end of next week, the NW Decker and Main traffic signals should be moved to their new spot in the wider radius.
Concrete crews will be back next week as well, as early as Tuesday, depending on how the other work goes. A reminder: If there is yellow caution tape around an area of concrete, DO NOT WALK THROUGH IT!
Also remember ~ West Terhune is now a one-way street! Parking is allowed on both sides of the street, but all vehicles should be facing west. The correct parking will becoming more natural once the angle parking is painted on the north side of the street. The angled parking should be painted in the next few weeks, once West Jefferson is open and also becomes a one-way street (flowing east into Main Street).
If all goes well Phase 4 will start the week of 11th. Phase 4 sees work starting on the east side of Main which means traffic will be moved to the westernmost lanes of Main Street. At this time East Jefferson and East South Streets intersections will be closed and operate as they do currently on the west side.
Update 10/25/2024
Highlights: Monday intersections closed on West Jefferson and West South Street. Work on NW corner of Main and Decker. Wet concrete do not cross!
It has been a week filled with pouring new concrete! West Court and West Terhune changes are complete including bumpouts and red crosswalks. Pedestrians are now allowed to walk in these areas and these intersections will be open to vehicle traffic Monday. As of Monday, West Terhune is a one-way street going west.
An important note to pedestrians: If there is yellow caution tape around an area of concrete, DO NOT WALK THROUGH IT! We had an exceptionally high number of damaged areas of freshly poured concrete. While concrete can be walked on the day after pouring, it is often difficult to tell which areas are new and which are a day plus old as they pour concrete in sections. Yellow caution tape means fresh concrete. If you walk through an area by accident, please tell someone immediately, i.e. City Hall, the construction workers, inspector, or police department. We may be able to still reverse the damage if we know soon enough.
On Monday Oct. 28th we start Phase 3 work! Traffic on Main Street will still travel in the easternmost lanes as they do currently. The intersection closures will shift to West Jefferson and West South Streets in the same way the closures worked at Court and Terhune. Meaning the block between Main and Rock will remain open, however, there will be no through traffic at these intersections. With the work on the intersection of West Jefferson comes the removal of the traffic signals at Jefferson. As such there will be roughly 3-4 weeks where there will be only one traffic signal downtown, at Decker and Main. The Jefferson traffic signal will be re-installed at South Street and a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon installed at Jefferson but not until the work at East Jefferson and East South Streets is completed. This work on East Jefferson and East South will be done in the following step, Phase 4.
In addition, work will begin on the NW corner of West Decker. On Monday there will be a temporary truck detour at Broadway for larger vehicles needing to go west-bound on HWY 56. Standard sized vehicle traffic will not need to use this detour. Traffic signals on the NW corner may be down for a few days but they are a priority to re-install on the new bases ASAP.
Update 10/18/2024
Highlights: Phase 2 storm sewer installation wrapping up today. Concrete pours next week.
It has looked more like a full construction site this week with removals and storm sewer work at Court and Terhune. With the bumpout installation at these corners, storm water inlets and piping needed to be adjusted to accommodate the changes. The Phase 2 storm sewer should be wrapped up today. Next week (the week of Oct. 21st) will focused on pouring concrete and curing. Sidewalks in these areas should be accessible by pedestrians by mid-week.
Our current schedule has Monday Oct. 28th to move to Phase 3, the date to open the currently closed intersections and change the work zones to different areas. West Court intersection will be finished, save some updated painting, and will operate as it did before, as a one-way street traveling west. West Terhune will re-open as a one-way street also traveling west, the same set up as Court Street. It will take some time to get painting completed and re-configure the new parking alignment, however West Terhune will be open to through traffic at that time.
With Phase 3, planned for Monday Oct. 28th, traffic on Main Street will still travel in the easternmost lanes as they do currently. The intersection closures will shift to West Jefferson and West South Streets in the same way the closures worked at Court and Terhune. Meaning the block between Main and Rock will remain open, however, there will be no through traffic at these intersections. With the work on the intersection of West Jefferson comes the removal of the traffic signals at Jefferson. As such there will be roughly 3-4 weeks where there will be only one traffic signal downtown, at Decker and Main. The Jefferson traffic signal will be re-installed at South Street and a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon installed at Jefferson but not until the work at East Jefferson and East South Streets is completed. This work on East Jefferson and East South will be done in the following step, Phase 4.
In addition, work will begin on the NW corner of West Decker. Scheduled for Monday Oct. 28th, the current plan is to have a temporary truck detour at Broadway for larger vehicles needing to go west-bound on HWY 56. It is anticipated standard sized vehicle traffic will not need to use this detour.
Update 10/9/2024
Highlights: 10/10/24 ~ Traffic will travel in the easternmost lanes, West Court and Terhune intersections at Main closed but the streets will remain open
Concrete in the center of the roadway has been poured and is curing! Check out the first pours of the red concrete crosswalks installed for enhanced visibility.
The plan is to change the traffic pattern Thursday morning. Traffic will be reconfigured to have north and southbound lanes side by side in the two easternmost lanes. All side street access will remain open from Main Street except for West Court and West Terhune. The intersections at Main and West Court and Main and West Terhune will be closed; however, access for these blocks will be available from Rock Avenue. Please note that this intersection closure necessitates a temporary change of allowed traffic direction on Court from one-way to two-way traffic. Angled parking will be temporarily removed on West Court to allow for two-way traffic flow and to maintain the parallel parking on the north side. Pedestrians will not be able to cross the Court and Terhune intersections on the west side during this time and will be detoured, however, sidewalks outside of the corners will be open.
It is expected this traffic pattern will be in place for 1½ to 2 weeks. The following weeks work will happen on the NW Decker corner, West Jefferson and West South Streets.
Update 10/2/2024
Highlights: Be mindful of open concrete in center lanes and traffic pattern change mid to late next week.
We are happy to see work pick up! The contractor is working on removals in the center two lanes. Please be careful in these areas and stay in your lane! We have had many safety barrel knock overs in the past two weeks. We understand it is narrow and challenging to drive through the downtown. Up to now this has been more of a nuisance issue for the crews to put them back up. However, now there are areas of open concrete that are 9″ plus deep, so for the safety of all, please stay in the designated lanes as delineated by the safety barrels. The area does have a 11-ft width restriction, so if you are in a large vehicle, please use alternative routes (Center, Rock, HWY 56, CTY SS, etc) depending on vehicle size and destination.
By the end of the week the concrete crews will be in to install concrete. We should have the “all clear” to open the center lanes and re-configure the traffic pattern midweek. We expect mid to late next week the crews will be working on the intersections of Court and Terhune on the west side of Main. This means two things. 1. North and south Main Street traffic will be redirected to the two easternmost lanes. 2. The block of Court and Terhune between Main and Rock will only have access from the Rock Avenue side. Please note that this will mean a temporary change of allowed traffic direction on Court. Pedestrians will not be able to cross the Court and Terhune intersections on the west side during this time and will be detoured, however, sidewalks outside of the corners will be open.
Update 9/25/2024
Highlights: Thank you for your patience. Work starting again Monday or before
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through these construction hiccups.
Traffic control (barricades) was put up Monday Sept. 16th and inlet protection was installed Tuesday Sept. 17th. Concrete cutting crews did the first round of saw cutting on Wednesday Sept. 18th. Unfortunately, that is where things are paused. The sub-contractor responsible for removals was unable to free a crew to complete the work and we have been unable to proceed with the next step, pouring the new concrete, until removals are performed.
We have been assured either the subcontractor or the prime contractor will be here Monday to do the concrete removal to keep the project moving forward. There is a possibility we will see this work on Friday. Assuming there are no further setbacks, I expect to see a lot of activity Monday through Wednesday. The concrete will take time to cure and therefore there may be a break in work through the weekend. This is planned due to ensuring access is open downtown throughout the project. _____________________________________________________________________________
Update 9/13/2024
Highlights: No parking on Main Street starting Sunday night. Project starts Monday.
The project officially starts Monday, September 16th. As of Sunday night (12:00 AM Monday) there will be no parking on Main Street. In order to ensure that the parking areas are open for the lane change on Monday, the traffic control company is coming in on Sunday to put out the no parking signs. For approximately the next two weeks, there will be construction in the center two lanes, therefore traffic will be driving in the two outermost lanes (i.e. the current parking lanes).
This phase of construction will install the red crosswalks at Court, Jefferson and Terhune. Concrete repair work will also be happening at this time. There will be a temporary loading zone established on the north side of east Jefferson near the Main Street intersection which is intended for business use. Additional areas can be considered, please connect with me to discuss.
A public information meeting for the project was held on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024, click here for a video of the meeting Public meeting video
The City of Viroqua’s Main Street will be undergoing significant safety improvements over the next two years. Improvements will be made across two projects. The first, completed in 2023, altered areas outside of the downtown and the second, in mid-September 2024, focuses on the downtown corridor.
The 2024 Main Street improvements will take place downtown to improve crossing safety and enhance the downtown experience. Bump-outs will be used to shorten the crossing distance, and left-hand turn bays and one-way side streets will aid traffic flow. A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) will be installed at Jefferson Street crossing and the current traffic signal moved to the South Street intersection.
Restriping the existing four-lane highway to a three-lane section with one lane in each direction and a two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL) has been completed. This project also (re)installed Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) at Broadway and Oak Street and minor geometric adjustments at the US 14/WIS 56 (Main and Decker St.) intersection to improve truck turning movements.
Why?
Crossing Highway 14 safely affects residents and visitors of all ages and abilities, impacting access to schools, downtown businesses, and other important amenities.
Conversion to the two-way left-turn lane configuration provides the following benefits.
- Reduces rear-end, left-turn and sideswipe crashes
- Effectively moves traffic by removing left-turning vehicles from the through lane
- Provides better access to side roads and driveways
- Provides fewer travel lanes for pedestrians to cross
- Allows easier and safer emergency vehicle movement, particularly during peak-hour periods
The benefits of downtown bump-outs and one-way side streets are as follows.
- Shortens the street crossing for pedestrians and improves the vehicle/pedestrian line of sight
- Improves traffic flow through downtown and reduces vehicle and pedestrian crossing conflicts
- Promotes traffic calming, slowing traffic speed to improve safety, by narrowing the roadway
- Provides room for additional streetscape features and additional parking on side streets
- Provides directional curb ramps for safer crossings
How?
The first improvement completed in late 2023 was funded by the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). It involved sections of Main Street outside of downtown, from Brendel Lane to Highway 56 and South Street to Rusk Avenue. The second improvement, planned for 2024, is funded by the Transportations Alternatives Program (TAP) and involves sections of Main Street in the downtown, from Hwy 56 to South Street.
With these two projects combined, the City has received $935,000 in grant funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The City will be contributing the remaining $450,000 through tax increment district funds.
What is happening in 2024 (August-December)?
There are many improvements taking place within this Downtown Main Street project.
1. Downtown side streets are moving to an alternating one-way configuration. Court Street will stay the same. Jefferson and Terhune will be similar to the current Court Street.
2. Angled parking on one-way side streets. The current format on Court Street will stay the same. Angled parking will be added on both east and west Jefferson Street and west Terhune Street one block off of Main Street.
East Jefferson Street
West Jefferson Street
West Terhune Street
3. Installation of left-hand turn lanes on Main Street at Court and Terhune. This example is at Terhune Street.
4. Colored crosswalks. This example is at Terhune Street.
5. Jefferson Street. Traffic Lights will be replaced with a Rapid Flashing Beacon (Pedestrian Crossing Lights).
6. South Street Traffic Signal (Relocated from Jefferson)
7. Radius changes NW corner of Main and Decker. Turning radius enlarged moving the curb back 15ft. Traffic signals moved with curb. Standalone pedestrian push buttons.
Closure plans
Main Street will always be open to traffic, however, during construction there will be no parking on Main Street in the downtown between Decker and South Street. Closure will follow Phases A, B and C. The order of the phases will be determined by the contractor.
Phase A: Traffic will travel in the outside (parking) lanes and construction will occur in the two center lanes.
Phase B: Traffic will travel in the two westernmost lanes and construction will occur in the two easternmost lanes.
Phase C: Traffic will travel in the two easternmost lanes and construction will occur in the two westernmost lanes.
Closure of crosswalks to occur on one side of two intersections at a time. Closures will simultaneously occur at the 4 intersections. Closures will follow Phases A, B, C and D.
