Road update: State rushes to fix I-94, avoid Beloit detour
Interstate 94 westbound from Milwaukee remains closed in the Johnson Creek area as the state works furiously to create crossover lanes to avoid a detour down to Beloit.
Currently, westbound I-94 is closed from Wisconsin 83 at Delafield west to Wisconsin 89 at Lake Mills. The detour runs south on 83 to I-43, then southbound to Beloit and then northbound on I-39/90 to Madison -- a 113-mile detour.
I-94 is a crucial artery in Wisconsin, linking Milwaukee and Chicago with the Twin Cities. On Monday DOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi signed a $900,000 emergency contract with Black River Falls-based Hoffman Construction Co. to connect the unaffected eastbound lanes with the threatened westbound lanes.
The connector will create a 4- to 5-mile stretch of two-lane interstate between Johnson Creek and Lake Mills, where another connector will funnel westbound traffic back into its original lanes, Busalacchi said.
Workers are racing to finish the connector by the end of the week. Drivers still will find themselves in a traffic jam as cars inch through the connector and crawl up and down the two-lane section.
Busalacchi said it beats driving 100 miles out of the way, adding he lives in Brookfield, a Milwaukee suburb, and commutes to Madison two or three times a week. He's as sick of going out of his way as anyone, he said.
"Like everyone else, I get in my car and I moan and groan," Busalacchi said during a press conference on I-94. "It's going to be a bottleneck. But you know what? We won't have the 100-mile detour."
The left lane on eastbound I-94 is also closed east of Lake Mills from County Q to east of the Rock River, and many other state roads in southern Wisconsin remain closed due to flooding.
Interstate 39 is closed from Highway 78 near the I-90/94 interchange south of Portage to Highway 16 west of Portage.
In Jefferson County, U.S. 18 is closed west of Jefferson at Wisconsin 89 to east of town at County Y. Wisconsin 106 is closed from U.S. 12 in Fort Atkinson to Falk Road near Wisconsin 26 and north of Lake Koshkonong from County J to County A. In the city of Jefferson, Wisconsin 26 is closed from Riverview Drive to Walworth Street.
The bridge over the Crawfish River on County B between Johnson Creek and Lake Mills is closed. Also on County B, the bridge over the Rock River west of Johnson Creek is closed.
There are several closures in Sauk County. Wisconsin 33 is closed from Baraboo to Portage. Wisconsin 154 is closed from Wisconsin 136 at Rock Springs to Wisconsin 23 between Reedsburg and Loganville. Wisconsin 136 is closed from Wisconsin 154 near Rock Springs to Wisconsin 23/33 in Reedsburg. Wisconsin 113 is closed from Baraboo to Wisconsin 78 near Moon Valley, and Wisconsin 159 is closed from U.S. 12 to Wisconsin 123 south of Baraboo.
In Dodge County, U.S. 19 is closed from County Q west of Watertown to County O in Waterloo. Wisconsin 16/60 is closed for one mile from County G/I north of Reeseville to Old 16 Road.
In Columbia County, Wisconsin 22 is closed from Wisconsin 33 east of Portage to Wisconsin 44 in Pardeeville.
Wisconsin 44 is closed from Wisconsin 33 northeast of Pardeeville to Wisconsin 73 near Manchester.
Wisconsin 16 is closed from Wisconsin 73 near Columbus to County TT near Astico.
Wisconsin 133 is closed from Wisconsin 80 east of Muscoda to Wisconsin 130 south of Lone Rock in Iowa County.
U.S. 14 is closed at Wisconsin 92 east of Brooklyn in Dane County.
U.S. 51 in Janesville is closed from Glenn Street to Memorial Drive.
North of Lone Rock in Richland County, Wisconsin 130 is closed from County B to County JJ.
In Crawford County, Wisconsin 131 is closed from Wisconsin 179 in Steuben to Wisconsin 60 east of Wauzeka.
Associated Press
Interstate 90-94 is shown flooded at Wisconsin 33 west of Portage last week.
