Agreement paves way for data center roadwork

The Port Washington Common Council on Tuesday approved an agreement with Ozaukee County that gives the county authority to repair any city streets, town roads or county highways near the Vantage Data Centers Lighthouse Campus damaged by the project.

The agreement also will allow the county to make intersection improvements and install temporary traffic lights at the I-43 on and off ramps on Port’s north side — improvements intended to help ease traffic congestion as Vantage ramps up construction and prepares to welcome as many as 5,000 construction workers at its construction site, City Engineer Roger Strohm said.

Work on those improvements is expected to begin in the next couple weeks, he said, although that may not be soon enough for many people who regularly travel near the data center.

“I’ve seen fairly long lines on the off-ramps,” Strohm said, noting that the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office can be found there directing traffic during shift changes at the data center construction site.

In addition to improving traffic flow, the improvements are intended to increase safety throughout the area — a major priority — he added.

“All the agencies involved are aware that this is a high priority project to move through the processes without skipping any steps,” Strohm said.

The agreement approved by the city Tuesday allows the county to repair roads and bill Vantage directly for the work.

“This establishes the means by which the county can do the work and just bill Vantage directly,” Strohm said, adding it covers work on any road damaged by the firm’s construction.

Ald. Deb Postl said she “really likes” the agreement, but asked if a termination clause would impact Vantage’s obligation to pay for the work.

That clause essentially means that if the county can’t do the needed work, Vantage can hire someone to do it, City Administrator Melissa Gossett said.

Mayor Ted Neitzke added that the development agreement the city has with Vantage also ensures the company will pay for any needed roadwork.

Strohm said the city is still waiting on some permits from the state Department of Transportation for the lights and intersection improvements, but added that preliminary work is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

We Energies is scheduled to install power lines for the lights within the next couple weeks, Strohm said. That work is expected to take about a week, he said, and pave the way for the street lights to be installed in mid-July.

The county will also install rapid beacons at the Ozaukee Interurban Trail crossings at Highland and Lake drives.

Bicyclists will be able to trigger the lights, which will notify motorists that they are about to enter the intersection.

At the same time, Strohm said, the county is expected to begin prep work for the intersection improvements. There are about five intersections that will be widened, he said, with each expected to take about a week.

During that work, some lanes of traffic may be closed or flagmen will be present to direct vehicles, he said.

The intersection improvements and traffic lights are intended to be temporary, with Vantage removing them after its data center campus is completed.

The city is also moving ahead with planning the extension of sewer and water to Highway KW, Mink Ranch Road and Highland Drive near the Port Town Hall, Strohm said.

The city is obligated to extend these utilities into the Knellsville area of the Town of Port Washington as part of a deal to annex the Vantage land from the town into the city.

The city and Vantage are waiting for approval from the Public Service Commission or an assurance of approval from the PSC before sending the utility project out for bids, he said.

He said he expected that the work will go out for bids in July, with the contract awarded in August and work starting in early September.

The sanitary sewer work will likely require some road closures, Strohm said, adding that the city hopes to keep much of the water work on the shoulder, eliminating the need to close the roads for it.

The work will be coordinated so traffic can get through the area near Plier’s Full Circle and Johnson Bus Co. will be able to get buses to schools on time, Strohm said.