Council signs off on Highway 33 project

Highway 33 on Port Washington’s far west side will be resurfaced in four years, the Common Council agreed last month.

It has only been 10 years since the highway was built, but the State of Wisconsin is planning ahead, Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven told aldermen.

But the state only planned to mill and overlay the road from outside the city’s borders to Martin Drive, even though the original construction extended east to Summit Drive, he said.

The city negotiated with the Department of Transportation to extend the project to that point, but in order to do that the city will have to pay for a portion of the project from Martin Drive to Summit Drive, Vanden Noven said.

The cost to the city is expected to be about $23,280, he said.

The DOT, he noted, will pick up nearly all the cost of construction, an estimated $740,000 plus $65,000 in design costs.

“We felt that ($23,280) was a reasonable price to have that piece taken care of,” Vanden Noven said.

It’s even more reasonable when you consider the fact that the agreement the city signed when the highway was expanded calls for the city to pay 100% of the cost, Vanden Noven told the Board of Public Works in November.

“I’m eager to jump on this. They’re offering us an excellent deal, I feel.”

Mayor Ted Neitzke expressed concern the project might disrupt businesses along that stretch of highway, but Vanden Noven  said that’s not likely to happen.

“It’s just a mill and overlay,” he said.”My expectation is there will be no interruption for businesses.”

In addition to resurfacing the highway, the DOT plans to add handicapped ramps where sidewalks meet the road, Vanden Noven noted.

Crosswalk improvements are also part of the plan, he said.