Construction season to hit home with Hwy. 33 work

People traveling between Port Washington and Saukville on Highway 33 will become witnesses to the construction season as the Department of Transportation begins a three-month reconstruction project on Monday.

“When this project was initiated by the DOT four years ago, I couldn’t believe we were discussing it,” Port Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven told the Board of Public Works Tuesday. “But now I’m excited for the improvement.”

The project, which extends from the Milwaukee River bridge in Saukville to Summit Drive in Port, will be done largely without detouring traffic, Port City Engineer Roger Strohm said.

There will be short-term closures at the I-43 ramps in Saukville when they are resurfaced, and side roads may be closed for short periods when the intersections are resurfaced.

In addition, resurfacing work in the roundabouts in both communities will require overnight closures with detours.

Access to homes and businesses will be maintained throughout the project.

Crews will work on one lane in each direction at a time, Strohm said.

The work, which is to be done from June 15 to Sept. 15, will be done from west to east, with crews beginning work in Saukville on Monday.

The project includes milling the existing pavement, overlaying the pavement, installing a flashing beacon at Sweetwater Boulevard in Port and a signal video detection system at Foster Road in Saukville.

Sidewalk curb ramps will be updated to meet handicapped accessibility standards.

The outer lanes of the road are expected to be milled from July 27 to 30 and the inside lanes from Sept. 2 to 4.

Because of that, Strohm said, “You’ll always be driving on the right (correct) side of the road.”

Work on the Highway LL roundabout will be done during the week of Labor Day, Sept. 7.

The road will be open during Fish Days and on Labor Day, Strohm said.

While Highway 33 will be the same width when completed, left-turn lanes will be added at the Port Washington Public Safety Building and at the entrance to the former Schanen farm at Sweetwater Boulevard, Strohm said.

“That’s where you’ll see the most construction,” he said.

There was talk initially of removing the right traffic lane and striping it for bicycles, but officials decided against that, Strohm noted.

“Our thought was that still gives you the big, open space of road. You’re just sticking everyone in one lane,” he said.

Stark Pavement Corp. is the general contractor for the project.

For more information on the project, visit https://projects.511wi.gov/33resurfacing/.