Rhinelander city council approves detour agreement with DOT

The city of Rhinelander common council on Monday approved a detour agreement with the state Department of Transportation (DOT) in order for a project to be completed next year which will close U.S. Highway 8 from mid-May to late October.

According to the resolution approved by the board, the detour route for the project is to include Kemp Street, Arbutus Street, South Pelham Street, Courtney Street and Lincoln Street from State Highway 47 to State Highway 17. 

Stacy Hagenbucher of the DOT said the project will improve Hwy. 8. 

At the city’s request, she said, the DOT will mill and overlay two inches of Lincoln Street from Oneida Avenue to Evergreen Street prior to using those roads for the detour costing about $160,000.

The DOT, Hagenbucher said, will also complete about $20,000 worth of work for traffic and signal lights for the detour.

She said the DOT will video the detour route when it begins to document “any areas of distress.”

The detour will be monitored throughout the Hwy. 8 project, Hagenbucher said, “and if things start to blow apart, if there’s something that’s happening … we will get in there and fix it while it’s happening.”

After construction is complete, the DOT will again video the detour route to compare it with the first video in order to determine any “distresses that may have happened during construction,” she said.

“So we’re proposing to come through and do that section, four lanes on Lincoln, watch it during construction — … and making sure everything is videotaped before we start construction, before any additional traffic comes on, and then afterwards we’ll go through and look for any distress that may have happened outside that paving area or anything like that,” Hagenbucher said. “So that’s what the detour agreement essentially says.”

She also noted additional resources will be offered to direct traffic during Hodag Country Fest while work for the detour is being completed. 

“This project has been completed in design already so we’re moving forward on the project already,” Hagenbucher said.

Alderperson Thomas Barnett asked how much additional traffic the DOT is expecting to be detoured through the city. 

Hagenbucher said she wasn’t sure, but added a lot of traffic goes through the city already. She noted, however, she would check to see if there was any data she could provide to Barnett to answer his question.

Mayor Kris Hanus asked if the traffic and signal lighting would be removed following the project, but was told the city could keep them in place if it wishes.

He also asked how much money the DOT was estimated to save by having a detour through the city, which Hagenbucher said was roughly $500,000.

Other options would have been more costly to the DOT, she explained.

Hanus’ last question was with regard to damage to city roads based on additional traffic; would the DOT patch damaged roads or replace them. He was told it depends on the damage, but ultimately, the DOT would work with the city and agree on a repair. 

“Thank you so much and thank you for being a good partner,” Hanus said to DOT staff. “I mean on one hand, they’re saving some money with the DOT for this, the city’s also getting $180,000 of rough infrastructure improvements. So I think it’s a great partnership that’s going to pay dividends going forward.”

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].