MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Highway construction work on hold for Memorial Day weekend

Meg Jones
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Traveling on Wisconsin's roads over the Memorial Day weekend? Expect fewer orange construction barrels as most highway construction work is put on hold to accommodate holiday travelers.

Traffic travels in the northbound lane along Highway 43 just south of Donges Bay Rd. in Ozaukee County in October 2013.

But that doesn't mean smooth sailing everywhere. Some lanes and exit/entrance ramps will remain closed in heavily trafficked areas.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation asked contractors to halt construction work on many highway improvement projects around the state between noon Friday and 6 a.m. Tuesday. Peak travel times for the Memorial Day weekend are expected to be noon to 8 p.m. on Friday and Monday.

It's against the law for drivers to use handheld mobile devices in Wisconsin work zones except in emergencies. Fines start at $40.

RELATED:Two Zoo Interchange ramps to open before Memorial Day

The Wisconsin State Patrol is using aircraft for traffic enforcement over the holiday with the dates, times and locations of many of the aerial enforcement missions announced in advance on Twitter - @WisconsinDOT, #WisDOT.

Last year 10 people were killed on Wisconsin roads during Memorial Day weekend.

Even though construction work is being halted for the holiday, there are still significant road construction projects that could affect highway travel:

  • Zoo Interchange in Milwaukee. Closures include the system ramp from Interstate 94 west to I-41/894 south. Access to I-94 west is restricted at 84th St. though the ramp remains open for traffic heading to northbound I-41.
  • I-39/90/94 north of Madison. Traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction with lane shifts at state Highway 19 (exit 131).
  • I-39/90 in Dane and Rock counties. Reduced speed limit in northbound lanes near Edgerton and Newville. Ramps to and from I-39/90 northbound at the Highway 51 interchange (exit 156) are closed. 
  • The Highway 14 northbound ramp to westbound Highway 12/18 on the Madison Beltline will close Friday and Saturday.
  • I-43 in Brown County is reduced to a single lane in each direction between Denmark and the state Highway 172/I-43 ramps in Green Bay. I-43 in southern Manitowoc County is also reduced to one lane in each direction. Motorists should consider using I-41 through Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Outagamie and Brown counties as an alternate route.
  • I-41 near Highway 10 in Winnebago County as well as Highway 10, speed limits are reduced to 55 mph in the state Highway 441 Tri-Project work zone.
  • State Highway 142 (Bushnell Road) near Burlington will close between state Highway 11/36/83 and downtown Burlington, which could affect travel for Chocolate Fest.  
  • State Highway 175 in Washington County will close from just north of County Highway Q to just south of County Highway F and north of State Highway 167 (Holy Hill Road) to State Highway 60.
  • Highway 45 in Kenosha County will close from the Illinois state line north to County Highway C.

For up-to-the-minute information on work zones and incidents affecting travel, motorists can dial 511 on their phones, visit 511wi.gov, follow @511WI on Twitter or download the free 511 Wisconsin mobile app.