Archives for June 2024

Construction worker, driver killed in Pewaukee work zone crash

June 28, 2024 by Lane Kimble

PEWAUKEE, Wis. — A construction worker died and another was hurt when a truck crashed through their work zone in Pewaukee this week.

The crash also killed a 76-year-old woman.

It happened Wednesday around 9:30 a.m. along Capitol Drive near Pewaukee Road (Highway 164). The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office says a 49-year-old man driving a pickup truck smashed into the back of the woman’s car, then continued into the construction zone where he hit the two workers.

A 46-year-old construction worker was taken to the hospital where he died. A 47-year-old worker who was hit will survive.

“You’re spending a third of your day, if not better, with these individuals, with these men and women and they become your family. It’s devastating to the crews, it’s devastating to the companies,” Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council President Dan Bukiewicz told FOX 6 News.

Prior to Wednesday’s crash, there had been 789 work zone crashes which caused 252 injuries and one death in 2024, according to Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory data tracked by UW-Madison.

“(Our members) see people on their phones, they see people not paying attention, not slowing down when there are warning signs telling you to do so, so that’s really frustrating for them,” WTBA Director of Communications Lane Kimble told WISN-TV. “There’s only so much we can control. We realize we, as contractors, have a role to play here and we do that. We need you (drivers) to do your part as well.”

Thursday, prosecutors charged the truck driver with seven felonies related to the crash. Court documents show Jade Moen had a suspended license, having surrendered his driving privileges after a crash in 2021. Moen told the court he has epilepsy and “blacked out” before Wednesday’s deadly crash.

A Waukesha County court commissioner ordered Moen held on $1 million cash bail, noting Moen had no business being behind the wheel.

WTBA extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and crew members of the people involved in this tragedy.

WisDOT ponders pausing some projects during 2025 NFL Draft

June 27, 2024 by Lane Kimble

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Who knows if Green Bay will draw enough people to surpass the record-setting 700,000 fans who went to this year’s NFL Draft in Detroit, but one thing is certain: there will be a lot of extra traffic throughout the Fox Valley in 2025.

A little less than a year out from the Draft coming to Titletown, WisDOT is working with the Packers to ensure people can get around major construction projects as easily as they can.

The Northeast Region tells WBAY-TV it’s planning to shut down some construction projects all together over a six-day period in April 2025. That could include some of the work along the 23-mile I-41 Connecting Wisconsin Project, which started this year and continues through 2030.

Temporary park and ride lots could also pop up in places such as Appleton and as far away as Wausau.

However, WisDOT says plans are subject to change, especially with the draft still 10 months away.

WisDOT to public: I-94 East-West on track to begin Fall 2025

June 27, 2024 by Lane Kimble

MILWAUKEE — Construction work that should ease congestion and reduce crashes along a busy stretch of I-94 in Milwaukee is on track to begin in a little more than a year.

The I-94 East-West Corridor project will also lengthen some freeway entrance ramps and retool the Stadium Interchange into the state’s first diverging diamond, WisDOT said this week.

Tuesday night, the Department held the first of two open houses to update people on the project’s status.

“We’re moving forward,” WisDOT Southeast Freeway Design Chief Jeff Bohen told FOX 6 News. “We’re starting to nail down our construction schedule and how this whole project is gonna kinda piece together.”

The 3 ½-mile stretch from 70th Street to 16th Street, running past American Family Field, will expand from six to eight lanes. Work on the west leg of the project is scheduled to begin in Fall 2025. The work will vastly improve pavement and bridge conditions and reduce delays.

“A lot of the crashes that we’re seeing out there are rear-end crashes which are due to congestion, so the future forecast is why we’re going with four lanes in each direction to alleviate congestion and improve safety,” Bohen said to CBS-58.

Currently, WisDOT estimates the project will cost about $1.5 billion dollars, but that figure could increase with inflation. About $68 billion in goods flow through the corridor every year.

Statewide tour calling on creative infrastructure changes, investments

June 25, 2024 by Lane Kimble

If you could redesign your town’s business district, bike trails, parks and playgrounds, how would you do it?

A new statewide initiative is challenging people to share their most creative dreams and visions to try and answer that question, working to improve communities across Wisconsin.

The Avenues of Possibilities Tour launched this week, announcing six events in cities ranging from Kenosha to La Crosse.

The gatherings are “brainstorming” sessions with the goal of engaging community members to advocate on the local and state level for the infrastructure improvements they want to see, according to a news release.

“We know that every community in Wisconsin, regardless of size, has the potential to thrive. The Avenues of Possibilities Tour is about harnessing that potential and turning ideas into action,” says Rita DeMerit, VP of Operations at NEWaukee. “We are excited to see the vibrant discussions and innovative ideas that will come out of these events.”

The tour kicks off July 22 at Copilot Coffee House in downtown Waukesha at 5 p.m. Other events include July 30 in La Crosse, Aug. 21 in Wausau, Aug. 22 in Eau Claire, Sept. 17 in Green Bay, and Sept. 18 in Kenosha.