dep of transportation northern wisconsin open roads

Photos by Tom Watson and Courtesy Craig Swedberg, Wisconsin Departments of Tourism and Transportation, and Door County Visitors Bureau.Ĭurrently, 117 Rustic Roads make up the network that includes 669 miles of routing through 59 counties, from the southern shores of Lake Superior to the Illinois border, and from the Mississippi and St. R-56 is among several country lanes that wind through Amish communities scattered throughout the central part of the state. This year the state’s Rustic Roads program celebrates 40 years of preserving the state’s remaining “scenic, lightly traveled country roads for the leisurely enjoyment of bikers, hikers and motorists,” as described by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.įorty years after designating the first Rustic Road, Wisconsin continues to preserve its roads less traveled. The 5-mile backcountry lane is R-1, the first Wisconsin stretch to be officially designated a Rustic Road back in 1975. The commemorative marker along the route attests to the fact that there is indeed something special about this particular roadway. It’s a gravel band laid out over hills and through valleys sculpted by glaciers, winding its way past woodlands, fields and a scattering of lakes - a landscape that offers a sense of embarking on a more relaxing journey to the uncluttered and less hectic northern reaches of the upper Midwest in years gone by. Highway 8, linking the state with Minnesota on the west and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the east, lies what seems at first to be just another nondescript county road. Smack dab in the middle of Wisconsin, a dozen miles south of U.S. The FHWA's ER program provides funding for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events.Turn back the clock to a quieter time on 117 bucolic backcountry drives spanning nearly 700 miles in the upper Midwest This initial “quick release” payment is considered a first installment on costs of making short-term repairs now which can make long-term repair work possible in the weeks ahead, which are estimated to top $15 million in Wisconsin. “We want to make sure we do everything we can to help repair and reopen roads quickly and safely.”

“These emergency funds will be key to allowing the people of Wisconsin to expedite repairs in the impacted areas,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. Through the Forest Service, $900,000 will be allocated for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin with an additional $100,000 for the adjacent Ottawa National Forest in Michigan to address road damage in the national forests. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, will be awarded $500,000 to repair roads and bridges on the Bad River Reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Wisconsin, including numerous culverts and the Kakagon Bridge. In addition, FHWA’s Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads Program (ERFO) will provide immediate assistance to address damage to roads of tribal transportation facilities and other federally owned roads. The work will include repairs to roadway embankments and multi-use paths.

Wisconsin will receive $2.75 million to stabilize roads to prevent further damage and set up detours until permanent repairs are completed on federal-aid highways. Many roads may remain closed for weeks with detours posted, including Highway 13 in Ashland, sections of Highway 63 in Bayfield, parts of Highways 122 and 169 in Iron and Highway 35 in Burnett. More than a dozen roads remain washed out in the counties of Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Sawyer and Washburn. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency in the northern part of the state after storms caused flooding in eight counties. “The Department has put the reopening of critical transportation links in northern Wisconsin at the top of the priority list,” said Secretary Foxx. “With many communities cut off from vital necessities and services, we know the situation there is dire.” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced the immediate availability of $4.15 million in Emergency Relief (ER) funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to help repair roads and bridges damaged by heavy rains and subsequent flash flooding in northern Wisconsin. Additional $100,000 for Michigan National Forest Roads

Dep of transportation northern wisconsin open roads