DOT halts highway projects for holiday weekend

Most major highway construction projects will be put on hold through the July 4 holiday weekend, but there will still be some orange barrels mixing in with the red, white, and blue theme for the weekend.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, among the highways where travelers may find lane restrictions include I-94 south of Milwaukee, I-94 east of Madison, and Highways 41 near Oshkosh and 172 at Green Bay.

“Our workers continue to make progress on projects large and small throughout the state,” said WisDOT’s Don Greuel. “While many work zones will be opened up to traffic for the holiday, we still encourage motorists to slow down, leave a little extra space, and stay alert for lane shifts, narrow lanes, and rough pavement.”

Most work will cease in work zones by noon Friday and won’t resume until 6 a.m. July 6.

While construction and maintenance crews will be joining much of the rest of the nation in celebrating the July 4 weekend, Wisconsin State Patrol and other law enforcement officers will remain on the job, enforcing tougher new drunk driving laws that go in effect Thursday.

Wisconsin’s new drunk driving law goes into effect July 1, creating even tougher penalties for motorists who drive impaired.

“Under the new law, courts will order an ignition interlock device to be installed on every vehicle owned by a first-time offender who has a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher and for anyone convicted of two or more [operating while intoxicated] offenses,” said Major Dan Lonsdorf of the Wisconsin State Patrol.

Lonsdorf added that officers will also be enforcing the state’s mandatory, primary seat belt law, noting consistent safety belt use provides the most effective protection against being ejected from a vehicle or thrown around violently inside it during a crash.

Lonsdorf said peak travel times during the holiday weekend are expected to be from noon until 8 p.m. Friday and Monday, July 5.

For up-to-the-minute information on work zones and incidents that may affect travel, motorists may use the state’s 511 traveler information system. That’s accessed by dialing 511 on a landline or cell phone, or going to http://511wi.gov.

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