WisDOT hosts public session to discuss Bong Bridge project

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) holds another public information session next week concerning rehabilitation of U.S. Highway at the Bong Bridge and its approaches.

The meeting is a chance for the public to review plans and comment on the proposed improvements.

The project includes replacing pavement at Belknap Street, milling and overlaying the deck, replacing structural joints, painting the truss, lighting upgrades and sidewalk maintenance.

The approach to the bridge on the Wisconsin side includes pavement replacement and development of a roundabout to eliminate the traffic signals where Belknap intersects with the end of the bridge coming in to Superior.

Morris Luke, a traffic engineer with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said a roundabout is a safer alternative to an intersection and reduces potential points of conflict, and serious injury and fatal accidents over traditional intersections. The roundabout at the foot of the bridge in Wisconsin is likely to be a single lane exchange based on traffic volume, he said.

Minimal changes are planned to the Minnesota approaches to the bridge.

Traffic control options along with project timelines will be discussed during the meeting, which runs 5-7 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Conference Center, 600 N. 21st St.

Representatives from WisDOT and its project consultant, Ayres Associates Inc., will be on hand to answer questions and discuss project specifics. For information about the project or meeting, call WisDOT project manager Matt Dickenson at (715) 395-3022.

The meeting site is handicapped accessible.

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