WIS 13 (Thompson Creek to Washington Avenue), city of Washburn - Bayfield County

Location

WIS 13 (Bayfield Street), Thompson Creek to Washington Avenue in the city of Washburn in Bayfield County.

Overview

The existing concrete pavement WIS 13 (Bayfield Street) is deteriorated. The concrete, placed around 1974, was overlaid with asphalt in 1999 and 2009. The asphalt pavement has alligator, longitudinal and transverse cracking, patching and weathering. To address the deterioration of WIS 13, WisDOT is proposing to:

  • Replace the pavement on WIS 13 (Bayfield Street) with eight inches of concrete pavement over six inches of base aggregate over 24 inches of subbase material.
  • Replace curb, gutter and sidewalk.
  • Replace/upgrade all intersection curb ramps to meet Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
  • Replace streetlights.

The city of Washburn's aging water and sewer lines underneath WIS 13 (Bayfield Street), placed in the 1950s, also are failing. The sewer main with old brick manholes is crumbling, and the water line is cast iron, which is very brittle.

To address the deterioration of utilities, the city of Washburn will have a concurrent project to replacing sanitary and storm sewer and water main. For more, go to the city's website.

Real Estate

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation anticipates the need to purchase right of way for this project.

  • Permanent right of way is anticipated on the corners of intersections for pedestrian curb ramp and sidewalk improvements.
  • Temporary limited easements (TLEs) also may be needed throughout the project limits for tying in roadway side slopes for sidewalk installation and turf restoration.
  • The final amount of right of way to be purchased is not known at this point.

Wikdal Park

The proposed project includes the following impacts to Wikdal Park:

  • The proposed project would permanently convert 0.005 acre of existing park property into WIS 13 highway right of way. This strip of park land conversation is located on the south side of the park abutting WIS 13. This permanent conversion of parkland to right of way is necessary to accommodate construction of the new sidewalk and associated Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps.
  • In addition, an area of varied dimension from approximately 4.5 feet to 7.5 feet of width along the south border of Wikdal Park also will be acquired temporarily for the new sidewalk and associated ADA curb ramp construction. Landscaping and finishing activities will also be completed to fully restore the property to its original condition as part of the activities associated with the temporary limited easement.
  • Park impacts display

Business Impacts

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation understands that improvement projects can create logistical challenges for businesses of all shapes and sizes, and to help business owners navigate those challenges, WisDOT offers the In This Together program, which includes tips, tools and resources to help businesses plan for highway construction projects.

Schedule

Construction currently is scheduled for 2024.

Traffic Impacts

During construction, WIS 13 would be closed, and traffic would be detoured.

Related Project

To address pavement and utilities that have reached the end of their service lives, another project is planned on WIS 13 (Bayfield Street) from Washington Avenue to Superior Avenue. The anticipated time line for this work is April 2026 to August 2027.

Project Documents

Contacts

Vance Powers
WisDOT Northwest Region Consultant Design Project Leader
(715) 861-1945
vpowers@sehinc.com

Jessica Bowker
WisDOT Northwest Region Project Manager
(715) 577-2963
jessica.bowker@dot.wi.gov

Tyler Rongstad
WisDOT Northwest Region Project Supervisor
(715) 461-0372
tyler.rongstad@dot.wi.gov

Christena T. O'Brien
WisDOT Northwest Region Communications Manager
(715) 833-9814, (715) 828-9471
christena.obrien@dot.wi.gov

Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)
Northwest Region, Superior Office
1701 N. 4th St.
Superior, WI 54880
(715) 392-7925, (800) 590-1868
WI Telecommunications Relay System (TTY): 711
nwr.dtsd@dot.wi.gov