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FOND DU LAC — It's the season for orange barrels, marked detours and "Road Work Ahead" signs.

Annual projects in the Fond du Lac area are scheduled or under way, with commuters expecting to see local highway improvements and city road and utility upgrades.

Here's what's in store so far for 2024.

Fond du Lac city projects include Pioneer Road improvements

April marked the beginning of construction that will close Pioneer Road from Martin Avenue to County Highway V through September. Work includes excavation, sidewalk, curb and water and sewer improvements, as well as updates to traffic signals, lighting, signing and more.

The suggested detour, according to the Public Works Department, is taking Park Avenue to Ninth Street to Fond du Lac Avenue to County V, and vice versa.

Some central streets closed to through traffic in mid-April for gas and water main work, sewer and laterals reconstruction, street lighting improvements, landscaping and other roadway, sidewalk and approach work.

These streets include Rees Street from Main Street to Marquette Street, Marquette Street from Merrill Avenue to Johnson Street, and Doty Street from West Division Street to the bridge.

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Division Street bridge expected to finish in May

Construction on the West Division Street bridge replacement over the Fond du Lac River's west branch began in September, and is scheduled to continue through May.

In addition to replacing the bridge and approaches, crews have been replacing concrete pavement and working on the sidewalk, storm sewer and landscaping, as well as grading and restoration. The road will remain closed from Brooke to Tallmadge streets until the project is finished.

City street and utility reconstruction projects marked for 2024

The city's ongoing annual street and utility reconstruction closes various city streets to through traffic over the next several months for replacement of sanitary sewers, water mains and services, storm sewers, curb and gutter, pavement and street lighting.

This year's work includes Bragg Street from Bell Street to Warner Street, Henning Street from Military Road to the dead end, Ninth Street from the bridge to Linden Street, and Ledgeview Avenue from Park Avenue to Amory Street.

Franklin Street will undergo water main replacement, and work on West Division Street from Talmadge Street to the railroad will be street-only.

Scheduled county highway projects include repavement

Fond du Lac County Highway Department projects for this year include pavement replacement and reconstruction on the following:

• County N: 1.4 miles from County RP east to U.S. 45 in the town of Friendship.

• County W: 6.2 miles from the Washington County line east to Campbellsport Drive in the town of Ashford.

• County QQ: 2 miles from County WH to County Q.

• County F: 0.93 miles from State 67 to the Sheboygan County line.

• County T: 7 miles from County C to Esterbrook Road in the towns of Byron and Oakfield.

• County W: 0.65 miles from County V to the village of Campbellsport northern limits.

• County MM: 0.45 miles from Beekman Street to County MMM.

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Dodge County eyed in state highway project

About 11 miles of State 26 in Dodge County is slated for pavement surface work from State 33 to just south of Milligan Road, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Construction is scheduled until about August and will include milling and overlaying the existing asphalt pavement, replacing the guardrail near the crossings at Mill Creek and Plum Creek, replacing culverts, installing rumble strips on the centerline and shoulders and improving the railroad crossing.

Crews will also increase the paved shoulder from 3 feet wide to 5 feet, using Highway Safety Improvement Funding.

For more about this project and other state projects, visit projects.511wi.gov.

Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac area road construction begins for 2024