Politics & Government
Capitol Construction Irks Regular Commuter
Wisconsin Department of Transportation Officials say the project should wrap up by the end of June, and moving construction barrels to ease traffic flow now would actually delay the project.
Continuing construction on Capitol Drive has at least one commuter upset, but officials say the current setup helps to ensure workers will finish the project on time.
"I drive the westbound and eastbound lanes everyday with their long back-ups during the morning and evening commute," user tydurand posted to Patch. "It seems the only work being done in the last few days is the buildout of the eastbound sidewalk just west of Mountain Dr. ... What gives? Why can't this be orchestrated more efficiently to minimize the impact on traffic?"
So, what gives? Wisconsin Department of Transportation spokesperson Mike Pyritz said despite the finishing touches of the project mostly involving landscaping, curbing and some concrete work — the barrels staying in place actually speed up the process.
"We try to be very mindful of the commutes and everything," he said. "They are doing landscaping and everything else in addition to the sidewalk work — to reestablish a construction zone every single day to do that, you start losing two and three hours a day … which then of course you start adding that up – losing 15 hours a week. And (then) we're still doing the project well into July."
The Capitol Drive project is slated to be finished by the end of June. The DOT posts updates about longer projects — such as a construction project that would last from spring to fall — on its website, but limited resources do not allow the department to share updates about shorter projects such as the Capitol Drive work at this time, he said.
"But the good news is … we are getting very close to being done," Pyritz said.
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