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State 49 bridge closure planned in 2011

The bridge to Scandinavia will be closed from July through October in 2011.

The bridge located is located on State Highway 49 about 1.25 miles south of the village of Scandinavia.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced the bridge replacement project at an informational meeting Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Iola-Scandinavia High School.

Closure of State 49 will begin in mid-July after the 2011 Iola Old Car Show, with completion projected for October 2011.

The bridge was built in 1938.

“This bridge has met its lifetime,” stated Lynn Saeger, project manager. “The bridge is getting so it is beginning to require a lot of maintenance. It’s time to bring the roadway to current standards.”

Saeger noted that the bridge is safe, but narrower than WisDOT standards.

The WisDOT representatives received several questions during the informal meeting.

One citizen was worried about their rock garden. Civil engineer Greg Hellner expects that about 25 feet of the rock garden will need to be removed.

“Will we lose our fishing hole?” another citizen asked.

The river will not be impacted, Hellner explained. However, the river bed will no longer be narrowed by the bridge.

“It will be more of a natural channel,” Saeger said. “Currently the bridge restricts the water flow.”

The $550,000 project includes removal and replacement of the existing bridge over the South Branch of the Little Wolf River. Improvements include raising the bridge by two feet and resurfacing the approaches at each end of the bridge with asphalt.

During construction, the bridge will be closed and Hwy. 49 traffic will be detoured. The proposed WisDOT detour is via State Highways 22/54, State Highway 22 and State Highway 161.

The roadway approaches on both sides of the bridge will be closed to through traffic. Property owners with driveways within the project limits will have access to their driveways at all times during construction.

The project will be funded 80 percent federal and 20 percent state.

For more information, call Greg Heliner at 715-421-7312 or at Gregory.Hellnerdot.wi.gov.

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