Bypass reopens, eases gridlock traffic

NEW LONDON — Traffic flows through the newly constructed roundabout at North Shawano Street, County Road D, and the U.S. Highway 45 bypass on Tuesday, July 14, following a partial reopening of the corridor late yesterday afternoon. The bypass had been completely closed to traffic since late March, causing more than three and a half months of severe traffic gridlock inside the city, which peaked during historic mid-April flooding. While the reopening heavily alleviates bottlenecks through downtown and Business 45, WisDOT notes that the U.S. 45 northbound off-ramp to State Highway 54 will remain closed until July 20 as crews continue intersection modifications.