Fulton Street project to start in 2027

WAUPACA – The Fulton Street reconstruction plan is still within its design phase as engineers and city officials continue to finish up design elements for the project to get it out to bid this fall.
Representatives from Strand Associates, Brandon Herbert, the project manager, and Tyler Wallin, project engineer, the city’s engineering firm, along with Justin Berrens, Waupaca’s Director of Public Works, presented the current working design of Fulton Street on June 9 at the Waupaca Public Library.
The city was able to obtain a two million dollar grant through the Department of Transportation, which allowed the city to get the entire project done at once.
The entire cost is projected to be just under six million dollars, which includes the utility upgrades and road work itself.
A question that came up at the meeting was whether city taxes would increase. Berrens replied the project was factored into the budget as part of a ten-year financial plan.

The project will have three phases: Main Street to Franklin Street will be the first segment, Franklin Street to Harrison Street is segment two and Harrison Street to Hillcrest Drive is the third segment.
The first segment will be a continuation of the downtown aesthetic being that this area serves as a gateway to downtown, Herbert said.
Herbert said there will also be an option to add a City of Waupaca sign to the intersection at Main Street and Fulton Street, should the city decide to do so.
There will also be utility replacements for water and sewer, with larger water mains, going from six inches to ten inches as well as new storm sewer lines.
Sanitary sewer lines will also be increased from eight inches to 15 inches, to accommodate future growth, Wallin said.
The lines will also be placed deeper, to accommodate neighborhoods that do not have sanitary sewer lines currently; however, providing the sanitary sewer lines to neighborhoods will not be a part of this project.
Access to businesses will be maintained throughout the project, such as for Advanced Family Eye Care, whose only access to their business is through Fulton Street. Herbert said they will work with local businesses in timing to ensure there is little disruption to daily operations, like vehicular access and water shut offs. Also, there were concerns for those with mobility issues being able to park close enough to get to businesses.
The biggest change will be the reconfiguration of the lanes themselves.
From Main Street to Franklin there will be one lane moving in each direction that will be 14 feet wide, as well as a six-foot-wide parking area against the curb on each side.
They will also be adding bump-outs for crosswalks to make crossing Fulton Street safer.
The second segment of the project will be slightly different.
It will feature one lane going in each direction and a middle lane for turning, known as a Two-Way Left Turn Lane or a TWLTL.
These lanes will each be eleven feet wide, Herbert said, having skinnier lane sizes helps to decrease speeding.
With taking out the extra lane and adding the TWLTL, this allows for enlarging the terrace, or the grassy space between the road and sidewalk.
Currently from Franklin Street to Harrison Street the terrace is two feet, it will be increased to six feet with this project.
The crosswalk at Harrison Street and Fulton Street will be moved to the other side of the intersection to stay out of highway traffic, Herbert said.
The third segment will be marked for TWLTL, but it will not get a full reconstruction, instead it will be resurfaced.
Herbert said this is due to a state highway construction project set for 2032.
The resurfacing should help keep the road in working order until the state comes in to do a full reconstruction of State Highway 49.
Details on that project are still in the very early stages, Wallin said.