STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — It may be several years before dirt is moved and the pavement is poured, but city leaders in Stevens Point are still deep in discussions about what Business 51 will look like once a planned reconstruction project is complete.
Mayor Mike Wiza says the city’s Public Works department had another series of public input sessions last week and is continuing to take written and oral comments on the issue.
“We want to make sure that we do it right,” said Wiza. “Traffic moves pretty quickly through there, and that’s what it is designed for. It is Business 51, it’s not a road. It’s designed to move traffic from one end of the city to the other; a main artery is what we call it.”
Wiza says some still feel that the work isn’t needed, but the crash data suggests otherwise. Many intersections on the street have higher than average numbers, meaning an upgrade could make the road safer for all who use it.
“There are design techniques that weren’t around when this road was constructed that we can use to make it safer,” he said.
Wiza added that there will likely be multiple different configurations along the road, which stretches from one end of the city limits to the other. “That’s why we are taking such a long time to get all this public input. We want to make sure we leave no stone unturned and get everyone’s concerns taken into consideration.
“Now, [not] everybody is able to have their way with the design, but we will take everything into consideration. Emergency vehicles, trash pickup, UPS deliveries, Post Office deliveries; everyone who uses that road,” he said.
Pedestrians and bicyclists will also be considered.
According to the website for the project, the design phase of the improvements will begin later this spring. The 30% design will come this fall, with no timeline for a final design.
Construction will not begin before 2023.
Other topics Wiza discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- outdoor recreation opportunities in the city as warmer weather movies in along with the return of live outdoor music this summer
8:00- Business 51 redesign input
13:20- Overnight parking on city streets
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