WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau City Council has approved a plan to complete another $250,000 worth of mill and overlay projects in the city, thanks to last year’s mild winter.
Mayor Doug Diny says that means, give or take, another two miles of street work. “A typical 33-foot, back-to-back curb street, that could be about 20 to 25 blocks,” said Diny. “We were at $600,000. Now we’re adding another $250,000, a roughly 50% increase or 20-25 blocks.”
City engineers will now analyze which of the roughly 30 miles of poorly-rated roads will get the treatment. Diny says there is a lot to consider, such as areas that are due up on the city’s efforts to replace lead service lines. Those areas will likely be passed over. “If we are going to [replace] lead service lines, replace the utilities next year, it would not make sense to put a new road in there to come back and tear it up [later]. So there are a lot of moving parts to this.”
Alder Tom Neal immediately lobbied for a one-block stretch of Hamilton Street between 5th and 6th. He says crews have been busy replacing lead service lines, and the street is notorious for potholes every winter. “It’s my impression that once the service lines are done and everything is flattened back over, this could be relaied so it’s not a pothole situation anymore.”
Diny says he expects to hear more requests like that, but he’s considering that feedback. “It’s going to be an engineering analysis, but as you heard Alder Neal lobby for his street, I suspect we will get over there and look at it.
“There are a lot of moving parts to this. But I think what you saw tonight is… everybody wants to fix the roads. That’s a core principle and fundamental service we should be offering,” added Diny.
The funds went unspent from last year’s winter maintenance budget. The Council made a similar move in 2024, spending an extra $200,000.
Mill and overlay projects involve grinding the top layer of pavement from the road surface, then overlaying new pavement. The technique is used on streets that have a poor driving surface but don’t require a full reconstruction, which could involve the replacement of underground utilities and sidewalks.
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