Though the planned reconstruction of the Business 51-Division/Church Street corridor through Stevens Point is years away, preliminary work, including environmental, architectural and historical review, is already under way.
The first phase of road work is planned to begin in 2016 and would involve the complete reconstruction of Business 51 from the southern city limits north to Patch Street. An additional phase or phases would occur at a later date to complete the reconstruction north to I-39.
The total project could cost between $20 million and $30 million, said Mayor Andrew Halverson. “I cannot overemphasize the size and scale of this project,” he said. “This is probably the largest project the city will have ever undertaken.”
The city previously received $6.1 million from the state Department of Transportation (DOT) as part of a jurisdictional transfer of the roadway. Halverson said the city would likely dedicate five years of its road borrowing, typically around $3 million per year, to the project as well.
“This is a big one,” said Scott Schatschneider, the city’s public works director. “For us this is a megaproject.”
The rest of this content is only available in our print edition.
Subscribe or locate a newsstand.
