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Highway 10 routes criticized

By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
How interested are people about Highway 10 bypass options and river crossings?

About 150 interested people crammed into the Pineries Room of the Charles M. White Library Tuesday night and more than 100 others had to be turned away for a meeting on proposed Highway 10 bypasses sponsored by Concerned Citizens of Wisconsin. At that informational meeting, organizers also presented petitions containing 1,850 signatures against a proposed Highway 10 bypass northeast of Stevens Point to local, Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources officials.

dThe controversy stems from the DOT's plans to complete making Highway 10 a four-lane highway between Appleton and Marshfield. While Highway 10 currently travels through Stevens Point on Main and Clark streets, the DOT wants the highway out of the city so driving speeds could stay at highway speed limits.

Proposed Highway 10 bypass alternatives include veering off from its current course near Highway J and going either to the south or north. Bypass alternatives northeast of the city would require creating new four-lane corridors through and building new bridges over the Plover River, Lost Creek, Spring Creek and Hay Meadow Creek. One northeast bypass alternative would pass to the south of the Stevens Point Municipal Airport and connect to Interstate 39 near Highway 66. Other northeast bypass alternatives would be north of the airport and cross the Plover River south of Jordan Park. The southern Highway 10 bypass would connect to the Highway HH corridor.

DOT officials have identified possible new Wisconsin River crossings in the vicinity of Highway X and Mayflower Road, both of which have drawn fire from opponents.

A bypass would have impacts on both people and wildlife, moderator Dan Dieterich said.

The meeting lasted just under an hour. Representatives from several local organizations gave brief remarks stating their positions.

Dan Trainer spoke on behalf of the Green Circle Trail Committee and Plover River Alliance. Both organizations are against any bypass going over the Plover River.

The Green Circle and Plover River add to the quality of life in the area and would be negatively impacted by a bypass, Trainer said.

There has been talk about relocating the airport and city well fields out of the path of a bypass, but Trainer questions how much can really be relocated.

"How are you going to relocate the Plover River?" Trainer asked.
Mike Splinter, immediate past president of the Bill Cook Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, called the Plover River corridor "a true jewel in our area - one which is priceless."

A canoe trip down the nearly undeveloped Plover River from Jordan Park to Iverson Park is a "wonderful four-hour canoe experience," Splinter said.

The position of the chapter is that a four-lane highway is primarily a conduit for business and shouldn't cross a wild river, Splinter said. If Highway 10 needs a new connection to Interstate 39, it should use existing roadbeds. Businesses can be moved and there's no guarantee they'll be here 100 years from now.

"If you leave a river alone, I guarantee the river will be there," Splinter said.

The Portage County Park Commission remains opposed to a northeast bypass because it would be detrimental to the quality and use of Jordan Park, said Bill Zimdars, commission secretary. Disturbing an old landfill south of the park could also release toxins into the environment.

Bypass alternatives that call for closing the Highway X interchange at Interstate 39 would increase emergency response times to areas now reached by that interchange, firefighters said.

Right now it takes an ambulance driving at normal speed limits a little more than six minutes to drive from the Franklin Street fire station to the Sunset Drive-Starlight Ballroom area, said Scott Rifleman, Stevens Point firefighter and paramedic. Closing the X interchange would increase the response time by almost four minutes, because the ambulance would have to take North Second Drive.

The response time to the Sawmill Road-Scenic Drive area would increase from the current six minutes by 4.5 minutes, because the ambulance would have to use North Second and cross the Casmir Road overpass to get to the area.

The town of Hull Fire Department would also have increased response times, which could cause increased home insurance rates, because it would have to negotiate the Highway 10 bypass, Hull Fire Chief Mark Kluck said.

"The faster you can get there with the right equipment, the better your chances are of that person surviving," Kluck said.

Town of Hull Chairman John Holdridge, who is also a member of the Highway 10 Citizen's Advisory Committee, reaffirmed the town's opposition to the Highway X and modified Highway X alternatives.

Holdridge doesn't know of any local government that would welcome the Highway 10 bypass, which is a change from a decade ago. While researching town files, he found a 1990 newspaper clipping telling how the town of Plover and villages of Whiting and Plover supported a plan that called for bypassing Highway 10 traffic onto Highway 54.

State officials need to reach closure on the Highway 10 bypass issue, Holdridge said.

"(Reaching closure) would be an enormous step forward for central Wisconsin," Holdridge said.

Dr. Huib Vriesendorp of the Marshfield Clinic said the clinic supports whatever solution would get a four-lane Highway 10 built to Marshfield in the quickest time. Clinic officials have written a letter to the DOT stating their position.

Because of the large turnout, organizers plan to hold a second information meeting in the near future, Dieterich said.



	Highway 10 routes criticized By BRIAN LEAHY of The Gazette How interested are people about Highway 10 bypass options and river crossings? About 150 interested people crammed into the Pineries Room of the Charles M. White Library Tuesday night and more than 100 others had to be turned away for a meeting on proposed Highway 10 bypasses sponsored by Concerned Citizens of Wisconsin. At that informational meeting, organizers also presented petitions containing 1,850 signatures against a proposed Highway 10 bypass northeast of Stevens Point to local, Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources officials. dThe controversy stems from the DOT's plans to complete making Highway 10 a four-lane highway between Appleton and Marshfield. While Highway 10 currently travels through Stevens Point on Main and Clark streets, the DOT wants the highway out of the city so driving speeds could stay at highway speed limits. Proposed Highway 10 bypass alternatives include veering off from its current course near Highway J and going either to the south or north. Bypass alternatives northeast of the city would require creating new four-lane corridors through and building new bridges over the Plover River, Lost Creek, Spring Creek and Hay Meadow Creek. One northeast bypass alternative would pass to the south of the Stevens Point Municipal Airport and connect to Interstate 39 near Highway 66. Other northeast bypass alternatives would be north of the airport and cross the Plover River south of Jordan Park. The southern Highway 10 bypass would connect to the Highway HH corridor. DOT officials have identified possible new Wisconsin River crossings in the vicinity of Highway X and Mayflower Road, both of which have drawn fire from opponents. A bypass would have impacts on both people and wildlife, moderator Dan Dieterich said. The meeting lasted just under an hour. Representatives from several local organizations gave brief remarks stating their positions. Dan Trainer spoke on behalf of the Green Circle Trail Committee and Plover River Alliance. Both organizations are against any bypass going over the Plover River. The Green Circle and Plover River add to the quality of life in the area and would be negatively impacted by a bypass, Trainer said. There has been talk about relocating the airport and city well fields out of the path of a bypass, but Trainer questions how much can really be relocated. "How are you going to relocate the Plover River?" Trainer asked. Mike Splinter, immediate past president of the Bill Cook Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, called the Plover River corridor "a true jewel in our area - one which is priceless." A canoe trip down the nearly undeveloped Plover River from Jordan Park to Iverson Park is a "wonderful four-hour canoe experience," Splinter said. The position of the chapter is that a four-lane highway is primarily a conduit for business and shouldn't cross a wild river, Splinter said. If Highway 10 needs a new connection to Interstate 39, it should use existing roadbeds. Businesses can be moved and there's no guarantee they'll be here 100 years from now. "If you leave a river alone, I guarantee the river will be there," Splinter said. The Portage County Park Commission remains opposed to a northeast bypass because it would be detrimental to the quality and use of Jordan Park, said Bill Zimdars, commission secretary. Disturbing an old landfill south of the park could also release toxins into the environment. Bypass alternatives that call for closing the Highway X interchange at Interstate 39 would increase emergency response times to areas now reached by that interchange, firefighters said. Right now it takes an ambulance driving at normal speed limits a little more than six minutes to drive from the Franklin Street fire station to the Sunset Drive-Starlight Ballroom area, said Scott Rifleman, Stevens Point firefighter and paramedic. Closing the X interchange would increase the response time by almost four minutes, because the ambulance would have to take North Second Drive. The response time to the Sawmill Road-Scenic Drive area would increase from the current six minutes by 4.5 minutes, because the ambulance would have to use North Second and cross the Casmir Road overpass to get to the area. The town of Hull Fire Department would also have increased response times, which could cause increased home insurance rates, because it would have to negotiate the Highway 10 bypass, Hull Fire Chief Mark Kluck said. "The faster you can get there with the right equipment, the better your chances are of that person surviving," Kluck said. Town of Hull Chairman John Holdridge, who is also a member of the Highway 10 Citizen's Advisory Committee, reaffirmed the town's opposition to the Highway X and modified Highway X alternatives. Holdridge doesn't know of any local government that would welcome the Highway 10 bypass, which is a change from a decade ago. While researching town files, he found a 1990 newspaper clipping telling how the town of Plover and villages of Whiting and Plover supported a plan that called for bypassing Highway 10 traffic onto Highway 54. State officials need to reach closure on the Highway 10 bypass issue, Holdridge said. "(Reaching closure) would be an enormous step forward for central Wisconsin," Holdridge said. Dr. Huib Vriesendorp of the Marshfield Clinic said the clinic supports whatever solution would get a four-lane Highway 10 built to Marshfield in the quickest time. Clinic officials have written a letter to the DOT stating their position. Because of the large turnout, organizers plan to hold a second information meeting in the near future, Dieterich said.