Contact: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
WAUSAU – Governor Jim Doyle and Congressman Dave Obey today celebrated the completion of the Highway 29 interchange, the last major milestone in the reconstruction of the US Highway 51 and State Highway 29 corridor in Wausau. They were joined at the event by Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple and other state and local officials.
“I am pleased today to celebrate the completion of this critical highway project in central Wisconsin,” Governor Doyle said. “This project will allow us to meet the increasing demands of the fast-growing Wausau area. I want to thank Congressman Dave Obey and all our federal, state and local partners who helped make this project possible.”
“The completion of this project gives Wausau and Marathon County a 21st century transportation system to meet the needs of a 21st century economy,” Congressman Obey said. “I am pleased that Governor Doyle and Transportation Secretary Busalacchi have been so incredibly helpful in keeping this project moving forward.”
The project involved expanding the highway from four lanes to six lanes between the Highway 29 east and Highway 29 west interchanges, reconstructing interchanges within the area to improve efficiency and safety and long-term improvements to the adjacent local transportation system. The Governor provided $160.45 million in state transportation funding for the 51/29 project, which cost $309 million overall.
The Wausau area is one of the fastest growing areas in the state. Current average daily traffic on the reconstructed segment of US Highway 51 and State Highway 29 is 62,000 vehicles, with that number expected to exceed 115,000 by 2030.
