Crivitz prepares for US 141 lane reductions and railroad crossing changes

MARINETTE – The main highway in Crivitz will be resurfaced and reconfigured this summer with lanes permanently reduced from four to two plus a third lane for left turns, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said.

WisDOT Wisconsin is preparing for the $1 million-plus summer road-construction project in Crivitz to install left-turn lanes to reduce the number of accidents occurring on Highway 141 in the village. A railroad crossing also will have lanes reduced to two and a curbed safety median installed with new signage, WisDOT said.

The construction project, involving about 1.4 miles of U.S. 141 in Crivitz, is scheduled to finish in November, according to information on WisDOT’s website. The project involves resurfacing lanes, installing new markings for one lane in each direction, and constructing medians and two-way left-turn lanes, which also are called TWLTLs pronounced “twittles,” said Kurt Vogel, project manager for WisDOT Northeast Region.​

It also will involve redoing a railroad crossing near Hall Avenue. On both sides of the crossing, U.S. 141 will be reduced to two lanes from four, with a median in the middle to prevent cars from going around the gates. The speed limit on U.S. 141 is 35 mph at the crossing, and there are no reported crashes at the location, WisDOT said. About 8,925 vehicles traveled across the tracks each day on average in 2023.

A public hearing, required for the railroad project, is scheduled for Feb. 11. Public comments also are being solicited.

The railroad tracks at U.S. 141 are rarely used today, but what the future holds is uncertain. While the prospect of higher gas prices could bode well for railroad freight transportation, the railroad also could decide to turn this line into a Rails to Trails pathway, sources said.

“The railroad is weighing their options for what they want to do,” said Jared Kinziger, Northeast Regional Railroad Coordinator at Wisconsin DOT.

Larger rail lines are putting on more trains to keep up with growing demand for freight transportation, but this particular stretch of railroad hasn’t been used for anything but repositioning cars for years, he said.

“Freight by rail is at an all-time high, absolutely. There’s less line but more tonnage. We’re the heyday of rail. It’s just not as visible. They’re putting more trains on less track,” Kinziger said. “That’s the big picture in the whole United States.”

Meanwhile, the Crivitz project is expected to begin this summer, after bids are received and a construction contract is awarded in mid-May, WisDOT said.

By reducing the number of lanes on Highway 141 from four to three, with left-turn lanes being the third lane, WisDOT hopes to make travel through Crivitz safer, said Kurt Vogel, WisDOT project manager. The stretch of Highway 141 that runs through Crivitz is in the top 5 percent of Wisconsin roads by number of accidents, Vogel said.

About 79 crashes occurred on 141 in Crivitz during the five-year period from 2016 to 2022, Vogel said. “It’s been an ongoing project. We’re trying to address safety,” he said.

With the road improvements, vehicles turning from left-turn lanes into business locations on the other side of 141 or making a left turn onto another road won’t be blocking traffic behind them, and fewer car crashes are expected to occur, he said.

“Vehicles won’t have to cross three lanes of traffic coming out of a business. It also reduces the weaving traffic, which can cause accidents and side swipes,” Vogel said. “If you’re making a left turn, you get into the TWLTL,” and out of a lane of moving traffic, he said. “If you turn left in that lane, it’s a lot safer.

There’s a lot of safety aspects to this,” he said.

The road-improvement project also involves installing a 16-foot median at an Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad (ELSR) crossing on Highway 141 where four lanes are being reduced to two lanes near the Marinette County Senior Services location and a Kohler facility. A 16-foot median installed at the railroad crossing is expected to prevent vehicles from driving around the crossing gates, said Jared Kinziger, Northeast Regional Railroad Coordinator at Wisconsin DOT.

Few trains use the tracks, and those that do are instructed by signage to slow down to 5 mph, Kinziger said.

Vogel estimated the total project cost at between $1 million and $2 million, with state and federal funds from the Highway Safety Improvement Program covering most of the costs. The Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad is being asked to pay 15% of the railroad crossing improvement project, according to document filed with the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads.

“When we cross the railroad, we can’t have that two-way left-turn lane, so we’re going to have a median so people can’t drive around the gates,” Vogel said.

The timing of the US 141 road-construction project also works well for the railroad crossing because materials at the crossing were showing signs of wear, Kinziger said. “The timing to do this is before it fails. Otherwise, you’re trying to pick up the pieces,” Kinziger said.

The project is expected to result in a smoother ride over the tracks. “Of all things, when you drive across the crossing, that’s what people notice. This is nice, smooth,” he said. “With a different suspension, it’s giving you a jolt.”

The Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad tracks are rarely used at US 141 except to turn around trains at a Y-shaped track near Hall Avenue, he said.

While maneuvering the trains in reverse has required a crew member on the ground to ensure cars traveling on the highway stop for the train, redoing the crossing with a median will eliminate the need for a crew member to get off the train and flag the crossing, Kinziger said.

Public comments are being accepted online at the Office of the Commission of Railroad’s website or by mailing a letter containing “Docket 9065-RX-37 Comments” in the heading by Monday, Feb.10.

The letter should be sent to Docket 9065-RX-37 Comments, Office of the Commissioner of Railroads, P.O. Box 7854 Madison, WI 53707-7854.

Fact box

Average daily traffic: 8,925 vehicles

Project length: 1.4 miles of US 141

Size of RR median: 16 feet with curbs

Number of lanes: two with two-way left-turn lanes

Lane reductions: four lanes to two

Cost estimated cost: $1million to $2 million

Crossing cost split: WisDOT 85%; ELSR: 15%

Project timeline: May to November