Linking highway between Wisconsin and Michigan gets makeover

NIAGARA, Wisc. — A ground breaking ceremony was held in Wisconsin Wednesday to celebrate a new construction project that may have a large impact on residents traveling between Wisconsin and Michigan.

In just under two weeks, motorists traveling through Niagara will see the beginning stages of the city’s Utility and Streetscape Improvement Project.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation expressed interest in redoing the stretch of US-141 the city is located on. As the city looked into the project, a need to replace the 100-year old pipe lines became a concern.

The utility-replacement project became priority, and after finding funds for the $2.7 million project, the city is ready to re-build.

“A lot of this now is starting out what I call a rebirth. It’ll open up the city so when people drive in they can see we’re moving forward,” said Niagara Mayor, George Bousley. “Then when people come in to look for potential jobs, or when companies come in, then they will see we have the infrastructure that will take care of it.”

The USDA Rural Development contributed a large part of the funding through a $900,000 grant as well as a low-interest loan for just over $1 million.

The utility-upgrades on US-141 are slated to start sometime around August 20 with an end date projected in July of 2017. A date is still yet to be set for the start of the road replacement.