HOWARD (NBC 26) — In less than a month, construction on the expansion of Lineville Road will stop until the spring, set to finish by mid-November 2025.
- Get a bird's eye view of the progress on expanding Lineville Road in Howard so far
- As we have previously reported the new road will be four lanes
- Crews are also building a new storm sewer system, curbs and gutters, expanded roundabouts and a new multi-use trail
- Meet a business owner already thinking about how to draw in customers when the road closes in front of her shop next year
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
This stretch of Lineville Road has transformed since the Spring. I'm your Howard neighborhood reporter Pari Apostolakos here where businesses are thinking about what the next phase of this multi-million dollar project means for their customers.
Despite having some loyal regulars, employees at The Bottle Room on Lineville say it's been a slower Summer and Fall ...
"We get calls a lot asking if we're open," Bartender Hilary Treml said. "Or people will call from like the other side of Howard asking us how to get here."
Construction along Lineville, now from Cardinal Lane to Velp Avenue, has dragged on for months. While that chunk of work ends next month, new work will start next year.
Katherine Forrest owns kitchen supply store Season to Taste. She said she's already brainstorming how to draw customers when the construction begins in front of her shop.
"At the very least, you deserve a free cup of hot coffee when you come in," Forrest said.
Acknowledging it's been tough for businesses, Forrest does believe the project to expand Lineville will be worthwhile.
"If you try to get out and take a left on Lineville in the afternoon here it can be really dicey," Forrest said. "So it'll be really nice when it's widened and there's some more stop signs."
Michael Piacenti with the Brown County Highway Department said if there aren't any major setbacks the $9.5 million project could finish ahead of schedule and within budget.
"I know we've been impactful on business and we tried to minimize that along with looking out for the safety of the workers that are out here," the Operations Manager said.
In less than a month, the current construction on Lineville should be done. The next phase, construction along Lineville from Velp Avenue to Interstate 41 begins in the spring.
The final stage of construction is set to finish by mid-November 2025.
