MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — The main highway that connects Manitowoc and Two Rivers will soon be out of commission.
- Highway 42 will be closed from Manitowoc to Two Rivers for nearly two months
- Morgan Swetlick of the Village Inn on the Lake says she has questions, but is not concerned
- The road will close on April 1st
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Hundreds, if not thousands, of lakeshore drivers use Highway 42 to get between the communities each day. Soon, those drivers will have to find another way.
"It's basically the only route between Manitowoc and Two Rivers,” said project manager Brian Haen.
Highway 42 from Waldo Boulevard in Manitowoc to the West Twin River in Two Rivers will be shut down from April 1st to May 23rd.
"Every 20 years or so, we've gotta do updates,” said Haen.
Haen is from Wisconsin's Department of Transportation. The purpose, he says, is to update things such as the asphalt, sections of concrete, and storm sewers.
”We want to interrupt people in their daily lives as little as possible, but we do need to get the work done,” says Haen.
The detour will take drivers north of Manitowoc as opposed to hugging the lake. This will divert traffic away from places such as the Village Inn on the Lake.
"Are they going to loop in the businesses on what that will look like?” asks Morgan Swetlick. “Will it be affecting anybody's entrances along the lakeshore?"
Swetlick is the general manager of the inn and has many questions.
"Especially with this coming April, it will interfere with the draft a little bit, so we'll see what kind of challenges that brings,” she mentioned.
But despite this, she says the project is not concerning.
"This has been a talk for the last several years, and I think we're just ready to have a nice new drive on the lakeshore here,” Swetlick said.
Instead, she's looking at the opportunity on the other end.
"By the time construction's done, tourism season should be here and it should be a hit,” Swetlick said.
By the time April rolls around, Wisconsin DOT is asking drivers not to drive through the ongoing project unless absolutely necessary. For example, if you live along that stretch of road.
