Janesville Road Project Inches Toward Reality

The curtain is now set to rise on the long-awaited Janesville Road reconstruction project as an agreement to combine responsibilties under one contractor from the county was approved Tuesday night.

"It feels like we've been waiting for this road to get done for about 100 years," said Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti as the Common Council voted unanimously to approve the agreement. In it, Waukesha County will take on responsibilities for items such as streetscaping, sidewalks, street lighting and water main relocation. The move is expected to save approximately 15 percent on project costs - approximately $127,000 - as there will only be one contractor, and save time in completing the project.

, had a dress rehearsal of sorts with the installation of underground utilities along the eastern half of the route from Moorland Road to Lannon Drive, beginning in late summer 2011. The remainder of the utility lines will be buried this year on the western half of the route to Racine Avenue by winter. At the same time, the roadway will be torn up to widen the city's main artery to four lanes with a median on the eastern half of Janesville Road.

The entire project will be completed in fall of 2013, and county officials have promised that motorists will still be able to drive downtown and get to businesses.