Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/355934
10 | I nsIgh t • A u g u s t 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m UP FRONT R e g i o n a l R o u n d u p » 1 1 F a c e T i m e » 1 7 C o n n e c t i o n s » 2 0 "It's going to be nice to see that full interchange open. Not just for our customers, but for this whole northeast quadrant to the Fox Cities." – John Burgland, Fox River Mall general manager J oh n Bu rg l a n d m ay hav e been the happiest man in northeast Wisconsin to see bulldozers begin moving mounds of earth to add a northbound exit from eastbound highway 441 onto u.s. highway 41. he's been waiting a long time. as the general manager of the Fox river mall, one of the recurring complaints he receives from shoppers coming from areas west of appleton is the inconvenience of not being able to turn north on highway 41 to get to the mall. While there are alternate routes, they are neither convenient, nor easy to find for those not familiar with the area. "right now, people can see us, but they just can't get here from there," says Burgland. "It's going to be nice to see that full interchange open. not just for our customers, but for this whole northeast quadrant to the Fox Cities." In mid-July, state and local officials held a groundbreaking celebrating the start of the long-anticipated project. almost immediately, work began in earnest, as construction workers and equipment began moving mounds of earth to prepare the site for the five- year, $475 million project. e reconstruction of highway 441, which will include an additional bridge across little lake Butte des morts and reconfigured interchanges B y S e a n P. J o h n s o n Four-way start Reconstructed 441 will allow traffic in all directions from highway 41 to oneida street, will take nearly five years to complete. e new bridge is expected to take nearly two years to finish, then the existing bridge will be closed so it can be upgraded. once completed, each bridge will handle traffic in a single direction. highway 441, still known regionally as the tri-County expressway, was completed nearly 20 years ago and is considered one of the essential regional connectors, without which much of the residential and commercial development in the eastern regions of the Fox Cities would not have occurred. e project has a unique history in Wisconsin. It was the first time where the land acquisition for a highway project was completed by the local communities along the proposed route, who then offered it to the state. It took a concerted lobbying effort by a regional citizens committee to convince the state to participate in the project. C o u r t e s y o f w i s C o n s i n D o t An aerial image of the current and planned US 41/441 interchange. The current configuration is on the left. The planned configuration is on the right. Untying the knot