Reader question: In the construction zones on Interstate 41, why is the speed limit reduced to 55 mph though the Neenah area but remains at 70 mph through Grand Chute and Appleton? We already had one bad crash in Grand Chute.
Answer: The speed limit in the I-41 construction zone near the State 15 interchange in Grand Chute remains 70 mph because the work doesn’t involve any lane closures or the narrowing of the traffic lanes.
That stretch of highway has northbound and southbound shoulder closures to facilitate the construction of abutments and piers, but temporary barrier walls are in place for protection. Two 12-foot traffic lanes remain, and there is a 2-foot buffer between the edge of the traffic lanes and the face of the barrier walls.
“Our statewide policy strictly states that in this configuration, with the barrier wall in place on the shoulders and through traffic still being maintained within their existing lanes of travel, we do not reduce speed limits whatsoever,” Josh Falk, regional work zone and traffic control engineer for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, told me.
Two crashes in that area, Falk said, involved drunken driving or inattentive driving.
“There’s not really much we can do from an engineering standpoint” to prevent such crashes, he said.
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The construction work in the Neenah-Fox Crossing area involves lane closures — from three lanes in one direction down to two — and lane shifts onto the shoulders and temporary pavement.
Under those conditions, the DOT policy dictates a lower speed limit.
“Anytime we shift people out of their lanes with a lane closure, we automatically go down to 55 mph,” Falk said. “Whether it’s a 70 or 65 permanent speed zone, we always drop down to 55.”
Falk said the reduced speed limit through the Neenah area — between State 441 and Breezewood Lane — will be in effect “at least for the next month and a half.”
Later in the summer, the I-41 work will move north toward the interchanges of Prospect, College and Wisconsin avenues. That stretch also will have lane closures and lane shifts, so the speed limit will be reduced from 70 mph to 55 mph.
Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to [email protected] or call him at 920-993-7176.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Why is the Interstate 41 speed limit still 70 mph during construction?
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