Governor approves US 53 freeway pavement improvement work

Construction from Golf Road in Eau Claire to 40th Avenue in Lake Hallie to start on US 53 southbound lanes, with work on US 53 northbound lanes to follow

Release date: May 28, 2025

To invest in Wisconsin’s transportation system, Gov. Tony Evers has signed a $10 million contract with prime contractor Chippewa Concrete Services, Inc. of Chippewa Falls for a pavement improvement project on north- and southbound US 53 from Golf Road in Eau Claire to 40th Avenue in Lake Hallie. Construction tentatively is scheduled to start Monday, June 2.

The concrete pavement on this section of US 53 and the ramps on its interchanges are showing signs of deterioration. To address this, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is planning to:

• Make repairs to or remove and replace segments of concrete pavement
• Overlay southbound US 53 with asphalt from WIS 312 (North Crossing) in Eau Claire to County OO in Lake Hallie
• Replace guardrail and signage
• Place new pavement markings

Construction will start on southbound US 53 at the Golf Road interchange, and crews will work their way north. Work north of the North Crossing cannot occur until after July 7. Once work on the southbound lanes and interchange ramps is complete, crews will switch to the northbound US 53 lanes beginning at Golf Road.

During construction, US 53 will remain open to traffic, but motorists will encounter single-lane closures on US 53 during nonpeak travel times, along with single-lane or full closure of interchange ramps along the project corridor. In addition, there will be daytime, nighttime and some Saturday work and reduced speed limits where work is occurring.

Construction is scheduled for completion in late October.

For more information, visit the project’s construction website: projects.511wi.gov/us53freeway/.

Motorists are reminded that using handheld cell phones in Wisconsin work zones is illegal. Alerts and updates provided via these sites are not intended for use while driving. When driving, your focus should always be on driving.