Potholes plague Highway 14
JANESVILLE — It’s like Highway 14 is melting before our eyes.
Families of potholes are multiplying along the state road east of Janesville.
And it probably will get worse before it gets better, because repairs aren’t scheduled until September.
“I know it’s in poor condition. It’s in poor shape,” said Todd Matheson, Rock County project supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “I drove it Monday night.”
Potholes and road deterioration come from a combination of factors, said Rick Marz, roadway operations engineer for the southwest region—including Rock County—with the DOT.
As the road ages, snow and water creep into the cracks. When it gets cold, the ice “pops” and a pothole is born, Marz said.
The DOT plans to mill and repave Highway 14 east of Janesville from County O in La Prairie Township to Highway 89 in Walworth County’s Darien Township between September and October of this year. Crews will grind down the surface of the 10.5-mile stretch and coat it with fresh pavement.
The project cost is estimated at $2.5 million.
Crews will patch some of the worst potholes this summer, Matheson said. But even the repave is a temporary fix.
This year, the DOT will wrap up a five-year study on a corridor along highways 14 and 11 from just west of Janesville to the Interstate 43/Highway 14 interchange in Darien.
The DOT is looking at the possibility of connecting Highway 14 to the Highway 11 bypass on Janesville’s west side as well as studying highway use, regional needs and transportation alternatives.
So this summer’s project is just a seven- to 10-year fix to make Highway 14 drivable, Matheson said.
“We don’t want to throw a lot of money into something we’re going to change,” Matheson said.
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Mar 1, 2008 at 5 p.m.
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We have quit using Hwy 11, taking Cty A to Janesville. Three years ago truck drivers at work told me they wouldn't use 11. The rebuild in '92 wasn't properly done. Lots of dips at the culverts.
Feb 29, 2008 at 10:33 p.m.
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Who do I send the bill to for my re-alignment? (Of two cars) - the county, or the state?
Feb 29, 2008 at 9:01 p.m.
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Hwy 11 west of Janesville is also in very bad shape with multiple potholes especially in the areas near Rockport Road and County H. I can see the potential for some very bad accidents if the conditions continue to degrade. The potholes are deep, clear through the overlay, and getting larger every day with the freeze-thaw cycles that we are going through. In some areas the entire overlay may break loose and every time we have to plow snow, more damage is inevitable. I suggest the declaration of a highway emergency in these areas with postings and lower speeds until some repairs can be made. In some places it is impossible to avoid hitting these potholes and dangerous to try. Please be careful and slow down. At the very least you risk damaging your vehicle and making it less safe to drive on the roads that are still in good shape.
Feb 29, 2008 at 8:31 p.m.
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We need a law to ban potholes, obviously.
Feb 29, 2008 at 7:17 p.m.
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If you think 14 is bad try driving 59 from Evansville to Edgerton some time. The sides of the road are literally falling off! There is a couple sinks in the road that will throw you through the windsheild if your not buckled up! I saw a county plow truck go over one near Morrisons auto salvage at about 35 (even though there is a bump sign) and I thought the truck was going to flip over!
Feb 29, 2008 at 7:06 p.m.
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Perhaps if a local road construction company were to give Governor Doyle a campaign contribution they would be rewarded with a totally unrelated no-bid contract to fix the potholes on Hwy. 14.
Feb 29, 2008 at 4:49 p.m.
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I agree with michellemt640.
It's NOT going to last untill September.
Feb 29, 2008 at 3 p.m.
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Here is a Link showing the $427 million raided by the "Frankenstein Veto.
http://badgerblogalliance.blogspot.com/2...
Feb 29, 2008 at 1:30 p.m.
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If Governor Doyle would stop raiding the Transportation Department funds to "balance" the budget we probably wouldn't be in this mess. HWY 14 East between HWY 140/Emerald Grove and Janesville is a disaster.
Feb 29, 2008 at 1:25 p.m.
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In Union Township on Hwy 14, you can't even aviod the holes. Yesterday the county was out there filling the holes with sand and gravel, what the heck do they think that is going to do? It's sad when you know that you are in Dane County because the road is smooth and salted.
Feb 29, 2008 at 1:15 p.m.
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I took that highway a few days ago and it's bad the whole way to Madison.
Feb 29, 2008 at 12:54 p.m.
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Highway 14 north of Evansville south of Brooklyn is also plagued with potholes. Will anything be done with this stretch of 14? Also why is the Dane county section of 14 between Brooklyn and Madison always salted to a much greater extent than the rock county portion of 14 which seems to have very little if any salt applied after snows? My wife and I joke that Rock county has wiped this part of highway 14 from the map hoping it will just go away so they don't have to deal with the mess!
Feb 29, 2008 at 12:45 p.m.
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I thought the reason I-43 was built was to alleviate the truck traffic on 14. That would help with overall road conditions, too, wouldn't it?
Feb 29, 2008 at 11:58 a.m.
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September!?! That raod will not last until September!
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