Hundreds Attend Public Hearing On Highway 23 Expansion Proposal
20 June 2018 News
The expansion of State Highway 23 from Fond du Lac to Plymouth to a four-lane expressway can’t come soon enough for Fond du Lac and Sheboygan County residents. A number of them packed into the Prairie Theater at the UW-Fond du Lac Tuesday night for a public hearing held by the state DOT. The expansion project was held up years ago due to a lawsuit by the 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin. Arnold Baganz of Fond du Lac blames the group for the traffic deaths that have occurred on the highway since that lawsuit. He said, “This is not a game. The group of people called Friends of Wisconsin, Friends of Wisconsin. I believe are responsible for the deaths that have occurred.” Andy Horn of St. Cloud is a firefighter and EMT who has had to deal with some of those tragic accidents. He says, “and it is not only the people that are endangered themselves, it is also the EMT’s, the ambulance service, the firefighters that come in actually have to pick up the pieces and hold traffic and do the safety work on this highway.” The public hearing was for the limited scope supplemental environmental impact statement being prepared for the new project. A decision is expected this fall. The DOT’s preferred alternative is a four-lane expressway on the 19-mile stretch of highway. Construction could begin next year and wrap up in 2021.
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