NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN (WAOW) -
The warmer weather means it is construction season. The final
section of Highway 10 is set to be complete, connecting cities in Wood and
Portage County. Some local businesses could be taking a hit.
The new Highway 10 will connect Marshfield to Stevens Point,
and will bypass small communities like Auburndale and Junction City. But some
business owners say they'll be OK.
"I'm not worried," Auburndale County Store owner Dave Homb
said.
Once the new Highway 10 opens, fewer travelers could be
passing Homb's business. But he says he'll still have his regulars.
"We've got a core of people looking for antiques that will
still come to see us," Homb said.
Other business owners say the same thing.
"I don't think it will have a big impact, I get a lot of
locals," Stacey's Café owner Stacey Hanlan said.
Department of Transportation officials say the 31-mile
project has been under construction for the last seven years. They say it's in the
final stretch, set to be complete by the end of August.
"What it does is offer a different route for the
thru-traffic. It pulls some of the heavier trucks out of those communities,
which is sometimes helpful," DOT Operations Manager Matt Bronson said.
But some business owners rely on the drivers of those
heavier vehicles. Benny Kiskoski owns Happy Days Café in Junction City, which
is in a community that's already been bypassed by a section of the new highway.
"Especially the truckers, they don't use old Highway 10,"
Kiskoski said.
Kiskoski says as summer heats up, he hopes his business will
too.
"We're thankful to the locals that we survived through the
winter," Kiskoski said.
The owners say they plan to advertise on the new highway,
hopefully bringing in customers that would otherwise be passing them by.
DOT officials say once the entire route is open, the travel
time from Marshfield to Stevens Point should be reduced by 20 minutes.
The warmer weather means it is construction season. The final
section of Highway 10 is set to be complete, connecting cities in Wood and
Portage County. Some local businesses could be taking a hit.
The new Highway 10 will connect Marshfield to Stevens Point,
and will bypass small communities like Auburndale and Junction City. But some
business owners say they'll be OK.
"I'm not worried," Auburndale County Store owner Dave Homb
said.
Once the new Highway 10 opens, fewer travelers could be
passing Homb's business. But he says he'll still have his regulars.
"We've got a core of people looking for antiques that will
still come to see us," Homb said.
Other business owners say the same thing.
"I don't think it will have a big impact, I get a lot of
locals," Stacey's Café owner Stacey Hanlan said.
Department of Transportation officials say the 31-mile
project has been under construction for the last seven years. They say it's in the
final stretch, set to be complete by the end of August.
"What it does is offer a different route for the
thru-traffic. It pulls some of the heavier trucks out of those communities,
which is sometimes helpful," DOT Operations Manager Matt Bronson said.
But some business owners rely on the drivers of those
heavier vehicles. Benny Kiskoski owns Happy Days Café in Junction City, which
is in a community that's already been bypassed by a section of the new highway.
"Especially the truckers, they don't use old Highway 10,"
Kiskoski said.
Kiskoski says as summer heats up, he hopes his business will
too.
"We're thankful to the locals that we survived through the
winter," Kiskoski said.
The owners say they plan to advertise on the new highway,
hopefully bringing in customers that would otherwise be passing them by.
DOT officials say once the entire route is open, the travel
time from Marshfield to Stevens Point should be reduced by 20 minutes.
