WAUSAU (WAOW) -
People living along a busy Wausau street may finally have some answers
about a road-widening project. Plans for Thomas Street have been in the works for
several years.
Now, council members say the voting is done. But some
members say they want to take a second look.
Thomas Street
sees a lot of traffic, and right now it has just two lanes. For years, city
leaders have wanted to make it wider and more efficient.
"The road is in terrible shape and something needs to
be done," Wausau City Council President Lisa Rasmussen said.
A five-lane plan was approved back in 2008. But the project
hit a snag when the city found out it wouldn't receive federal funding.
Last week, a street maintenance committee re-approved the
original plan and now it's moving forward once again.
"We are finally getting to a point in the change of
decisions where some closure and some finality can be brought to all of the
controversy surrounding Thomas Street,"
Rasmussen told Newsline 9.
Wausau's
city engineer says the five-lane plan does not need to be re-approved by the
city council. He says because it was not altered the original council vote
stands. Rasmussen says it's the right move.
"That does give the residents some clear direction as
far as what is happening and what they can expect, which is something they've
waited a really long time for," Rasmussen added.
While other council members want to give residents some
closure, they say re-evaluating the plan wouldn't be such a bad thing.
"If this takes a little bit longer, it's also forty
years beyond this that we have to look at what it's going to do to the
community," Wausau City Council Member David Oberbeck said.
City leaders say as properties along Thomas Street are acquired, each would
have to be approved by the city council. They say they hope to have the project
complete by 2017.
The project was going to be funded by federal money and tax
dollars. But since that federal money fell through, city leaders say savings in
other areas will be applied to the project.
