State transportation officials say the Interstate 41 expansion through the Fox Valley is on budget and on schedule, with another busy construction year ahead.
At a public meeting Tuesday at Fox Valley Technical College, Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials updated residents on the 23-mile project, which runs from Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton to Scheuring Road in De Pere. The work, estimated at $1.16 billion, began in April 2024 and is not expected to be fully finished until the end of the decade.
The project widens the interstate from four lanes to six, builds three diverging diamond interchanges and replaces 11 local overpasses and underpasses. Officials said at least one segment in Brown County would open to traffic by Thursday.
Crews finished the French Road and Buchanan Street overpasses this past summer, and six interchange projects were under construction this year, with half expected to open this fall. Mainline segments between Lynndale Drive and County JJ will not be finished until at least 2028, and eight more interchange or underpass projects are scheduled for 2027.
Project development manager Kurt Peters said strong competition on bids has helped the budget, though higher fuel prices are under review. A virtual meeting on the project is scheduled for Nov. 4 at 5 p.m.
