City dependent on state when it comes to major road fixes

Council votes this week on $200,000 Losey Blvd. repairs.

While the La Crosse city council votes this week on future funding for repairing one busy street, others still need addressing.

The worst of those are city streets that are also state highways, which is not the best situation, says Mayor Tim Kabat.

“It’s very distressing,” he said. “When the road gets to that point of condition, it’s really on (the state) to do a major repair.”

The delays for some of the rebuilding, apparently can be blamed in part on differing views on what those streets should look like.

The city prefers narrower streets with more accommodations for bikes and pedestrians. The Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation has pushed for more traffic lanes.

The DOT decides when to fix those state highways but the state and city have to agree on designs. 

That’s where some of the problems lie. La Crosse St., also Hwy. 16, is a prime example.

“La Crosse St., originally, was looking at some sort of a big expansion,” Kabat said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the city that’s interested in a five-lane La Crosse St.”

Meanwhile, the council will look into fixing a small stretch of Losey Blvd. It’s part of a much bigger repair that appears to be on hand in the near future.  

A city council committee has recommended a big picture redesign for the very busy street.

City engineer Randy Turtenwald says, while expensive, it’s much more efficient than the $200,000 that had been proposed for a quick fix of a small stretch of Losey

“$200,000 really isn’t going to do a lot out there,” he said.

The full council will weigh in on the proposal to prioritize for next year a smoothing out of the street along a stretch between State Rd. and Market St., before that larger redesign for 2019.