JSOnline’s DayWatch reports the potentially-good news. The water levels on the Rock and Crawfish Rivers are dropping, and the DOT will be able to examine the closed westbound bridges for damage. If there is none, the crossovers built to get westbound traffic onto one of the eastbound lanes and avoid the very-lengthy detour on Hwy. 83, I-43 and I-39/90 will be shut down and traffic will get to use both lanes each way.
DOT spokesman Dennis Shook (my Waukesha readers can tell you stories about him) had a, shall we say, interesting quote on the crossover: “Even though they are going slow, people are happy they are able to travel westbound at all. Five or 10 miles an hour on the crossover is better than getting detoured all the way down to Beloit.” It is a matter of perspective and timing. If one avoids the Hwy. 83 portion of the old detour, I’d rather be doing 70 or so down 43 and 90 than doing 5-10 mph on the 5-mile crossover and the couple miles leading up to the crossover. That said, if I don’t have to be there during the crunch times, I’d rather have that crossover.
