SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) -- Sheboygan's mayor is calling for swift action to get the Highway 23 reconstruction project back on track.
Mayor Mike Vandersteen says federal judge Lynn Adelman's decision goes against what's actually needed in the area. "We thought the Department of Transportation was going to carry the day with the information that he requested, they supplied that information. And we feel that it's needed and it's justified." Adelman denied the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration's request to restart that construction project. Adelman had previously stopped that project after a complaint filed by the 1000 Friends of Wisconsin cited environmental concerns and whether or not the construction was really needed.
Mayor Vandersteen says leaving the construction incomplete is dangerous to the well being of the region. "That connection to the west is very important to us, and I've talked to some people from Fond Du Lac, and it's just as important for them too. That road just keeps getting more and more traffic, and it's a dangerous layout, and I really think we need to finish this project." Highway 23 is the primary connecting road between Sheboygan and Fond Du Lac, and is consistently one of the most dangerous stretches of state highway in Wisconsin.
Both State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac and State Senator Devin Lemahieu of Oostburg have already called for an appeal of that decision. There's not yet a timetable on when that might happen.
