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Road Construction

Washburn Road Construction 2024

Updated as of 5/2/24

Road Construction for phase one of the Bayfield St. project started in March. The detour route will be open through November and traffic should follow that route. There is signage on the route to help you navigate to the businesses on Bayfield St.. Additional signage has been placed on the avenues to help direct you once you are off the detour route and on the side streets. Not all cross streets are open to access the north side of the city and the businesses on that side of Bayfield St. you may need to park and then walk to the next open cross street. All businesses are open during the construction.

The Chamber has put together a map to guide you to your favorite Washburn businesses as well. click the image to the right to view and or download a copy. You can pick up physical copies at the chamber office. They will also be available at local businesses, hotels and visitor information centers.

As new information becomes available we will update this page. We will also include an update in our newsletter that goes out each week on Thursday afternoon. Scroll to the very bottom of this page to sign up if you would like to be added to the list.

Please use our contact page if you have questions or need assistance. We will do our best to provide an answer or get you in touch with someone who can help.

You can find more information about Washburn road construction on the cities website HERE, or on the Wisconsin DOT website HERE.

Click the image to download a phase one detour map.

Washburn Road Construction Updates

Things are moving along with the road construction. Hoffman Construction has finished removing the concrete pavement from 2nd to 8th Ave W. They have stepped aside to allow Jake’s Excavating to get ahead of them with water and sewer work. They will be working from 3rd to 5th Ave W. for the next 3 weeks. Because of that, starting Monday, the intersection at 4th Ave. W & Bayfield St. (where Patsy’s is) will be closed to car and foot traffic and you will have to cross at 6th Ave W. until they are done at the end of the month. Once they finish this section then they will open up 4th again. Hoffman plans to be back on site around May 13th to start installing the storm sewer at Washington Ave.

At this time traffic will still be allowed to cross from the South to the North at 2nd Ave, 4th Ave, and 8-11th Ave. But again, as of Monday, it will be 2nd Ave, 6th Ave, and 8th -11 Ave W. Thanks to the city for creating the image above for reference.

Here are a few more updates:

  • We are still waiting for the gravel to be laid on Washington Ave from Omaha to the alley. Hopefully that will be done soon so people can start accessing Coco’s & Chippewa Valley Bank from the West again.
  • Last week we posted a cool video that provides a bird’s eye view of the work that has been done up to this point on Facebook. You can watch it HERE.
  • Signage has been added to the Avenues. We are working with the city to get them placed appropriately. There have been issues with people moving the signs from the right of way into the street which has caused some confusion. We are doing our best to keep up with these issues. Please understand that we are an office of 2 and we are doing what we can in addition to our normal work load to make sure people know how to navigate around this project. It’s also important to note that the signage is meant to help visitors navigate off the detour to the businesses on Bayfield St. There are constant daily changes that make providing signage difficult. One day a sign may not be accurate and the next day it is correct again. We cannot create a sign for every possible scenario. This is where patients and understanding can go a long way. 

Detour Route

Main Route

If you are coming from Ashland, the detour starts at Hwy 13 and Bigelow St.. You will turn right onto Bigelow St. and follow the signs. The end of the route is on the corner of Bayfield ST. (Hwy 13) and 1st Ave W. That is where you will enter if coming from Bayfield. The map on the left shows you the full detour for this phase of the project

Entering and Exiting the Detour

We noticed that a lot of people are confused about how to enter and exit the detour from the East end. The image to the right shows the flow of traffic and where people need to stop. The double stop signs in front of the chamber office are NOT suggestions! Please pay attention if you are on Bayfield St. between 2nd & 1st Ave W Headed towards Bayfield. You must stop as oncoming traffic does not have to stop.

Also, Please note that there is no parking along the detour route. This includes on 1st Ave W. next to the chamber. However, you can drive and park on the 100 block of Bayfield St. for the duration of the project. The detour ahead signs are standard but you can still utilize this section while the work is being done.

Signage has changed at the West entrance to the detour (coming off HWY 13 from Ashland) we are working on getting an image like the one above created to help explain how that intersection works too. It will be available soon.

Accessing Businesses On Washington Ave

The work on Washington Ave, just south of Bayfield St. is almost complete. Omaha St. is open making it easier to access businesses on 3rd Ave W. The image to the left shows how you can access businesses still affected by this section of work if you are traveling West through the city.

Coco’s & Chippewa Valley Bank have been the most impacted businesses at this time. You can’t access them by car from Washington Ave. or Bayfield St.. Currently, you can only access them through the alley off of 2nd Ave W. or by walking to them on Bayfield St.. It was mentioned during the construction meeting on 4/23/24 that they will be laying gravel on the Washington Ave. soon which would open Washington Ave. up to the alley so that you can access these businesses again from the alley off of Washington Ave.

Access to the businesses on the North side of Bayfield St. will need to use 4th Ave W. to cross over. Once on the North side turn right on Pine St.. You can access the parking lot between Sweet Fern Apothecary/Seeds of Well Being & 211 Martini from the alley on 3rd Ave W.. To do that turn right off of Pine St. at 3rd Ave W. and then turn Left into the alley. You can use that parking lot or you can park on Pine St. or 3rd Ave. W when going to the businesses in that area. If you do park on 3rd Ave W. It would be best not to park between the alley and Bayfield St. ***As of Monday, May 6th you will not be able to use 4th Ave W. to access these businesses for about 3 weeks. We will provide new directions next week to help navigate this change in access.

Washburn Road Construction Fast Facts

General Information

  • The detour route is not open to ATVs, or UTVs.
  • Reach out to the city or the chamber if you have any questions or concerns and we will do our best to help.
  • 11th Ave W, 9th Ave W, 8th Ave W, 4th Ave W & 2nd Ave W are the designated open cross streets. Use only these Avenues to cross Bayfield St. by car or by foot. Open status is subject to change at any time. *** As of 5/6/24 you will need to use 6th Ave W instead of 4th Ave W to cross Bayfield St.
  • The businesses are doing their best to navigate this disruption. Please be patient with them as they work out the logistics. Also please continue to support them while this work is taking place.

Driving Information

  • The speed limit on the detour is 25 miles per hour. Law enforcement will be monitoring the road and they will give tickets. Tickets in a construction zone are doubled!
  • The lettering on the signs on the detour are set to WISDOT standards for the posted speed limit. If you can’t read them you are going too fast.
  • There are a lot of people not following the posted traffic signage. It is getting better each day but it is still happening. As you drive through the city pretend you are in a new place that you have never visited before and look at all the posted signage. We all work on muscle memory, also known as driving on auto pilot, in places we know and are used to. Doing that now could get you a ticket or could lead to an accident.

Parking Information

  • You can park and drive on Bayfield St. between 1st Ave W & 2nd Ave W. This is for business traffic only. If you are not visiting a business on that street please stay on the detour until 1st Ave W or join the detour at 1st Ave. W. If you are on Bayfield St. between 1st & 2nd Ave W and are headed towards Ashland you will need to turn right onto 2nd Ave W between Cozy Corner Guitar and the Cenex Gas Station to get onto Washington Ave or left to get onto Omaha and the detour. If 2nd Ave W is closed you may need to make a U-Turn on Bayfield St. to get back out.
  • You can not park on the detour route.
  • Parking on the avenues is discouraged especially the ones that are not open as a cross street. Parking for Bayfield St. businesses is available on Omaha from 11th Ave W to 3rd Ave W.

Business Information

  • If you are a business owner please contact the chamber with questions about signage. We are handling that for everyone including non-members. Talk with us before doing anything with signs, we can help save you a lot of time and money.
  • The next meeting for businesses with the contractors and the project coordinators is tentatively set for Tuesday, May 7th at 1pm in the basement of the library. This is not a public meeting this is for the business community only.
  • Reach out to the city or the chamber if you have any questions or concerns and we will do our best to help.
  • If you need a graphic to help show customers how to get to your business reach out to the chamber and we can create one for you.