What’s that dirt piling up along I-41 south of Scheuring Road near De Pere? We found out

DE PERE — If you’ve headed into or out of the Green Bay area via Interstate 41 of late, you might have noticed a couple mounds of dirt have cozied up to the edge of the interstate as it leaves De Pere.

The once green fields and farmland east and west of I-41 have turned into an expanse of dirt and fresh earth that can only mean one — well, two — things: Work to expand I-41 from De Pere to Appleton has started in Brown County and so has construction of the county’s long-sought new South Bridge Connector route between I-41 and Interstate 43.

The new interchange serves as a key starting point for both multi-year, multiphase road projects.

Much of the work on I-41 so far has focused on the Appleton area interchanges, but that will change in spring 2025.

There will be road closures, there will be detours. It will impact both travelers on I-41 and drivers who live or work in the De Pere and Lawrence areas. And the timing of this work can be subject to change. Here’s what to know based on information on the county’s South Bridge Connector website, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s I-41 website and responses from Kyle Treml, a WisDOT I-41 project manager, and Chris Hardy, Brown County’s highway commissioner.

What’s this new South Bridge Connector road going to be called?

Hardy said the segment west of I-41 will be designated as an extension of Brown County EB/Packerland Drive to the interchange.

The segment from I-41 east will be designated as Brown County GV, since the new route will eventually connect to County GV/Monroe Road at Brown County X/Heritage Road.

What’s the work happening along I-41 in the De Pere area?

WisDOT is constructing a new interchange as part of the plan to widen I-41 to three lanes in each direction from Grand Chute to De Pere.

To prepare for construction of the new roadway and roundabouts, crews have installed drainage systems on either side of the interstate and then piled them high with dirt to create embankments. Those mounds will need to settle over winter so they’re able to support the new road that will span I-41 and connect to County EB/Packerland Drive to the west and Lawrence Drive to the east.

Treml said this work will likely continue six days a week through the end of November.

De Pere area roads already closed for new I-41 intersection construction

Access to French Road and Southbridge Road is closed between Creamery Road and Innovation Court. A temporary road maintains access from Southbridge Road to Innovation Court.

The road will remain closed into 2026.

When will the De Pere area I-41 interchange construction start in 2025?

Treml said WisDOT hopes to resume construction by March on the embankment and parts of the actual interchange, but exactly when will depend on the weather and site conditions.

Mid Valley Drive will close for two weeks next spring

The segment of Mid Valley Drive between Birchwood Road and Quarry Park Drive will close for 14 days to complete a realignment of Mid Valley Drive.

Treml said the closure will likely occur in May or June 2025, but the exact timeframe is not yet known.

Will lanes on I-41 close in the De Pere area?

Yes.

Treml said temporary lane closures at night can be expected in 2025, but the impacts will be minor compared to 2026, when the new interchange is closer to completion.

South Bridge Connector work will impact Lawrence Drive, Packerland Drive and Scheuring Road. Here are two detours to know

Brown County plans to start construction on the first segments of the South Bridge Connector route in spring to connect the new road to the new interchange. This work will include extending County EB/Packerland Drive southeast toward the new interchange and building a new road east from the interchange to Lawrence Drive, Hardy said.

• Construction of the new Southbridge Road/County GV segment from the interstate interchange to Lawrence Drive will run from April to September 2025. A truck traffic detour directs drivers to avoid the construction by using Scheuring, Lost Dauphin and Hickory roads.

• Construction of the new, realigned intersection of Packerland Drive, Scheuring Road and Williams Grant Drive will run from April to September 2025 with a new bridge over Hemlock Creek to be built in late 2025-early 2026. A truck traffic detour directs drivers to use Orlando Road, Brown County U and Freedom Road to avoid the construction.

I-41, South Bridge will add 6 new roundabouts in 2025, 2026

Between the first segments of the South Bridge Connector and its new interchange with I-41, WisDOT and Brown County will construct six new roundabouts.

• Two roundabouts will connect to the north- and southbound interstate exit/entrance ramps to the county highways.

• Two more roundabouts will connect the new interchange to Mid Valley Drive west of I-41 and French Road east of I-41.

• A roundabout will be constructed at the new County GV segment and Lawrence Drive in De Pere.

• A roundabout will be constructed at a new intersection of County EB/Packerland Drive, County F/Scheuring Road and Williams Grant Drive.

Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: What are those mounds of dirt piled up along I-41 south of De Pere?