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Oneida County weighs costs of taking over Willow Road; reconstruction could top $4 million for 1.2 miles
Summary
County staff presented preliminary estimates showing a roughly 17% maintenance increase and warned that a $4 million STP construction allocation tied to the Town of Lynne’s project might be lost if roads transfer without careful planning; the committee asked staff to return with firmer numbers and meet with town officials.
County highway staff told the Public Works Committee on May 28 that taking jurisdiction of Willow Road in the Town of Lynne and related Pine Lake/Squirrel Lake sections in the Town of Minocqua would add significant recurring maintenance costs and possible one-time reconstruction expenses.
"There would be about a 17 percent increase, requiring about $250,000 for summer maintenance and about $120,000 for winter maintenance," Highway Commissioner Ben Rich said, framing the department’s first-pass, round-number estimate for the additional maintenance burden. Rich warned that reconstruction costs were highly variable depending on environmental constraints and design standards.
Rich said a State Transportation Program (STP) project approved for Lynne covered 1.2 miles at a projected cost of about $4 million; staff cautioned that the county might lose that STP funding if the project could not be transferred cleanly. Dan Gleason noted that even if spending rose immediately, GTA adjustments phase in over a five-year average, meaning the County could operate at a deficit during that period.
Committee member Bob Almekinder, whose district includes the road, described difficult southern segments built over swamp that would be costly to rebuild and said the town has limited ability to provide matching funds. Members discussed potential options the town has raised, including converting blacktop to gravel or imposing weight limits, but staff cautioned those steps could harm forestry operations. Fried recommended returning with firmer numbers and meeting with town representatives before asking the board for a recommendation.
Why it matters: accepting jurisdiction shifts both maintenance costs and long-term capital obligations to the county treasury; the decision could also affect eligibility for state construction funding and local industries that depend on road access.
The committee took no vote on a transfer at the meeting and asked staff to prepare a document with key issues and to coordinate a meeting with town officials for further discussion.
