DE SOTO, Wis. (WXOW) – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said Friday afternoon that a stretch of Highway 35 closed for more than a week is about to reopen to traffic.
A news release from WisDOT early Friday said that they’ve contracted to make emergency repairs to the highway where a train derailment occurred on April 27.
They anticipate opening the road to traffic beginning on Saturday, May 6.
The highway was shut down as a safety precaution following the derailment. The closure remained in place while heavy equipment crews came to the site to clean up the ten railcars and two engines that left the tracks.
Crawford County Emergency Management said that BNSF completed their portion of the cleanup on Wednesday morning.
WisDOT said that the repair work to the pavement, shoulders, and pavement markings is already underway. It is scheduled to last through the weekend and should be finished early next week.
They urge drivers to slow down as they travel through the area and be alert for traffic flagging operations around the work zone.
WisDOT also provided updated information on Highway 82 between Wisconsin and Lansing, Iowa.
The news release also said that WisDOT staff took sonar and visual readings and determined there wasn’t any damage done to the highway or bridges. They declared that the highway and bridges are safe for travel.
