Wisconsin’s busiest non-Interstate freeway corridor is being rebuilt while carrying traffic the entire time. WisDOT’s I-41 expansion widens roughly 23 miles between Appleton and De Pere from four lanes to six, reworking interchanges that were designed for a Fox Valley half its current size.
Project Scope
The roughly $1.2 billion program runs from 2024 through 2030 and covers mainline widening, reconstructed interchanges, and dozens of bridge structures across Outagamie and Brown counties. Michels Road & Stone took a $95.3 million package for work in Outagamie County, one of several prime contracts letting in phases so no single closure strands the corridor. Piling for new piers over the Fox Valley & Lake Superior Railroad went in this summer.
Why It Matters
I-41 moves freight between Milwaukee and Green Bay and carries daily commuters through Appleton’s job core. The existing design forces weaving and backups at peak, and crash rates track the congestion. Phasing a rebuild this large without a full shutdown is the hard part, and WisDOT is treating the sequencing itself as the deliverable.
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Project Team & Details
| Owner / Client | Wisconsin Department of Transportation |
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| General Contractor | Michels Road & Stone (Outagamie County package) |
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| Status | Under Construction |
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| Delivery Method | Design-Bid-Build |
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| Funding Source | Public (State) |
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