WisDOT advances design for STH 70 work through Spooner

Wisconsin Department of Transportation documents show design work advancing for a 2.24-mile STH 70 rehabilitation project in Spooner, but the project is not yet active construction.

The project is identified as WisDOT project 8050-00-02 in Washburn County. The March 2026 solicitation’s project table lists the limits as STH 70 from 1,350 feet west of First Street to USH 53, while the project description identifies the Spooner work as running from Auto Lane to USH 53. WisDOT describes the work as both urban and rural and says the total project length is 2.24 miles.

Roadway and intersection work planned

The solicitation calls for new 8-inch concrete pavement over 6 inches of base course in the urban portion of the project. Rural sections would receive resurfacing, including a 2.25-inch mill and 3.25-inch asphalt overlay, along with aggregate shoulders.

The planned work also includes geometric modifications at the USH 63/STH 70 intersection. Other listed improvements include culvert cleaning and replacement, a new box culvert, storm-sewer design, guardrail replacement, new and replacement sidewalk, and ADA curb-ramp replacements.

For people walking or using mobility devices, the sidewalk and curb-ramp work could improve access along the corridor. The solicitation says temporary limited-easement exhibits are expected at pedestrian curb-ramp locations. That describes anticipated project documentation; it does not establish that specific properties will definitely be acquired.

Utility work would be separate

The state project is being planned alongside a separate City of Spooner project. WisDOT says the city intends to reconstruct sanitary sewer and watermain facilities, requiring significant coordination and more intensive public involvement.

The state document describes that utility work as separate from the WisDOT project and does not establish final city approval or a construction date. Coordination could affect how roadway, sidewalk, drainage and underground utility work are designed and scheduled, but no current notice confirms utility outages or construction impacts for this segment.

Design milestones extend into 2029

WisDOT listed structure-survey reports for July 1, 2026, and a design study report for Jan. 28, 2027. It listed real-estate acquisition work and the final plans, specifications and estimates package, known as PS&E, for May 1, 2029.

Those are planned deliverables, not completed construction phases. The project-specific solicitation does not set a final construction start date for the Spooner segment.

Related STH 70 projects are separate

WisDOT’s January 2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program snapshot lists other Spooner-area STH 70 projects with different limits and project numbers. Project 8050-00-70 is a separate 6.32-mile construction and resurfacing segment from the Burnett County line to 1,350 feet west of First Street. The snapshot lists a current schedule date of Dec. 8, 2026, and a total improvement cost range of $5 million to $5.999 million.

The snapshot also lists project 8130-00-04 from CTH M south to CTH B east as a 6.92-mile design and resurfacing project, and project 8050-00-22 for real-estate acquisition on the STH 70 segment from 1,350 feet west of First Street to USH 53. Those entries should not be treated as the same project as 8050-00-02.

WisDOT’s broader WIS 70 project page covers a corridor from County B west of Spooner through Washburn and Sawyer counties to WIS 27 north. That page lists construction for 2029 and provides broader corridor context, but it does not replace the project-specific schedule for 8050-00-02.

What to watch next

Residents should watch for future WisDOT or City of Spooner public meetings, design updates, right-of-way notices, utility notices and construction advisories. As of Aug. 2, 2026, no Spooner-specific construction alert was identified in the reviewed 511 Wisconsin weekly construction updates.

For now, the documents support a planning and design update—not an announcement of immediate road closures, utility outages, completed property decisions or active construction on the Spooner segment.

Sources

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