Viroqua Center Avenue reconstruction begins with downtown road closures and asphalt removal

May 11, 2026

VIROQUA, Wis. – The Center Avenue reconstruction project officially kicks off this week in Viroqua bringing immediate road closures and heavy equipment to the north end of the downtown corridor.

According to information released by the city, barring unforeseen weather circumstances contractor Badger Environmental is scheduled to begin work on Monday, May 11. The first day of the project is expected to be relatively low key with crews focusing primarily on material delivery and initial asphalt removal from the roadway.

The initial road closures will be concentrated on the block of Center Avenue between Decker Street and the Court Street intersection. However city officials warn that within the first week of construction residents will see full scale excavation work begin on Court Street between Main Street and Center Avenue.

Once the road surface is opened up by the excavators crews will immediately begin installing the new underground sanitary sewer mains. This heavy infrastructure work means Court Street will be completely closed at the intersection of Main Street during this first phase of the project.

The city and contractors have coordinated with local businesses to maintain access during the downtown disruptions. During most of the Phase 1 construction temporary drive thru access will be provided for both Citizen First Bank and Peoples State Bank. The bank drive throughs will be temporarily reconfigured allowing customers to safely enter and exit directly from the adjacent parking lots. Badger Environmental plans to begin working on the drive thru rearrangements right away to minimize the impact on local banking customers.

As city officials previously announced during public information meetings any one way streets blocked by the Center Avenue construction will be temporarily converted to two way streets to accommodate the shifted traffic flow. To ensure safety and provide enough room for vehicles existing angled parking on those affected streets will be temporarily removed.

Residents can find ongoing project details on the city construction webpage. Those with site specific needs or questions are encouraged to contact City Engineer Sarah Grainger at 608 637 2937 or via email at sgrainger@viroqua-wisconsin.com.