Highway 47 closes in Menominee County for major reconstruction work

Highway 47 in Menominee County closed to through traffic from County Road VV (West) to the Langlade County line, forcing drivers who travel between Keshena and Langlade County to find another route until the middle of August. Local traffic and emergency services were still allowed through, but motorists were warned to expect wait times when crews were active and stretches of gravel surface during construction.

Northeast Asphalt held an informational meeting June 23 at the Wolf River Development Company in Keshena to walk residents and drivers through the work and the traffic impacts. The project is not a simple resurfacing job. Wisconsin Department of Transportation materials say crews will repave the road, replace small culverts, repair or replace guardrail, replace curb and gutter, and install new pavement markings.

The first week of work already showed how much is being torn up and rebuilt. Crews removed guardrail from Crow Settlement Road to Wheelock Road, sawed asphalt and stump grubbed from County Road VV (West) to the Langlade County line, pulverized pavement near culverts from County Road VV (West) to Camp Road 26, and replaced culverts between County Road VV (West) and Crow Settlement Road.

The closure matters well beyond a single roadway segment. WisDOT’s maps show WIS 47 and WIS 55 serving Keshena, Neopit, Legend Lake and the surrounding Menominee Reservation area, making the corridor a daily route for nearby residents and a critical path for school traffic and emergency responders. The June 23 meeting in Keshena gave people a place to press for details on how the phased reconstruction would affect those trips through the summer.

The pressure will build again once the Highway 47 culvert work is finished. Highway 55 is slated to close to through traffic from Highway 47 to the Langlade County line for about 55 days, extending the disruption deeper into the season. WisDOT says new asphalt is planned for Highway 47 this fall, while the remaining asphalt paving for the broader project is expected to finish in 2027.

The work is part of a larger package running from 2025 to 2028. WisDOT’s project map shows the WIS 55 segment from WIS 47 to the Langlade County line is 18.6 miles long, and related WIS 47 work includes a 14-culvert replacement segment, a 9.95-mile resurfacing segment and an 11.11-mile resurfacing segment in nearby areas. A public involvement meeting on those projects was held Dec. 5, 2023, at the Culture Building at the College of Menominee Nation in Keshena to explain the improvements and gather input on needs, proposed changes and real estate needs.