APPLETON (NBC 26) — After the interchange opened this past weekend, some rush hour drivers say they're happy with the improvements to traffic flow.
- The Ballard Road Interchange opened on Nov. 22.
- The project was meant to make traffic flow smoother, increase safety and add additional pedestrian access.
- The interchange is part of a large expansion of I-41 between Appleton and De Pere.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited for web)
Robert Mauthe drives through the Ballard Road area often.
“I have a doctors office just on the other side... I used to take my granddaughter to school in the morning," he says.
In the past, he says navigating across I-41 has been a nightmare.
“Especially in the morning it was quite congested," he says.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says 20,000 - 30,000 vehicles drive through this stretch every day.
“It was really difficult to navigate that, just too many people," Mauthe says.
Watch the broadcast story here:
Now, cars are crossing I 41 with the Ballard Road Interchange. The project cost $19.3 million, according to WisDOT
“This works really well, I used it for the first time yesterday and it was a breeze," Jayne Ewald, a long-time resident of Appleton, says.
It's a diverging diamond interchange, meant to make traffic safer and smoother, while building additional bike and pedestrian sidewalks.
“I think the flow will be quicker," Ewald says. "This is an improvement.”
With a planned redevelopment of Thrivent Financial on North Ballard Road set
to create more than 2,000 housing units, Mauthe says the interchange will be beneficial long into Appleton's future.
“This was way overdue," he says.
WisDOT says, weather permitting, the on-ramp from WIS 15/ Northland Avenue should open Tuesday, Nov. 25.
