Question: What’s going up across the street from the former PDQ Food Store near Calder Stadium in Menasha?
Answer: You’re seeing the construction of a $1.1 million salt storage shed. It is located in Fox Crossing, just off U.S. 10/State 441 and northwest of the newly constructed Racine Road roundabout, on land owned by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The shed will house rock salt and salt brine for use by the Winnebago County Highway Department to keep Interstate 41 and state highways free of snow and ice.
It’s a replacement for a salt shed on Midway Road in Menasha that was razed for the realignment and reconstruction of U.S. 10/State 441. The DOT is paying for the construction as part of the $400 million Tri-County Freeway expansion project.
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The DOT also is responsible for filling the shed with salt.
“The state purchases and stores its own salt, and then we draw salt from those sheds for use on the state highway system,” Winnebago County Highway Commissioner Ray Palonen said.
The new shed will have a capacity of 2,500 tons of salt. For reference, last winter the Winnebago County Highway Department used 3,487 tons of salt on I-41 and 4,400 tons on other state highways.
Palonen said the building will be ready in time for wintry weather.
“We’ll have salt in there this fall, hopefully in November,” he said, “but the parking lot area will remain gravel until we can pave that next year.”
No trucks will be kept in shed. It’s strictly for materials, Palonen said.
The salt shed is not the only new element along the U.S. 10/State 441 corridor. The construction of a diverging diamond interchange — the area’s first — is nearing completion at the intersection of U.S.10/State 441 and Oneida Street in Appleton. It is expected to open to traffic between Nov. 5 and 15.
Watchdog Q&A
Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to dbehnke@gannett.com or call him at 920-993-7176.
Reporter Duke Behnke will answer your questions about local government. Call Duke at 920-993-7176 or email him at dbehnke@gannett.com. Duke Behnke/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
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