Despite a mess of orange cones, torn up roads, and signs saying ‘lane closed’ – Westby’s downtown businesses are open.
To help guide drivers, the Westby Chamber of Commerce placed large signs along the westbound Hwy 14/27 detour on Bekkedal St. to show where each business can be found. Billboard ads were also purchased for north and south of Westby.
“Unfortunately, there were no opportunies to put up signs on Hwy 27,” said Stef Schroeder, the executive director of the Westby Chamber of Commerce.
The project is one of the first major undertakings Westby has seen in recent memory.
“Since this is our first time handling anything like this, current board members, current business owners, and city council, we are all just taking it day by day and doing the best we can,” said Schroeder.
Communicating changes and developments with citizens and visitors is important to the Westby Chamber of Commerce. To help get the word out, they created a Facebook page dedicated to the ongoing progress of the project.
“We have had great assistance from the DOT [Department of Transportation] and the project management team with updating the general public and business owners,” said Schroeder.
The Chamber of Commerce is optimistic that downtown businesses will update their looks to meet the quality of the new sidewalks and lighting.
“We hope it encourages businesses in town to also update their façades to match the updates of the road, sidewalks, and lighting fixtures that we will have when the project is complete.”
The reconstruction hasn’t made doing business any easier. Parking on Hwy 14/27 through downtown is gone. However, parking on side streets in available, as well as some open lots on Bekkedal St.
“We have encouraged businesses to put in place their own signage for parking and entrances to their establishments, as well as updating their websites, social media, and in-store customers,” said Schroeder.
Westby has been in disarray since April 1. The project is currently in stage two of three, with the newest development being the detour which re-routes westbound traffic around downtown Westby using Coon Prairie Ave. and Bekkedal St. The goal is to have bi-directional traffic back through Westby by August 31.
“It has been quite a challenge being a part of something like this, but we are excited to have the updates being done,” said Schroeder.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation anticipates the three stage project to wrap up June 13, 2025. Stage three wraps up with a roundabout at the intersection of US Highway 14 and State Highway 27.
What advice does the Chamber of Commerce have for visitors?
“Follow the detours, pay attention to signage, and slow down,” said Schroeder.
Follow the Westby Chamber of Commerce and the ‘Westby Main St./Hwy 14 Improvement Project 2024’ on facebook to stay up-to-date.
This article is the second installment in the ‘Detoured for the Summer’ series. In this series, the Record will report about the ongoing progress of the Highway 14/27 project, as well as explore the difficulties that Westby businesses face, and what the future holds after construction is over.
