Highway KR Expansion Project Approved By County

RACINE COUNTY, WI — With the construction on the Foxconn electronics plant on the horizon in Racine County, a proposed expansion of Highway KR is now moving forward. The Racine County Board last week approved Highway KR expansion with a 19-2 vote.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is planning to reconstruct County KR from County H to Old Green Bay Road, a distance of approximately 2.8 miles, in Kenosha and Racine Counties.

The project will transform the existing two-lane rural road into a four-lane highway.

New bridges will replace existing at-grade crossings at the Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific railroad corridors. The existing bridge over the Pike River will be replaced with a new structure.

According to DOT documents, the project includes improvements to intersections at WIS 31 and Old Green Bay Road to ensure traffic operations are maintained in all directions with the anticipated travel demand and associated capacity needs on County KR.

Construction is anticipated to begin in Spring 2021.

"A road widening is one of the most difficult issues for any local government. We try very hard to balance the interests of those who live on or near the road as well as the County as a whole," county officials said in a statement to Patch.

"With this project, Racine County and WisDOT worked diligently over many weeks with residents who live along KR and with County Board supervisors. Because of the input we received, many modifications were made that improved the project and reduced the impact on residents."