RIB MOUNTAIN, Wis. (WSAU) – The road up to Rib Mountain State Park will be closed during the day for about a month as work starts on a major reconstruction project.
Property Manager Bill Bursaw says the highway department will be out on the site pulling trees from near the edge of Park Road over the next month. There's a few reasons, but Bursaw says most of it is due to spring and late winter being the best time to remove trees. It's also so that crews getting ready to expand the road and lay sewer and water to the peak will not have to bother with it during the summer.
Bursaw says there's also a risk of the forest on the mountain catching oak wilt, and those trees along the way that are dead, weakened or dying will be pruned out as well. Most of the removed trees will be ground up and turned into mulch and wood chippings for future projects on the mountain, but trees that are big enough will be sold to help offset the cost of the project.
The road will be closed when the crews are on site, 7 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday. Homeowners and engineers for the transmitters will be allowed up the mountain during that time.
Work is expected to take up to 4 weeks, depending on the weather.
