Contact:
WisDOT Office of Public Affairs
608/266-3581, opa.exec@dot.wi.gov
Governor Scott Walker today announced that the city of Columbus has been awarded a Transportation Economic Assistance (TEA) grant. The $185,000 award represents the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) contribution toward the extension of Hall Road and improvements to WIS 16.
The Hall Road extension will serve the new Drexel Building Supply site, providing truck access to the facility’s lumber storage area as well as customer access to the Drexel showroom. It also will serve existing businesses and open areas to the north of this new road. The road is in the city of Columbus’ Tax Incremental Finance (TIF) #4 District, established in August 2015 to further expand manufacturing and commercial business, and bring more jobs to the community.
The Columbus location will be the seventh for the Drexel Building Supply company, established in 1985, as a locally and family-owned business. It supplies building materials and home design services to include lumber, trusses, cabinets, windows, doors, millwork, decking, roofing and siding. The company expects to create 57 new jobs at the new Columbus location, which is expected to open this summer.
The entire Columbus transportation improvement project is estimated to cost approximately $815,000. The project includes extending Hall Road 1,000 feet to the east to connect with Columbus-Fall River Road. It will also improve the WIS 16-Hall Road intersection by adding bypass and dedicated turn lanes. There will no longer be access to WIS 16 from the south end of Columbus-Fall River Road.
This is the second TEA grant for city of Columbus. A 2013 grant was used to construct Heritage Way and Gateway Court, which provided direct access to the business park on the city’s south side.
The TEA program began in 1987. Through December 2017, Wisconsin’s TEA program has invested nearly $108 million in 211 communities, benefiting over 364 Wisconsin businesses, and creating or retaining more than 43,300 jobs around the state. For a complete listing of TEA grants and project details, visit: http://wisconsindot.gov/tea.
