Road construction will soon becoming to Whitney, Willow, and Regent Roads in Fox Point.

The Fox Point Village Board on Tuesday night allocated $1.2 million for the project that includes road, water and sewer construction on those roads. Scott Brandmeier, the village engineer and director of public works, said the condition of Whitney Road was in poor condition, and has been planned in conjunction with other storm sewer work that was initially planned more than 10 years ago.

“The project arose out of years of planning associated with the road,” Brandmeier said.

All of Whitney Road will be reconstructed. Willow Road will be reconstructed between Regent Road and Santa Monica Boulevard, while Regent Road would be replaced between Regent Road Number One and Willow Road.

Additionally, several water mains underneath those patches of road need replacement. Brandmeier said that the old mains needing replacement are made of cast iron that had rusted thin after several decades.

“The risk that it poses is you could have water main breaks,” Brandmeier said. “You end up chasing water main breaks and spending your money on repairing breaks as opposed to installing new mains.”

Brandmeier said that the new mains would be made out of PVC pipe, which can last a lot longer with less wear and tear. Additionally, Brandmeier said installing a relief storm sewer in the area would help prevent flooding in the homes of residents. 

Fox Point Village President, Michael West, also agreed the project is necessary to improve the condition of the village.

“So it will improve conditions and it will improve infrastructure but it’s essentially a restoration repair of the road,” said West. 

Brandmeier said once the necessary paperwork is filled out with the construction contractor, the contractor could start inspections in the next two to three weeks. After that, residents near the construction can expect a lot more noise and traffic near their homes.

However, West predicts there should not be too many problems between residents and construction crew. He referenced what happened at the Green Tree construction project and said the upcoming project should not be any different. 

“The Department of Public Works worked with the neighbors so they understood the schedule,” said West. “They understood that there would be some disruption of their daily comings and goings but that’s all worked out.”

West said an informational meeting with residents had already taken place to ensure they were educated about the specifics of the project.