Interstate 41 construction to close major Fox Cities intersections in 2025. Here’s where, and when

APPLETON — A new year will already bring new changes to Interstate 41 as part of an interstate expansion project that began this year and is expected to continue until 2030.

In 2025, construction will focus on areas between State 96 and Lynndale Drive in Grand Chute, and between Outagamie County JJ and Miners Way around Wrightstown.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has recently released additional information on what parts of the interstate and its interchanges will be closed, and when. Here’s what residents of the Fox Cities can expect.

Which roads along Interstate 41 will be closed, and when?

In general, the road closures for 2025 will start in February. For the State 96 and Lynndale Drive section, the following closures and changes are scheduled:

• The Lynndale Drive overpass will be reduced to one lane in each direction for spring and summer.

• The State 96 (Wisconsin Avenue) southbound exit ramp from I-41 will be closed from early in the year to summer.

• The State 15 (Northland Avenue) bridge over I-41 and the southbound entrance ramp to I-41 will be closed early in the year to fall. The southbound exit ramp will allow right turns only in early 2025 and be completely closed summer to fall. The northbound entrance ramp will be closed spring to fall, while the exit ramp will close in late spring to fall.

• The Ballard Road bridge over I-41 will be closed spring to late fall. All ramps to and from I-41, and Ballard Road between I-41 and Evergreen Drive and Capitol Drive, will be closed summer to fall.

• Capitol Drive between Commerce Court and Ballard Road will be closed late summer to fall.

• The Holland Road overpass will be closed summer to late fall.

• The Vandenbroek Road overpass will be closed spring to late summer.

• The Outagamie County J bridge over I-41 will be closed spring to summer, and the ramps to I-41 will be closed during summer.

For the Outagamie County JJ to Miners Way section, the following closures are scheduled:

• South County Line Road (Outagamie/Brown County U) under I-41 will be closed for 14 days summer.

• The Wrightstown Safety and Weight Enforcement Facility, which closed this fall, will stay closed until summer 2026.

There will also be two closures related to the construction of the Southbridge Road interchange in De Pere:

• Mid Valley Drive will have a 14-day closure in spring.

• French Road/Southbridge Road, between Creamery Road and Innovation Court, closed this year, and will remain so through fall 2026.

More: What’s that dirt piling up along I-41 south of Scheuring Road near De Pere? We found out

What changes will the new Interstate 41 construction make?

Overall, the project will expand 23 miles of I-41 to six lanes and construct collector-distributor roads between Ballard Road and State 441. A collector-distributor road is a limited-access road that carries traffic from local roads to freeways, according to the DOT.

Much of the construction in 2025 will also focus on rebuilding interchanges and overpasses. In some cases, the overpasses will be widened to allow more room for bikers and pedestrians, while other updates will accommodate more traffic and heavier vehicles.

The largest changes, however, are reconfiguring I-41 interchanges at Ballard Road and State 15 into diverging diamond intersections. Diverging diamond intersections operate similarly to one-way streets and eliminate the need to take a left turn into oncoming traffic, according to the DOT.

More: 3 new diverging diamond interchanges are coming to Appleton. Here’s what to know.

Where can I learn more about Interstate 41’s expansion?

You can read more about the project and sign up for newsletters at i41project.wisconsindot.gov. The DOT will also open a new field office in 2025 at 3600 Commerce Court in Appleton; they ask that members of the public call 920-492-7733 ahead of visiting.

The DOT will also hold public involvement meetings in January, both online and in-person:

• In-person meeting: 5 to7 p.m. Jan. 28 at Fox Valley Technical College D.J. Bordini Center, 5 N. Systems Drive, Appleton.

• In-person meeting: 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at Hemlock Creek Elementary School, 1900 Williams Grant Drive, De Pere.

Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Interstate 41 construction will close Appleton-area roads in 2025