During Sun Prairie’s road construction season, local Downtown Sun Prairie businesses will be relying on area residents and visitors to support them during a time of minimal access.
Among the most significant projects this year: Downtown Sun Prairie’s Main Street Reconstruction Project, from the Market/Church Street intersection west to King/Columbus Streets.
This project will improve pedestrian safety, upgrade the aesthetic and breathable downtown environment with more trees, encourage restaurants to provide more sidewalk dining and shops more retail space, and make it safer for motorists to travel through Downtown Sun Prairie.
The construction work, approved after extensive consultation with Downtown Sun Prairie’s Business Improvement District, includes:
- Widening the sidewalk on the north and south sides of the 100 and 200 blocks of East Main Street (from Market/Church Street to Columbus/King Street);
- Installing new traffic signals at Market/Church and Main Street;
- Improving King Street to become a one-way street southbound only. This will add parking and additional outdoor space for use by Downtown Sun Prairie businesses.
- Add 22 street trees to Downtown Sun Prairie! According to retail studies, trees in downtown areas provide significant economic benefits, including increased property values (3–20%), higher retail sales (up to 12% more), and reduced energy costs due to shade (up to 30% savings).
Trees also act as green infrastructure, reducing storm water management costs, increasing consumer dwell time in commercial districts, cutting crime rates and reducing speeding as well as traffic crashes.
Downtown construction is expected to begin mid June and last through fall. The westbound lane of traffic will remain open during construction. Businesses on E Main Street will likely encourage patrons to visit through their back door entrances, which are in close proximity to public parking lots.
From Downtown Manager, Mary D’Amico, “We’re excited to see the much-needed improvements come to life on Main Street this year, especially as we address sidewalk safety, accessibility, and overall walkability in our downtown. While construction can be challenging, our businesses will be open and counting on community support, and we’ll continue to bring the same fun, welcoming energy Downtown Sun Prairie is known for."
Follow DowntownSunPrairieWI.com for frequent updates and to stay in touch about events still planned throughout the summer and fall.
Other projects include Westmount roundabout
The area around Westside Elementary School will see some street improvements in 2026. Reconstruction will take place along Emerald Terrace from Davison Drive to Buena Vista Drive, as well as on Coral Drive and Garnet Drive.
On the near west side of Sun Prairie, the City will also reconstruct Montana Avenue east of North Thompson Road.
Although not a City project, the 5-6 month installation of a roundabout on the far west side at the intersection of Highway 19 and Westmount Drive is expected to begin in mid summer.
Highway 19 will remain open during construction, but there will be staged closures of the north and south legs of Westmount during various portions of construction, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The roundabout was sought by parents whose children attend nearby Horizon Elementary and Sun Prairie West High schools, as well as motorists who use the intersection to access the nearby residential neighborhood or businesses including Gus’ Diner and Liv’s Drink Emporium.
The intersection of Highway 19 and Westmount Drive has a history of rear-end crashes due to stopped traffic turning left in the through lanes of 19, according to WisDOT.
From 2014-18, there were 12 crashes, and 11 involved stopped traffic turning left on 19, according to WisDOT. WisDOT held both a 2022 public involvement meeting and a 2023 public information meeting to gauge the responses from neighbors and parents.
WisDOT announced the single-lane roundabout alternative in spring 2023. The roundabout alternative addresses the purpose and need of the project by improving the left turning movements on all legs of the intersection, providing natural traffic calming from the normal operations of a roundabout, and provides pedestrian crossings of 19, according to WisDOT.
Attention Walmart shoppers
In an effort to improve traffic safety, the City of Sun Prairie is installing new traffic signals at the intersection of O’Keeffe Avenue and McCoy Road.
This summer project will improve safe motorist access to Walmart, 1905 McCoy Road, and the Prairie Square Shopping Center as well as Bliffert Lumber and other McCoy Road businesses.
Pavement rehabilitation projects
While they are not complete reconstruction projects, three street rehabilitation projects will include resurfacing:
- Huntington, Sapphire, Colony and Rustic; and
- Talon Place, which is a semi-circular drive that starts and ends on South Bird Street.
Watch for detours and notifications from the City of Sun Prairie and limited street access before pavement begins and ends due to pavement curing time.
Vision Zero safety improvements
The City of Sun Prairie is also undertaking several traffic improvements at unsafe intersections. Crosswalks (with the number of crosswalks shown in parentheses) at these Main Street intersections will take 4-6 weeks to complete, with traffic down to one lane in each direction:
- Clarmar Drive-Hart Road (4);
- Rickel Road (3);
- Walker Way (4);
- Ruby Lane - Foxdale Drive (4);
- Lothe Street to St. Vincent dePaul Thrift Store on West Main Street (1) including a Rectangular Red Flashing Beacon (RRFB);
- Bird Street (4);
- Jackson Street (2 or 3);
- Williamson Street (2 or 3);
- Flint Street (2 or 3);
- Kroncke Drive leading to Central Heights Middle School and Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium (2 or 3); and
- Union Street (1).
In addition to those West Main Street crosswalk improvements, the city will upgrade the West Main Street Sidewalk with a RRFB from Thompson Road to Highway 151.
Study for MnDOT: Construction benefits long-term, but impacts are short-term
A Minnesota Department of Transportation study in 2023 asked researchers to evaluate businesses within half a mile of 35 identified highway improvement projects implemented between 2007 and 2018, and road projects planned between 2019 and 2024. Improvement projects included replacing or improving the condition of infrastructure and enhancing traffic flow.
While MnDOT researchers found no significant negative effects on nearby businesses in general, specific factors appeared to impact some businesses more than others. The purpose of construction, for example, correlated with stronger outcomes for both single- and multiple-location establishments compared to duration of construction.
“Longer construction periods, however, did appear to drive negative effects on smaller businesses while larger businesses seemed to benefit from shorter construction periods,” the researchers found.
“Smaller food services businesses experienced statistically significant declines in sales and employment during and after construction, though some evidence indicates the businesses were declining before construction. Retail and personal services establishments, whether large or small, did not show much change from construction,” the study stated.
From Executive Director, Christina Williams, “Road construction brings important improvements, but it can also create challenges for the small businesses along those routes. We encourage everyone to go the extra mile—literally—to continue supporting them during this time. With several major summer construction projects planned across our community, many member businesses may experience reduced visibility, detours, and changes in traffic flow. Your continued support, patience, and commitment to shopping local can make a meaningful difference in helping these businesses stay strong and successful throughout the construction season.”