Oneida Street opens in Ashwaubenon

ASHWAUBENON - After three months of "road closed" signs, Oneida Street is flowing once again.

"Oneida opening up again is awesome," said Mary Shaw. As a motorist, and manager of a business on Oneida Street, Shaw is thrilled with traffic moving uninterrupted through the village's main artery once again. The closure has contributed to sluggish business at Super 8 and other operations on the south end of Oneida.

"I don't know if it's all to do with Oneida Street with business slow, there's a lot of things out there," said Shaw.

The roadway had to be closed where it goes under highway 172, so the west-bound bridge could be replaced. The Ashwaubenon Business Association is taking the stance with the detours of "no pain no gain."

"I think it's only minor though because in the long run definitely worth the repairs that they're making," said Lydia Bessert.

In fact while some motorists may have avoided the area, many more endured the detours.

"The good news is there is probably something new they discovered by having to go around another way," explained Brad Toll with the Green Bay Area Visitors Bureau.

Ashwaubenon businesses tell us the closing of this major thoroughfare, while inconvenient, actually went fairly smoothly.

That's good news since the roadway will be shut down again next year when the east bound bridge is replaced.

"Yes it will close again and they'll try to do it again same time of year again so as not to affect any Packer traffic and tourist we get during the summer," said Bessert.

The opening of Oneida Street actually comes weeks ahead of schedule, and will be followed in the next month with the opening of highway 172 and the exit ramp that feeds Oneida Street, just in time for football season and all the extra Packers traffic.

In addition to Oneida Street facing another closure next spring, the following year with the Highway 41 construction project, the off ramps to Oneida Street will also be temporarily shut down.