April 16, 2026 – Washington Co., WI – A $2.9 million resurfacing and improvement project along WIS 144, between Skyline Drive in the city of West Bend, and the Washington/Sheboygan County line began the week of March 30.
Now, three weeks into the project and Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis has some data that shows 86 traffic stops with verbal/written warnings in the area of construction in the Town of Farmington.
According to data compiled by Robert G. Stuesser | Undersheriff/Captain of Operations:
The below numbers are between 3/30 and 4/15 (noon). No citations were written for road closure violations, but some stops did result in other violations where a citation was issued (which I did not tally).
Town of Barton = 36 Traffic Stops where a verbal/written warnings for travelling in the road closure. 1 additional traffic stop that resulted in no action as the operator had legitimate business in the closure.
Town of Farmington – 86 Traffic Stops where verbal/written warnings for travelling in the road closure. 5 additional TS that resulted in no action as the operator had legitimate business in the closure.
The project will likely go through the month of May. It is not a roundabout project but rather a resurfacing.
According to Sherifff Schulteis the “area should be posted as ‘Road Closed to Thru Traffic’ which means drivers should use the closest access point to their destination in the construction zone and drivers are not allowed to drive all the way through the project.
For example, if a driver is trying to get to Boltonville the proper route of travel is not STH 144 north from the city limits. The official detour routes have been posted but we also realize the modern GPS will most likely take the driver on alternate routes.
Our enforcement:
According to the Sheriff, “We have certainly had an increased presence on STH 144 during the project. We have done that because construction zones are established to protect both the workers on site and the traveling public. When a roadway is closed, and in this case to thru traffic, it is not a suggestion—it is a necessary safety measure based on active hazards such as heavy equipment, reduced visibility, altered traffic patterns, or unsafe road conditions.
Law enforcement takes these violations seriously and will enforce closures to ensure compliance. Our goal is not simply enforcement and issuing citations, but prevention—preventing injuries, protecting workers, and maintaining a safe environment for everyone on and around the roadway. I should be able to provide you with the numbers of traffic stops by the end of the day.
One thing to keep in mind is that many moving violations in a construction zone, when workers are present, results in doubling the forfeiture amount.
Drivers who choose to bypass barricades or drive through a closed construction zone place themselves, construction crews, and emergency responders at significant risk. These areas are often unpredictable, with workers focused on their tasks and not expecting vehicle traffic where it has been restricted.
We ask all motorists to respect posted closures. Although I do not believe the construction area was a significant contributing factor to the recent fatal accident on CTH H and Forest View I requested our operations division to not only focus traffic enforcement in the road construction zone, but also on the surrounding roadways that are used for both official and non-official detour routes.”
I agree with the Sheriff’s comments on this road closure. Yet, as of this week, there is still no advance warning of this closure on county highway H. There is, at most, a vague Hwy 144 detour sign on Highway 45. I’m left with the belief that many motorists that are familiar with reaching the Hwy 144/28 corridor via Hwy H are only discovering this closure once they actually encounter it.
As it is now, many who traverse this corridor regualrly have found various alternative paths to Hwy 28 where it diverges west from Hwy 144. At present, this is the northern end of the closure. I would consider it absolutely essential that advanced notice be posted prior to this project changing road segments, as the northern section of this project has no obvious impromptu detours.
The sheriff is taking the correct approach, focusing more on education than enforcement. Yet, in the larger situational view these are reactive measures. As with many other situations, preventative actions are far more effective to achieve the desired result. In this case, these actions include timely public communication about project updates through both roadside signage and other channels (such as this publication). And while I welcome public information released by the sheriff’s office, the primary responsibility of announcing and updating road closures for this project falls upon WisDOT, and possibly the county highway department.
Nonsense. Last year Sheb Cnty did the EXACT same type of project and kept the 28 & 144 open, in both directions, from the county line to Hwy 57, including through Batavia, Cascade (aside from the short 4 block detour on Village streets at the box culvert replacement) and Waldo open for the entire at-least-twice-the-length project.
As the project corridor needs to be FULLY accessible by Emergency services 24/7, why can’t Wash Cnty duplicate what Sheb Cnty did in 2025
144/28 was only open to batavia to hwy A were everyone was to go to hwy 57. It was local traffic only after hwy A in batavia but so many people disregarded the sign. Unfortunately our county didnt partrol, which they should have. People were going over our bridge in cascade, that was replaced before it was even open. Also semi going over other road way that than forced us to close it permanently becuz it was ruining another bridge in our town. People should watch and follow signs. I also watch people disobey closed sign when a gas line was hit on 28 during construction. They had to turn around when they ran into emergency vehicles. So I am very happy washington county is taking it seriously. I take 28/ 144 to work every day also but will follow what I am direct to do, you just leave earlier for work.