By Doug Zellmer • of The Northwestern • June 22, 2009

Construction is expected to start this fall on a fourth park-and-ride
lot in Winnebago County.

Bids for the project at U.S. Highway 41 and state Highway 76 will be
opened in July, according to Chris Culotta, transportation planner for
the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Northeast Region office in
Green Bay.

The new park-and-ride lot will have 117 parking stalls. The facility
will be paved, lighted and includes a bicycle rack.

Culotta said the new park and ride is meant to encourage carpooling,
especially during the Highway 41 widening project on a 17-mile stretch
from Neenah to south of Oshkosh. The $443 million project is underway
and will take about seven years to complete. It includes improvements
to seven freeway interchanges.

“They want to have as many (park-and-ride) spaces as possible because
of the Highway 41 project,” Culotta said.

Other park and ride locations in Winnebago County are at Highway 41
and state Highway 44 by Oshkosh, Highway 41 and state Highway 26 by
Oshkosh, and Highway 116 and state Highway 45 east of Winneconne.

Culotta said there are 40 park-and-ride locations in the counties of
Brown, Winnebago, Outagamie, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan,
Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Kewaunee and Door.