The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are seeking public comment on the Environmental Assessment for the Rat River Wildlife Area/Route 10 and 45 Interchange. The Service will use public input -- gathered during a 30-day comment period which begins September 17, 2001 -- to assist the agency in determining the impact of the proposed highway project on the Rat River WA.
The purpose of the Environmental Assessment is to provide information about alternatives considered and select a preferred alternative which will have minimal impact for the design and location of an interchange connecting Highways 10 and 45, in the vicinity of the Rat River Wildlife Area (RRWA). The proposed interchange is needed to provide safe and efficient traffic flow for existing and projected traffic volumes on these corridors. Because the Rat River WA was purchased with Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration funds, it is the responsibility of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect these properties and to assure they continue to be managed for their original purpose.
The Highway 10 interchange is part of a larger highway project, Highway 10 improvement, for which a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was completed in 1998. The FEIS states that the purpose of the 24-mile Highway 10 major project improvement, located in Winnebago, Outagamie, and Waupaca Counties in Central Wisconsin, is to provide additional roadway capacity to serve existing and projected traffic volumes, to improve operational efficiency and safety for local and through-traffic and to enhance the economic viability of the communities served by the highway. The 24-mile project extends from Highway "U" west of the Village of Fremont, easterly to Highway 45. Because of the proximity of the Interchange to the Rat River WA and unknown impacts, the Environmental Assessment has been prepared to address these issues.
The proposed interchange will result in approximately 32 acres of the Wisconsin DNR held Rat River WA impacted by the action. The Rat River Wildlife Area was purchased in part with Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds to provide wildlife based recreation including hunting, trapping and compatible non-hunting recreation as well as for the production of waterfowl.
