County seals deal to fix data center road damage

The City of Port Washington and Ozaukee County have reached an agreement that calls for the county Highway Department to repair and maintain roads in and around the Vantage Data Centers Lighthouse Campus and then bill Vantage for the work.

The agreement is an extension of one the county and city reached last September calling for the county to repave Highway LL after the city was finished installing sewer and water lines at Highland Road.

“As activity continues to increase around the Vantage Data Center, Ozaukee County has seen an increase in required maintenance, and has worked with the City of Port Washington to include those repairs as part of the developer’s agreement between the city and Vantage Data Center,” a memo to the county Public Works Committee stated last week.

The county consulted with a Wisconsin Counties Association attorney to draft the agreement.

Heavy truck traffic has been a constant since construction of the data center campus began, straining local roads.

“Transportation of these heavy construction materials has resulted, or may result, in damage to Town of Port Washington roads, city streets and county highways,” the memo states.

An agreement signed last year between the city and Vantage makes Vantage financially responsible for repairing and maintaining the roads.

Under the agreement, the county will bill Vantage on a monthly basis for time and materials used in repairing the roads. That includes asphalt made by the county at its hot mix plant in the Town of Saukville.

The agreement can be terminated with 60 days notice by either party.

The city approached the county about the agreement, officials said.

Work on the massive data center campus has caused havoc for local traffic and created clouds of dust and mud in the area.

Vantage has contracted with the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol to provide traffic control around the data center at peak times this summer. Plus, Vantage has supplemented its ranks with some flagmen.

Problem intersections include highways D and LL in Belgium, where vehicles coming from the north to the data center exit the freeway; at the I-43 ramps on Port Washington’s north side, where vehicles coming from the south get off the freeway; and at the intersections of Lake Drive and highways KW and LL.

While many people have expressed concern with the amount of truck traffic on the roads around the data center, Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles recently said her biggest concern is the number of passenger vehicles driven by Vantage employees as it ramps up its workforce, which she said is expected to peak in June.

Officers are expected to provide traffic control until at least October, she said.

Helping matters, Highway LL has already reopened but Lake Drive will be closed to the public for the summer to accommodate the construction traffic.

The city is also expected to add traffic lights at the I-43 ramps on the city’s north side and widen intersections throughout the area to help with traffic.