Lincoln County Targets Existing Sites for Future Merrill, Tomahawk Highway Shops

The Lincoln County Board has settled on a preferred direction for replacing two aging Highway Department facilities, although construction is still some distance away.

County supervisors voted Tuesday to begin preliminary work on replacement highway shops in Merrill and Tomahawk, keeping both operations at their current locations.

The county had been weighing whether to purchase new property, combine the two operations or rebuild where the facilities are already located. Officials ultimately favored the existing sites because they already have infrastructure needed for highway operations, including fuel and salt storage, and allow crews to remain positioned in both the northern and southern portions of the county.

The board set aside up to $175,000 from the Highway Department budget for preliminary engineering and architectural work, including property surveys, building plans and early cost projections.

The Public Property Committee will now guide that work. Once the plans and financial estimates are complete, they will return to the full County Board for consideration before any construction can be authorized.

If the projects advance, the two facilities would likely be built one at a time rather than simultaneously.