Editing U.S. Route 8 (section)

=== 21st century ===
[[File:US8 Junction US51 Looking East.jpg|thumb|left|Junction with US&nbsp;51, September 2011|alt=Photograph of]]
In 2002, US&nbsp;8 was widened from two lanes to four lanes with a grass median between North Rifle Road and [[Wisconsin Highway 47|WIS&nbsp;47]] near Rhinelander, Wisconsin. At the time, officials with WisDOT had plans to extend the four-lane divided highway as far west as [[U.S. Route 51 in Wisconsin|US&nbsp;51]] near [[Tomahawk, Wisconsin|Tomahawk]].<ref name=youngstrum2002-04-27>{{cite news |first = Daryl |last = Youngstrum |title = Highway&nbsp;8, Highway&nbsp;47 Targeted for Improvements this Summer |work = [[Rhinelander Daily News|The Daily News]] |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = April 28, 2002 |pages = 1, 3 |issn = 0746-5866 |oclc = 52062411 }}</ref> Problems related to wetlands in the construction area and bad weather pushed completion of the project back almost a year. Contractors had to install metal sheeting to stabilize the marshy ground. Originally scheduled to end in late 2002, the project did not finish until August 2003. The delays and additional work increased the price tag of the project from the original $4.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|4500000|2003|r=-5}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) to $6.0&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|6000000|2003|r=-5}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}).<ref name=acheson2003-08-02 >{{cite news |first = Dean S. |last = Acheson |title = Highway&nbsp;8 Project Basically Complete |work = The Daily News |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = August 3, 2003 |page = 1 |issn = 0746-5866 |oclc = 52062411 }}</ref> A section of the project was only designed for {{convert|45|mph|adj=on}} speeds for safety reasons. The design also allowed planners to limit the amount of land needed for the expansion.<ref name=dn-2003-08-21>{{cite news |title = Reduced Speed Limit Based on Traffic Safety |work = The Daily News |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = August 21, 2003 |page = 1 |issn = 0746-5866 |oclc = 52062411 }}</ref>

Bill and Jerri Osberg sued the state and seven other parties in April 2003 over runoff from the construction, claiming that it killed hundreds of trees and polluted ponds on their property.<ref name=schaefer2007-08-25>{{cite news |first = Heather |last = Schaefer |title = Contamination Lawsuit Trudges Forward |work = The Daily News |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = August 25, 2007 |pages = 1A, 3A |issn = 0746-5866 |oclc = 52062411 }}</ref> Later investigation uncovered damage to wildlife habitat in the [[Wisconsin River]].<ref name=schaefer2004-07-29>{{cite news |first = Heather |last = Schaefer |url = http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/articles/2004/07/29/news/local_news/news1.txt |title = Judge Wants Parties to Negotiate Alleged Contamination Case |work = The Daily News |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = July 29, 2004 |access-date = November 15, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040804094527/http://rhinelanderdailynews.com/articles/2004/07/29/news/local_news/news1.txt |archive-date = August 4, 2004 |pages = 1, 3 |issn = 0746-5866 |oclc = 52062411 }}</ref> Included in the original lawsuit were six individual WisDOT employees, the primary contractor and a local pet supply company. The court of appeals partially upheld a ruling by the district court dismissing the employees and the contractor from the lawsuit in March 2006. The pet supply company was reinstated in the case by the appeals court.<ref name=schaefer2006-08-19>{{cite news |first = Heather |last = Schaefer |title = Land Dispute Goes to Trial Next Year |work = The Daily News |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = August 20, 2006 |pages = 1A, 7A |issn = 0746-5866 |oclc = 52062411 }}</ref> The couple settled their claims, and the state pursued the matter against Pagel Construction in a related lawsuit. WisDOT alleged that the contractor did not follow proper erosion controls and failed to remediate the erosion damage to the Osbergs' property. The state wanted the construction company to forfeit their $70,000 retainer (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|70000|2003|r=-3}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) and pay damages of $150,000 (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|150000|2007|r=-3}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}){{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}.<ref name=DN2007-09-29>{{cite news |title = Jury Rules State Breached Agreement with Contractor on Highway&nbsp;8 Project |work = The Daily News |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = September 29, 2007 |pages = 1A, 3A |issn = 0746-5866 |oclc = 52062411 }}</ref> Pagel Construction faulted WisDOT's erosion control plan and said that the state's engineers controlled the project and was seeking the return of its retainer. In September 2007, a jury ruled in favor of Pagel Construction and awarded them $70,898.13 in damages (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|70898.13|2007|r=2}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}).<ref name=DN2007-09-29/><!--

Imitating the [[127 Corridor Sale|Highway 127 Corridor Sale]], a [[Northern Highland|Northern Wisconsin]] woman started the "The Great Eight Sale" in 2010. Her goal is to promote the area with a [[rummage sale]] that runs from the Minnesota state line to Norway, Michigan. Towns along the length of the highway participated in the first event on Labor Day weekend. Some groups planned to use the opportunity to raise money, while the original event planner was not charging participants for booths.<ref>{{cite news |first = Vern |last = Hollister |url = http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/articles/2010/08/18/forest_republican/news/doc4c6beced12442652199193.txt |title = Woman Hopes to Create Rummage Sale the Length of Hwy.&nbsp;8 |work = The Daily News |location = Rhinelander, Wisconsin |date = August 18, 2010 |access-date = November 15, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=March 2012}}</ref>-->