MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said that it has worked with several agencies to develop a proposal to rebuild County Highway A and restore Lake Delton by next spring.

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County Highway A has been closed and traffic has been detoured since a breach caused by heavy rainfall in early June created a new channel from Lake Delton to the Wisconsin River. The breach drained the lake of more than 600 million gallons of water, damaged or destroyed at least four homes and washed out County Highway A.

The plan is very similar to what was in place but the embankments along the road, officials said, will be much more structurally sound.

Instead of the road being on a natural sand base -- which resulted in the breach -- the road will be constructed on engineered earth -- likely holding water back using steel walls, WISC-TV reported.

"(We're) working to minimize the adverse impacts of the adjacent properties, the environment, things of that nature," DOT project manager Bill Olivia. "But for the most part, hopefully when we're done, it will look pretty close to what was there before, but a much better engineered solution."

Said Olivia, "Considering the materials that are out there -- you've got a lot of sand overlying bedrock of various elevations -- we've gone through a lot of data collection, both survey and geotechnical, to figure out what we're working with out there."

The state said it has no estimates yet on the total cost of the project.

The DOT said that the state has temporarily taken over jurisdiction of Sauk County A because it has the expertise and resources to quickly address the redesign and construction of the project.

Officials said a diversion channel has been installed in an effort to redirect the flow of Dells Creek toward the dam that was originally built to create Lake Delton.

Officials said the proposal to rebuild County A includes providing enough fill to rebuild the road and provide an adequate base to support the highway. They said the proposal would not restore all the land washed away by the flooding.

The DOT said officials hope to start construction in early September, open County A in December and refill Lake Delton by spring 2009.

State officials have been meeting with property owners to acquire land needed for the project.

The Department of Natural Resources, Department of Military Affairs, Federal Highway Administration, Sauk County and the village of Lake Delton worked with the DOT to develop the proposal.

And for residents like Tim Fromm, whose home washed away along with County Highway A, the DOT's plan to restore is a sign of hope.

Fromm thanks Doyle for his commitment to Lake Delton, and he is looking forward to working with state officials to figure out a price to sell his land for the highway restoration project, WISC-TV reported.

"So we trust that they're going to do everything that they can," said Fromm. "We know that they're going to be limited, that obviously they can't compensate us for our possessions but at this point, to be able to have the opportunity to have maybe something to pay off our mortgage, would be a great thing."

Others in the area, like a few business owners who deal with seasonal visitors, aren't as satisfied.

Owners of the Sandrift Resort said they want a more definite timetable, with specific dates for the project. The business said it wants to be able to promise out-of-town customers that when they visit the area, water will be back on the lake, WISC-TV reported.

Meanwhile, Tom Diehl, trustee on the Lake Delton Village Board and operator of the Tommy Bartlett Show, said that the village has approved a plan to repair and enhance the dam on Lake Delton.

Diehl said the village is spending $1.5 million to increase the dam's capacity 200 percent and to add emergency spillways to each side to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"We're trying to look at the worst case scenario, which would be a failure of the Mirror Lake dam," said Diehl. "And if that happened, then we'd have the ability to get the water out again and not have a four foot rise in the lake."

The $1.5 million will be paid by the village of Lake Delton, but it will be seeking funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, WISC-TV reported.

"Everyone's very, very encouraged around the lake, that they're seeing progress being made -- and the fact that the water will be in the lake by next spring," said Diehl.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.