Muskego — A combination of high costs and public opposition appears to have killed plans for a roundabout on Racine Avenue near Muskego High School.
Construction of the roundabout would cost about $1 million - nearly double the $550,000 to $600,000 cost of installing better traffic signals and making other improvements at the intersection of Racine Avenue and Woods Road, said Michael Grulke, project manager for the Waukesha County Department of Public Works.
"And there was pretty stiff opposition at the information meeting" last week, Grulke said.
At that Aug. 4 meeting at City Hall, residents were shown two options for the intersection and asked to give their opinions on both. About three-quarters of the people there opposed the roundabout, Grulke estimated.
Despite the cost, every time the county does significant work on an intersection, the state Department of Transportation wants it to consider a roundabout, Grulke said.
"But in this case, it is probably falling apart," he said of the roundabout option. Funding for the project - regardless of which option is selected - already has been approved.
The county wants to make the intersection safer because the number of accidents has been increasing as traffic volumes have risen, Grulke said. Along with that, planners want to improve safety for high school students walking in the area, he said.
Both options have special provisions for pedestrians, he said. The new traffic signals would have push buttons for walk signals, while a roundabout would have crosswalks.
From school officials' point of view, either option would be an improvement, said Muskego-Norway Superintendent Joe Schroeder. But the district prefers the new signals, he said.
For one thing, the signalized intersection would be cheaper, he said. Also, the district would lose a sign and some land if a roundabout is constructed.
"It would knock down our sign," Schroeder said.
A business on the northeast corner of the intersection also might lose some property if a roundabout is built.
But perhaps the district's greatest concern is that having inexperienced drivers - high school students - navigate through a roundabout is probably not as safe as having them use a more traditional intersection with traffic signals, Schroeder said.
THE NEXT STEPS
What's next with plans to improve Racine Avenue and Woods Road intersection:
• Mid-September - Waukesha County will have decided whether to put in new traffic signals or a roundabout.
• October - A public information meeting will be held at which more details will be given about the selected option.
• Summer 2011 - Construction will be completed.
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16 COMMENTS
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I wish Muskego would stop spending Muskego Tax Payers money like it grows on trees. Lets finish up Janesville, instead of worrying about Pioneer Drive and more round abouts. I think Durham is the most dangerous road in Muskego.
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instead of charging $135per yr.for students to park their cars at the school,charge them $500-$1000,this will eliminate most traffic problems.We pay for school transportation,let them use it.
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My backyard is the intersection, along with my
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I certainly like roundabouts (especially if people can distinguish between a stop and a yield sign) and agree they have superior safety features over a traditional intersection.
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@SuziLink
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Thank God the roundabout will not happen here.
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Good, this intersection is dangerous and it needs to be better controlled- with turn signals. I live near the intersection, and with the Regency across the street and young in-experienced drivers, this is not a safe idea. Sure, it may decrease accident activity, but there will be more fender benders. There are NO stats anywhere about roundabout close to a highschool and acident activity.
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Lakegirl gives us her personal impressions of driving roundabouts, then gets
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Not sure I agree with you AUebersohn about coming to a complete stop only if another driver is improperly using the roundabout. As you have to yield to the traffic from the left, if there is a long line coming southbound on Racine Ave. during end of school, I have had to stop and wait many times for the traffic to clear going eastbound on Kelsey. Still I have no complaints. With the slow speed, I'm sure it cuts down on the seriou accidents,
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Yes roundabouts are safer than normal cross intersections. There are three major reasons why.
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Load more comments View all comments Back to topKmlc2001 - Aug 27, 2010 1:46 PM - Report Abuse
fuzzball - Aug 23, 2010 8:36 AM - Report Abuse
WIBoomer1 - Aug 13, 2010 1:00 AM - Report Abuse
neighbors, we just don't think a roundabout is a good
idea. It would mean that we'd lose some of our
property, but if anyone wants to see exactly what
we're talking about, come on over and listen to the
last bell of the day. The kids get out, and they rev up
their engines like it's Indy. Even with the house over
100 ft away from the intersection, the noise woke my
sleeping baby daughter many times. Traffic is also
really bad in the morning. So many kids walk on
Racine that a paved path should be placed there.
http://www.walkinginfo.org/pedsafe/casestudy.cfm?
CS_NUM=49
This was one study I found, that had a roundabout
near a HS. It was also on a highway, and it did
reduce the amount of accidents. BUT, it's the only one
I found.
The only way a roundabout would work there is if the
speed was reduced to 35 from Henneberry to
Hillendale. And the police to enforce the speed limit.
From what I understand the plan right now is there
would be no reduction in speed; the kids would take it
as high as their screeching tires could take it.
One other thing, if a roundabout is placed there,
snowmobiling would be done. There's no place for
them to go.
jannaqq - Aug 11, 2010 8:06 PM - Report Abuse
Given the volume at that intersection, I fail to see how a roundabout will improve traffic flow. That statement has nothing to do with driver ability. There are just several hundred vehicles with a destination to or from MHS each school morning and afternoon, in addition to the usual traffic. I don't believe it would do anything to improve the ability to leave MHS parking lots (ever try to take a left out of a lot before or after school?).
I'm in favor of intersection improvements (dedicated right/straight/left turn lanes similar to that on Woods Rd going east at Racine; lights that are smart based on vehicle weight and dwell on the highest traffic pattern, etc.).
If a roundabout was an option, it should be MUCH larger in diameter than at Kelsey Drive to accommodate larger vehicles (semis especially). I am also really tired of construction projects that take people's property (business, home, signage, etc).
Or, why not put one further south of MHS on Racine Avenue...so those of us that can't take a left can take a right and have a place to turnaround nearby?
Or, why not single-thread the traffic in and out of MHS at peak times (one entrance for IN traffic, another for OUT traffic)?
bkubes24 - Aug 11, 2010 5:04 PM - Report Abuse
First off, I am the teenager one who comments with you guys on the Topix forum.
As a teen driver and a pretty smart one too (I don't speed), I think that roundabouts are not that bad as everyone says they are. I work at the Ridge Cinema and drive through the Moorland/I-43 roundabouts every day. Yes, there are a few people who still stop in the middle of them, but it keeps getting better. You say that you have to reduce the speed, that is correct, but 90% of the time you move right through the intersection with little to no stopping. With a stoplight, sometimes you can go through at the speed limit when its green, other times you are waiting 2-3 minutes at a red light.
I believe that the roundabout there would have worked and would feed traffic thrugh that intersection alot easier than stoplights. However, since putting one in there would require removal of the MHS sign and another building, lights are the way to go there.
ALso, I found it funny with a homeowner on the corner with a No Roundabout sign.
What they need is a sidewalk on Woods from the HS to the bike trail connecting the subdivisions west of the HS.
suzilink - Aug 11, 2010 1:39 PM - Report Abuse
To all the fans of "European-style" intersections on main thouroghfairs ......
are you prepared to change the size of your cars (they are a third smaller in Europe and Australia), reduce the width of the roads, drive "on the wrong side", etc.
You will have to increase travel times (dropping from 49 to 15 mph at intersections), reduce the comfort of your ride, the volume you can transport, etc.
For that matter, most of you would have to GIVE UP YOUR CARS AND USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
Based on the arguments voiced above, we might as well place a roundabout ON THE FREEWAY INSTEAD OF ON- AND OFF-RAMPS. Clearly, this idea would be unpopular with most US drivers.
I completely agree that roundabouts work well in 'moderately trafficed' areas. The problem is Racine Ave is a high-traffic road. All a roundabout would do is create a 24/7/365 bottle-neck and a traffic hazard.
czech2010 - Aug 10, 2010 4:21 PM - Report Abuse
At the meeting, I believe ALL the attendees were against the idea, I didn't hear one person that was for the idea.
For the person above-- THIS IS NOT EUROPE (if you haven't noticed) people drive at a younger age here. You must not live near the high school to see how irresponsible the teenagers drive before and after school....
Cycleguy - Aug 10, 2010 3:49 PM - Report Abuse
on someone else's case for using "anecdotal observations"... Ironic. And
lame.
As for roundabouts, the advantages have been well covered by others. I've
driven them in Germany, the UK, Australia on business trips, and they work.
Even the double lane ones can be navigated once you learn the custom. No
different than any other new driving experience. As someone who's been T-
boned at an typical 90 degree intersection by someone running a stop sign,
I'll take roundabouts wherever I can get them. Stoplights are huge fuel and
time wasters; stop signs are fine for truly low-traffic rural roads, but sadly
that isn't Muskego any more.
Flint - Aug 10, 2010 1:36 PM - Report Abuse
pgerassi - Aug 10, 2010 12:24 PM - Report Abuse
1) Traffic has to slow down to traverse a roundabout. That lower speed (15-25MPH) cuts down the energy of a collision by 75-90% which reduces fatalities by 99% and injuries by 75-90% when accidents do happen. This versus a normal cross intersection when Racine Avenue drivers are going 50-55MPH.
2) The angle of impact is shallower in a roundabout. The typical angles are between 150 degrees to 180 degrees (rear end) while on a cross intersection the typical angle is 90 degrees (tbone). This cuts the energy of impact down another 75%.
3) Less cars will be waiting to get into a roundabout which cuts down the chances of a rear end into a waiting car. Furthermore there is little likelihood of a head-on collision in a roundabout.
As for area teen drivers not knowing how to use a roundabout, this is quite unlikely given that there are two on Racine Avenue at the I43 Interstate exit and one more south at Kelsey Drive and Racine Avenue. There are the two on Moorland and the I43 Interstate and one in Hales Corners at 116th and Grange Avenue. There is also the likely one at Janesville Avenue, Forest Home Avenue and Hwy 100 interchange.
As for the sign, it can be moved.