I often get calls from citizens who are concerned about the safety of certain intersections in the Village. One in particular that I've heard a lot about is 113 and Arboretum. Recently I asked Police Chief Plendl to touch base with the DOT and find out what the future plans are for this area. We asked about the possibility of speed reduction and/or traffic signals. Below are snippets from the response we received from the DOT:
Regarding Speed Limits: "...STH 113 through the Arboretum Dr intersection is a wide open rural highway with full 12-ft lanes, wide shoulders, and few access points. Given these physical characteristics of the roadway it is highly unlikely that speed data taken in this area could justify anything less than 55mph..."
Regarding Traffic Signals: "...before [a traffic signal] can be considered on any state trunk highway, the intersection must first meet traffic signal warrants listed in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)...When traffic volumes at an intersection rise to and sustain the hourly levels listed in the warrants, then the positive aspects of a signal tend to balance out the negative aspects. ...[the DOT] conducted 12 hour turning movement counts at this intersection in 2005, 2006, and 2009. In each of those years the warrants were not met. [DOT staff have] asked that STH 113 & Arboretum Dr be added to [the DOTs] count list for the summer of 2012. [The DOT] will then evaluate the warrants again with the new count. The crash history of the intersection will also be reviewed as a part of this evaluation."
I am glad to report the good news that the DOT will carefully review this intersection next year. In the meantime, please use caution when navigating this and other busy intersections in our community. When possible during peak times you may want to consider alternate routes.
To all who have contacted me, thanks for your concern and feedback. We appreciate the open communication we have with our residents here in Waunakee.