‘Alarming trend’ of crashes at Hwy. 60 intersection prompts village action

The Grafton Village Board voted unanimously Monday to conduct a traffic study at the intersection of Highway 60 and 13th Avenue due to multiple accidents at the downtown intersection.

Most recently, a vehicle traveling south on 13th Avenue crossing Highway 60 was hit by a vehicle traveling eastbound, damaging a house on the southeast corner of the intersection. 

Village Administrator Jesse Thyes called the string of recent accidents an “alarming trend.”

“This is, I think, the fifth time that a house has been struck in the last four years,” Village President Dan Delorit said. “It is a safety concern, not only for the village but also for the folks who own that property.”

The recent accident is indicative of a broader trend of accidents along Highway 60, Delorit said. He said that following the latest crash, he asked Grafton Police Chief Jeff Caponera to create a “heat map” showing traffic accidents over the last three years.

“It should surprise no one that those are right up and down Highway 60 from 12th, 13th, 17th, Grafton Avenue as well as Port Washington Road,” Delorit said.

In the meantime, the police department has implemented a new traffic pattern at the intersection that permits drivers heading south on 13th Avenue to only turn right on Highway 60. They are no longer able to cross the highway.

The department said it will increase patrols at the intersection with a focus on giving offenders warnings instead of tickets initially as they adjust to the new traffic flow.

Because Highway 60 is a state highway, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will have final say on any changes. 

The village will hire raSmith of Brookfield to conduct a traffic analysis and recommend ways the village can improve safety at the intersection. The village will tap its contingency fund to pay for the $12,100 study.

The bid from raSmith was less than half the cost of the other, which was from TADI, another traffic engineering firm that offered to do the work for $29,173.

The main difference between the two proposals was that raSmith won’t visit the site in person, opting instead for Zoom meetings.

Under its proposal, raSmith will conduct traffic and crash analysis and data collection, which will be compiled in a technical memorandum, along with a virtual meeting with the board to discuss findings. The project is scheduled to be completed in six weeks.