Port to ask DOT if Hwy. 33 roundabout is in the cards

The City of Port Washington will ask the Department of Transportation whether a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 33 and Sweetwater Boulevard on the city’s far west side is feasible.

While such a change isn’t likely to take place until the city-owned Schanen farm south of Highway 33 is developed, the time to begin planning for such a change is now, members of the city’s Traffic Safety Committee said Monday.

The committee asked member Rob Vanden Noven, the city’s public works director, to ask the DOT about the possibility of creating a roundabout at the intersection after learning that the DOT will resurface Highway 33 in 2027.

The committee also discussed whether to ask the DOT to install traffic lights at the intersection, but members agreed that a roundabout is a less disruptive way to handle traffic at the crossing.

Vanden Noven was asked to find out whether the DOT would help fund a roundabout and to get a cost estimate for the work.

He said Tuesday that neither option, a roundabout or traffic lights, “would be inexpensive.”

“We haven’t installed new traffic signals lately or even a roundabout, so I would guess it would be $250,000 to $500,000,” he said.

The idea of making changes to the intersection was prompted by the DOT’s announcement that it would be resurfacing the highway, a notice that had several residents of the Hidden Hills subdivision asking for improvements.

Sweetwater Boulevard is the main road in and out of the subdivision, and Ald. Jonathan Pleitner, who lives there, asked that changes be made to the intersection, noting that the grade of the road makes it difficult to exit the area.

“Highway 33 is much higher than Hidden Hills, and it is unsafe to turn onto Highway 33 when there is higher volume traffic,” he wrote in a letter to the committee.

The new Froedtert Medical Clinic off Sweetwater Boulevard and a new apartment building nearby will only add to the volume, he said, as will any future development of the Schanen farm.

“With the hill at this intersection, you need to approach and turn onto Highway 33 without being certain of any oncoming traffic. It is an unsafe risk,” Pleitner wrote, asking if changes to the grade or a roundabout be considered.

Barb Harwood of Wildflower Circle wrote about the difficulty crossing the intersection while biking — the bike trail crosses Highway 33 at Sweetwater Boulevard — noting that getting traffic to stop on the two-lane highway is so difficult they prefer to wait until there are no cars before crossing because frequently traffic in one lane will stop while cars in the next lane speed past.

She asked that the committee consider a flashing light at the intersection to stop cars so bicyclists and pedestrians can cross safely.

That, the committee agreed, should be looked into.

But the question of what should be done about the intersection remained.

Vanden Noven noted that when Highway 33 was expanded from a two-lane road to a four-lane highway in 2012, the DOT projected traffic would reach 20,000 vehicles a day by 2031.

Currently, only 8,000 vehicles use the road each day, far short of that projection, he said.

“Traffic hasn’t grown in 20 years,” Vanden Noven said.

Because of that, he said, it’s likely that the DOT would not find any reason to find traffic signals are warranted.

But, Vanden Noven said, it’s appropriate to look ahead to the day when the Schanen farm is developed, which would increase traffic.

“With the development of the Schanen farm being imminent, be it in one year or five years or 10 years, now’s a good time to weigh in on whether it should be a roundabout or traffic signals,” Vanden Noven said.

Committee Chairman Deb Postl asked whether the type of development would influence the decision.

It’s likely to be residential, Vanden Noven said, noting the city has earmarked the property for that purpose with the potential for some commercial properties as well.

But Ald. Paul Neumyer, a committee member, noted that development won’t occur until the city and Village of Saukville reach an agreement on extending sewer service to the property, and the two have reached a stalemate on the issue.

Committee members agreed that a roundabout is the way to go, saying it’s safer and less intrusive, especially in an area where traffic is moving quickly.

But Ald. John Sigwart, a member of the committee, suggested that the city also look at reconstructing Sweetwater Boulevard near the intersection to address issues caused by the hill as well.

That, he said, is a more immediate fix that’s needed while a roundabout or traffic signals aren’t likely to be approved by the state for some time.

A roundabout, Sigwart added, requires a significant amount of land and it is likely to be costly.

Vanden Noven said half of the cost is likely to be picked up by the city, since it owns the Schanen farm. Either the city will have to pay for the improvement or it will probably need to cut its asking price for the land by an equivalent amount.

The city has an agreement with Bielinski Development, which created the Hidden Hills subdivision, that it would pay for traffic signals when they are needed, Vanden Noven said. But if a roundabout is the selected option, negotiations may need to take place regarding the cost.