Capital Newspapers - Lyn Jerde
Bill Gretzinger of the town of Fountain Prairie examines the map showing where Highway 16 will be repaved from the unincorporated settlement of Otsego to Columbus. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation held on open house Monday at the Fall River fire station to answer questions about the project, set to begin in the summer of 2010.
FALL RIVER - As village president of Fall River, Columbia County's fastest-growing municipality, Dale Standke had more than a few questions about the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's plans to repave Highway 16 and widen its paved shoulders.
For instance, Standke wondered, why can't the project include a bypass lane near the intersection with Johnson Road, so that motorists may drive past, rather than waiting interminably behind, motorists seeking to turn into the village of Fall River?
And why can't the project include a sign near the Highway 16 intersection informing motorists that Fall River is just three miles away?
Ryan Mayer, the DOT's project leader, was on hand at the Fall River fire station Monday evening to field questions such as these, and to offer people opportunities to submit written comments about the project.
Construction on the approximately $4 million project - to be paid for with a combination of state and federal money - is tentatively set to start in July or August 2010, Mayer said.
The main purpose of the work, he said, is to replace deteriorated pavement on the road, which has seen an increase in traffic in recent years, from an annual average of about 4,500 vehicles a day in 2003 to a projected average of at least 5,000 vehicles a day by 2010.
But Mayer said the work also is intended to benefit bicyclists.
Of the 7.6 miles to be reconstructed (beginning at the intersection of Otsego Road and extending east to about Highway 60), the eastern 2.5 miles will feature paved shoulders that will be extended from 3 feet to 5 feet wide, mainly to allow bicyclists room to use the road safely, he said.
"I don't know how many bicyclists actually use the road now," he said, "but this would add a corridor that bicyclists could use."
The project will include:
• Pulverizing the existing pavement, then overlaying it with 4 inches of new asphalt.
• Widening and adding curb and gutter at several intersections.
• Extending the right turn lane at Johnson Road, which is often used as a road into the village of Fall River. Mayer said he believes this will lessen the likelihood of traffic backups; no bypass lanes are planned.
• Replacing the beam guards and end terminals along the entire project.
• Replacing the signs. Although there were no specific plans to add a new sign pointing the way specifically to Fall River, the DOT's Bill Oliva said he would convey Standke's request.
• Widening the shoulders from near the Highway 60 intersection to Poser Road, mainly for bicycle traffic.
Mayer said the road would remain open for the entire duration (three to four months) of the project, with a flag crew moving with the construction area to regulate periods of one-lane traffic.
Standke said the project is vital to Fall River, which saw a 38.1 growth rate - the highest in Columbia County - in recent years. According to demographic information released at January's Changing Populations Summit, Columbia County communities that are close to major roads into Madison, such as Fall River, are growing more rapidly than other communities, because a large percentage of Columbia County's population works outside the county, principally in neighboring Dane County.
Standke noted, however, that Fall River's business and industrial base also has grown, meaning there are almost as many people who work there as live there - and yes, some commute to Fall River from other communities for work.
About 75 percent of the traffic that comes into the village, he said, enters via Johnson Road, which makes for sometimes dangerous traffic stackups - which is why he thinks bypass lanes are needed.
"Nobody slows down on 16," he said. "The speed limit is 55 mph, but people drive at least 65."
Anyone who wishes to learn more about the Highway 16 project, or comment on it, may contact Mayer at 608-246-3810 or e-mail ryan.mayer@dot.wi.gov.
Written comments - which can be addressed to Mayer at his e-mail address or at the DOT southwest regional office, 2101 Wright St., Madison, WI 53704 - are due before June 15.