WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — An environmental impact study on the shifting of State Highway 52/Business 51 to accommodate the expansion of the Woodson YMCA and Aspirus Clinic is nearly complete.
Wausau’s Capital Improvements and Street Maintenance Committee heard an update on the potential change Thursday evening, including the possibility for grant money to improve stoplights along Scott Street as part of the change.
“The engineering firm hired by the YMCA and Aspirus are working through the traffic impact analysis,” said Lindman. “They are waiting on some traffic counts from the DOT, they should be receiving those this week and then they will be able to complete that.”
The main purpose of the analysis is to measure what impact the higher traffic counts could have on businesses and homes along the proposed route. As it stands, Highway 52 runs along N 5th Street to McIndoe and 1st before joining Scott Street at the Dudley Tower and ultimately merging into Stewart Avenue.
If approved by the DOT, Highway 52 would follow N 5th to Scott Street directly then Stewart Avenue after the bridge.
While the environmental concerns remain to be seen, Lindman says one concern the city is aware of is the changes that could be necessary should traffic be re-routed to Scott Street is the need for new stoplights.
“Scott Street already does have some high crash rates in its current configuration. So, if we want to add more traffic to Scott Street to meet federal highway regulations those lights, those signals, need to be replaced at all three of those intersections.” Meaning the traffic lights at 5th, 4th, and 1st Streets.
To meet highway regulations, the lights would need to be set up higher above the ground in order to make them more visible. The lights would also be configured across the street instead of along the sidewalk.
Lindman and his staff are already looking into the possibility of grant funding to cover most of the cost of replacing the lights. That money would be made available to the city due to the high number of crashes that already occurs on the street.
A final decision on the re-route will be made by the DOT following a public hearing and comment period on the change. An exact date for the hearing has not been set but Lindman expects that to be in late March.
