Oshkosh committee recommends signal at Karl Traeger School driveway, adds pedestrian beacon

The Oshkosh Transportation Committee voted Sept. 9 to recommend installation of a signalized intersection on Twentieth Avenue at the east driveway of Karl Traeger School and a rectangular rapid‑flashing pedestrian beacon at the west driveway after reviewing a traffic impact analysis connected to the school district’s April referendum.

The recommendation follows a traffic impact analysis presented to the committee that the school district commissioned as it plans a four‑classroom addition and expects to add about 100 students at the Karl Traeger site. Nate Constantine, project architect, said, “the district intends to add approximately 100 students to the site,” and showed plans to convert the school access from one lane in/one lane out to two lanes in/two lanes out with a right‑turn storage lane into the site.

The report and consultants recommended a traffic signal on Twentieth Avenue aligned with the driveway across the street and a rectangular rapidly flashing beacon (RRFB) at the west driveway to aid students walking to the YMCA and neighborhood pedestrians. John (traffic engineer for the TIA) told the committee that an actuated signal would only change Twentieth Avenue traffic when vehicles present at the school driveway required a green phase; he said that “with a traffic signal installed, the crashes are reduced by 14% because … it reduces right angle and T‑bone crashes,” citing DOT safety comparisons.

Neighbors at 2950 West Twentieth Avenue, Mike and Lisa Hovley, told the committee they opposed the signal and warned of unintended consequences. Mike Hovley said, “Traffic accidents are more likely to happen when you have to stop and start somewhere, especially when it’s new,” and raised concerns about speeding, racing, blocked driveways and litter from stopped vehicles. The couple said they had suggested alternatives such as a roundabout earlier in the planning process; consultants told the committee a roundabout had been evaluated but the signal better addressed the queuing surge when school lets out.

Committee discussion focused on operational details in the TIA: alignment of the east driveway with the commercial driveway opposite the school, a proposed roughly 50‑foot right‑turn lane to remove turning vehicles from through traffic, and the expected ability of the actuated signal to return Twentieth Avenue to green when no school driveway demand exists. The TIA also accounted for potential westward development on Twentieth Avenue and found the signalization handled anticipated future traffic volumes.

The committee approved separate motions to recommend the traffic signal at the east driveway and to recommend the RRFB pedestrian beacon at the west driveway. The motion to recommend the east signal was moved by Mister Nichols and seconded; the roll call recorded Armstrong, Merrick, Hartman, Nichols and Lynch voting aye and the motion carried. The committee later approved the RRFB recommendation in a separate vote with the same recorded ayes.

The committee’s recommendation advances the items to the Oshkosh Common Council as ordinance actions; city staff said final approval of costs will follow the city’s purchasing process. The TIA, municipal‑code requirements for signalized intersections and final design details will inform ordinance language and construction timelines. The committee did not set an implementation date; further design, right‑of‑way verification, and purchasing approvals remain.

The city and the school district intend to use the TIA and final design to clarify staging and construction impacts on adjacent properties and to coordinate pedestrian improvements to the YMCA route.