County crash-data maps show concentration on state highways; county to share municipal maps

Washington County highway staff presented countywide crash-data maps that show concentrations of crashes in urbanized areas and on freeways and described plans to produce municipal-level maps for local planning.

Josh, the county’s traffic safety coordinator, and a GIS staff member created the maps using TOPSLAB (Traffic Operations Safety Lab) data from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, covering a recent five-year window (2020–2024) with overlap from earlier plans. Staff noted a drop in crashes during 2020 (COVID travel reduction) and a slight uptick in the most recent year. They said fatalities are more common in rural locations while higher counts of crashes with property damage are concentrated in higher-volume urban and freeway areas.

Staff described the maps as most effective when printed large and said they will create town- and village-level maps so local governments can use them for intersection and roadway safety planning. Committee members discussed particular routes of local concern (for example, a stretch of Highway K/41 that has experienced severe accidents), and staff noted that some high-crash locations have already received improvements and that maps sometimes reflect pre-improvement data.

Staff announced an April 16 roadway-transportation meeting for local governments where the maps and intersection/roadway safety plans will be discussed. They also said the county reviews fatalities with the sheriff promptly after incidents to identify actions within county control.

No committee action was required; staff provided the maps for planning and intergovernmental coordination.