Hortonville board keeps downtown Main Street at 41-foot design after debate over safety and cost

The Village of Hortonville board voted to retain the engineered 41-foot cross section for downtown Main Street after residents, the county highway commissioner and village engineering staff debated safety, business access and schedule and cost trade-offs.

The decision matters because the design shapes pedestrian space and on-street parking downtown and is linked to a planned 2026 construction schedule. Board members and residents raised safety and aesthetic goals; engineers and the county warned that changing lane or parking widths now would push the project off the 2026 construction window and increase costs.

Trustee Jim expressed skepticism about narrowing the street to slow traffic, saying, "I don't know that adding an extra 2 feet makes it significantly safer. I can't make that argument." He described the feeling of narrow lanes but said forcing slower driving by narrowing alone is not…