Transportation committee backs long median and signal at Sawyer Street–Oshkosh Avenue

The Oshkosh City Transportation Committee on Jan. 14 recommended Alternative 1F, a reconstruction of the Sawyer Street and Oshkosh Avenue intersection that adds a four-legged traffic signal and a longer median that would restrict some left-turn movements.

The recommendation follows a study presented by Kyle Henderson of Strand Associates that found the existing intersection is an atypical cluster of three closely spaced junctions whose geometry and yield-controlled movements contribute to congestion and crashes. Henderson said, “Yield controlled northbound right really doesn't work very well today. It's gonna keep getting worse as time goes on,” and argued that converting the intersection to a standard signal would improve operations and reduce crash risk.

The study reviewed crash data from 2019 through February 2023 and identified 35 crashes at the…