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Hortonville board debates downtown roadway cross-section; to revisit after New London site visit
Summary
Board members discussed proposed downtown cross-section (40-foot street with 11-foot travel lanes and wider sidewalks), trade-offs between sidewalk space and driving lanes, potential change-order impacts and a plan to revisit the design after members inspect a nearby example in New London.
Village engineering and public-works staff briefed the Hortonville board Feb. 20 on the planned downtown cross-section and trade-offs between vehicular lanes, parking and sidewalk space. No formal vote was taken; the board asked staff to bring the topic back after members visit a nearby example in New London.
Engineering staff described the proposed downtown section as a 40-foot-wide roadway with an 11-foot through lane in each direction and a 9-foot parking lane. Of the parking lane, engineers said 7 feet is paved driving surface with 2 feet allocated for the gutter. The plan under review calls for a 12.5-foot sidewalk (typically shown as 7 feet of pedestrian paving plus 4 feet decorative area in the transcript discussion), compared with an 11-foot sidewalk observed in New London.
Board members raised concerns about whether narrowing the travel lanes or parking lanes to widen sidewalks could create tight conditions for larger vehicles and emergency apparatus. A village official noted a legal maximum vehicle width of 102 inches (8.5 feet) and said mirrors can extend beyond that, and that large vehicles may take the full 11-foot lane. Staff advised that any change to the already-approved cross section would require a change order, additional design time and redefinition of roadway profiles and grades.
Several board members supported a pedestrian-oriented design that could calm traffic and make downtown more inviting for outdoor dining and walking; others said the narrower geometry feels tight when they physically drive similar downtown streets and asked for more time to inspect the New London example. The board agreed to revisit the cross-section at the next meeting or within two weeks after members physically review New London’s downtown and consider whether to request a change order.
The board also discussed pedestrian-safety features such as push-button crosswalks, the effect of four-way stops installed nearby on traffic calming, and the potential impacts on lighting and decorative features if sidewalks are narrowed. Staff said modest changes of one or two feet would not likely alter lighting choices but larger changes could require design adjustments.
