Oshkosh transportation committee backs traffic signal and pedestrian beacon at Karl Traeger School

The Oshkosh City Transportation Committee on Sept. 9 recommended that the Common Council approve a signalized intersection at the east driveway of Karl Traeger School and a rectangular rapidly flashing beacon (RRFB) at the west driveway to reduce queuing and improve student pedestrian safety.

The recommendation follows a traffic impact analysis commissioned by the Oshkosh Area School District, which the district says accounts for planned site work and an anticipated increase of about 100 students at the Karl Traeger site. "The district intends to add approximately 100 students to the site," said Nate Constantine, an architect working on the project, summarizing the district's plans and the traffic study's findings.

The traffic study and the project's design call for converting the school access from one lane in/one lane out to two lanes in/two lanes out, adding a roughly 50-foot right-turn lane off Twentieth Avenue and aligning the school driveway with a driveway across the street. John Bieber, a traffic engineer from Toddy Traffic Analysis & Design, told the committee the signal would be actuated — it would allow Twentieth Avenue traffic to flow uninterrupted when no cars are waiting at the school driveway and would provide a protected interval to release queued vehicles when the driveway is occupied.

Parents and nearby residents raised concerns at the meeting. Mike and Lisa Hovley, who live next to the school at 2950 West Twentieth Avenue, said they feared a new traffic signal would increase crashes, encourage speeding starts from stopped positions and worsen driveway sightlines. "Traffic accidents are more likely to happen when you have to stop and start somewhere," Mike Hovley said, and his wife added that she expects added litter and more cars blocking sightlines when stopped at the light.

Committee members and presenters discussed alternatives. A roundabout was considered in previous studies but, according to the consultants, would not address the peak-period queuing as effectively as a signal because vehicles exiting the school would still need gaps in Twentieth Avenue traffic. Bieber cited DOT-comparison numbers during the presentation, saying a traffic signal can reduce certain severe crash types and better manage large simultaneous departures from the site. "With the school obviously letting out all at the same time, you have a huge surge of traffic leaving at the same time. The best way to handle that would be through a traffic signal versus a roundabout," Bieber said.

After discussion the committee voted in favor of the east-driveway signal and the RRFB at the west driveway. The recommendation will be transmitted to the Common Council as an ordinance; committee staff said the council's first reading is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 6 p.m., with a second reading and potential action on Oct. 14.

The committee record shows the presentation and the staff materials rely on the school district's TIA and prior studies of the site. The project also includes non-traffic site work the district is planning (classroom addition and playground improvements), but the committee's recommendation focused solely on the traffic-control and pedestrian-safety elements.

If the Common Council adopts the ordinance, implementation will require the city's normal purchasing and installation approvals and coordination with the contractor handling signals and signage.