Committee accepts incremental plan for County Highway X — Pine Street intersection after consultant study

The Infrastructure Committee accepted a consultant study May 1 recommending an incremental approach to improving the County Highway X and Pine Street intersection, prioritizing vegetation and sight-line fixes before upgrading to an all-way stop or building a roundabout.

The study reviewed five years of crash data and site conditions. Committee member Kevin summarized the findings: the consultant found that the intersection did not meet stop-warrant criteria under the earlier five-year period but, after including a more recent year, the data met an all-way stop warrant. The consultant nonetheless recommended first trying to improve sight distance — particularly in the intersection’s northwest quadrant — by negotiating with adjacent landowners to clear or purchase small strips of property and remove vegetation.

“If we’re not able to do something like that, their next step would be to recommend an all-way stop,” Kevin said. He told the committee that a roundabout provides the most efficient long-term safety outcome but is substantially more expensive; county staff cited current state figures suggesting roundabout construction commonly runs into the low millions.

The committee discussed low-cost physical measures that could accompany an all-way stop, such as flashing beacons; one supervisor described experiences with temporary manual stop controls illustrating the visibility challenges. Staff said the next step is to meet with Village of Kronenwetter officials — who control the third leg of the intersection — and landowners to develop a recommended plan.

A motion to accept the study and move the project forward for further coordination with the village passed by voice vote.

Staff will report back with results of village and landowner coordination and any recommended interim measures or design alternatives.