The Building & Grounds Committee voted to adjust the posted speed on the 25-mph segment of Sunset Drive to 30 miles per hour, with implementation contingent on the Village of Waukesha taking matching action on the segment it controls.

Darren, a city staff member who presented the traffic data and engineering recommendation, told the committee the 30-mph posting reflected measured speeds and roadway design. “Our recommendation is 30 miles an hour,” Darren said, noting the city collected spot speed data in both directions and performed a review of the corridor’s geometric features and median/two-way-left-turn-lane (twiddle) lengths.

Committee members said they favored consistency along the corridor but asked that the village sign the same change for the corridor to be uniform. Alderman Dan Mannion and Alderman Mike Anderson both described travel conditions on Sunset Drive and supported staff’s compromise. A committee member moved the change and Rick Lempe seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote.

Why it matters: The segment targeted for change lies between Center Road and Tenney Avenue (the portion within the city is from the railroad tracks to Tenney). Staff said changes now are timely because the traffic signal at Sunset and Prairie is scheduled for reconstruction in 2025, which presents an opportunity to update signage as part of project work.

Supporting details: Staff gathered spot-speed runs along the corridor. In the eastbound direction the 85th-percentile speeds were generally no lower than 32 mph and the median/average speeds were no lower than about 28 mph; westbound 85th-percentile speeds were higher (the lowest 85th in the westbound data was 35 mph; average/50th speeds were around 31 mph). Darren said WisDOT guidance on twiddle spacing recommends 500 feet uninterrupted length when the posted speed is 30 mph or lower, but 1,000 feet for 35 mph; the corridor’s twiddle lengths (570 ft, 590 ft, 515 ft, 445 ft in the inventoried segments) do not meet a 1,000-foot recommendation for 35 mph.

Committee direction and next steps: The board’s vote authorizes the city portion of the posting change to 30 mph; staff said implementation would be coordinated with the Village of Waukesha and the signal reconstruction contractor. Committee members asked staff to forward speed data to the police department for enforcement planning once signage is posted.

Implementation notes: The committee record shows the motion passed by voice vote; the change was described as contingent on the village approving a matching speed resolution for its segment of Sunset Drive.

Ending: Staff will coordinate signage changes with the village and the planned signal work at Sunset and Prairie, and will provide enforcement data to the police department for focused speed enforcement.