Oconomowoc council approves Lake Bluff Drive extension despite neighborhood safety, wetlands concerns

The Oconomowoc Common Council on Feb. 3 voted unanimously to accept construction bids for the Lake Bluff Drive extension, moving a long‑planned connectivity project into the construction phase while pledging near‑term safety measures and follow‑up studies.

The council approved Resolution 26‑R3336 after a lengthy public comment period in which several Lake Bluff Drive neighbors described speeding, storm‑water and wildlife impacts and asked for immediate traffic controls. ‘‘We have kids in the neighborhood and we just want to make sure that they stay safe,’’ Justin Reynolds said, asking the council to consider a three‑way stop at Lake Bluff and Blue Dahlia.

Public Services staff presented the project’s design and funding plan. ‘‘This is not a tax levy funded project. This is a completely supported project through your impact fee fund,’’ Herzog told the council, outlining design changes intended to reduce the road’s wetland footprint and describing bid results: the engineer’s estimate was roughly $1.6 million and the low bid was about $1.25 million from Musson Brothers.

Staff and public safety officials described a layered safety approach rather than placing a permanent stop sign immediately. Chief Pfister said the department will use temporary measures — speed boards, added patrols and targeted crosswalk safety checks — and perform a site‑specific evaluation once traffic patterns settle after the extension opens. ‘‘We’ll put up speed boards that get the speed, count the number of vehicles on the road, take that data,’’ the chief said, and estimates for an initial evaluation are about one to two months after the road opens.

Councilmembers debated whether to install stop signs proactively at neighborhood intersections or to first gather post‑opening data. Several aldermen and residents called for an immediate stop sign in at least one location; others argued that installing signs before baseline data is collected would bias results and might lead to the wrong permanent solution.

Herzog described specific near‑term safety features staff will pursue with the police department and public‑works crews: mid‑block tabletop speed table(s), marked crosswalks, edge lines and possible adjustments to speed‑control placements. He also said staff will publish the proposed crosswalk and speed‑table locations for resident review.

The motion to accept bids passed on a roll call with all voting aldermen recorded as ‘‘Aye.’’ Mayor closed the item by urging continued communication and promising the council would receive follow‑up from public safety after the initial post‑opening evaluation.

What happens next: Musson Brothers is the apparent low bidder; construction scheduling, permitting and final contract execution will follow. Staff will begin implementation of the described interim safety measures during construction and the police department will return within approximately two months of the road opening with data and a recommendation on permanent traffic controls.