New Berlin board declines to back county request for roundabout funding

The City of New Berlin Board of Public Works voted unanimously Aug. 18 to decline a request to write a letter of support for a county CMAQ funding application to convert the temporary traffic signal at Racine and College into a roundabout.

Staff described the request as a Waukesha/Washington County application for CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) funds and said construction would depend on the county securing that funding; staff noted the county is currently using a temporary signal at the intersection. "According to the Federal Highway Administration, converting a traffic signal to a roundabout can reduce fatal and injury crashes by 75 to 78 percent," the staff member said while presenting crash maps and county justification materials.

The staff presentation included safety and emissions claims drawn from the Federal Highway Administration and a crash map covering up to 20 years of data, which staff said showed a concentration of injury crashes near the intersection. Staff also explained that, by design, a roundabout at the site could be adapted in the future to add a leg connecting to the Mill Valley development in New Berlin.

During discussion the chair and staff clarified that the intersection sits on county roads at a jurisdictional border (county and city coordination would be required) and that the county has no current plan to fund a permanent signal without CMAQ support. After questions, the chair moved that the board not write a letter of support for the county's application; the motion passed unanimously.

The decision means the Common Council will not receive a Board of Public Works endorsement from this body for the CMAQ application. Staff noted the county's timeline presented construction as contingent on funding approval and projected for 2030 if funded. The board proceeded to the next agenda item, the pavement evaluation and CIP overview.