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Residents and trustees raise safety concerns as state detour would route trucks onto Oak Street
Summary
Village trustees pressed staff and the state on a planned June detour that would route State Highway traffic onto Oak Street through a school zone; trustees asked staff to pursue temporary no-parking measures, clarify truck restrictions and monitor pavement impact.
Trustees and staff at the Village of Hortonville’s March 5 meeting expressed concern after learning a State Department of Transportation detour for the J J/Highway 76 roundabout will route traffic onto Oak Street through a school zone this summer.
A trustee said DOT materials still show an older detour but that engineers told residents the route had been moved to Oak Street, with work beginning June 1 and expected to run into October or early November. The timing raised worries that the detour could overlap with summer-school programs and the start of the academic year.
Trustees pointed to Oak Street’s current “no through truck” designation and the street’s narrow sections with parked cars. “If you’re on Cedar Street and you’re trying to turn and everyone’s parked along, you can’t see,” a trustee said, urging the board to approach the detour with its “eyes wide.”
Public works staff said the state normally documents conditions (photos/video) before a detour and is responsible for making repairs if damage occurs. Staff also said DOT had told them the plan was to use Oak Street during the summertime window but that if work cannot be completed by the agreed date the state would reroute to a state highway alternative.
Board members discussed temporary options the village could implement during the detour, including lifting the local no-truck restriction for a set period, limiting parking on one side of Oak Street or passing a temporary ordinance to designate no-parking dates. “We can do some no parking,” staff said, but added that legal and code checks would be required.
Trustees asked staff and the village attorney to stay in contact with DOT, clarify the official detour maps and return with options for temporary parking or ordinance changes and for monitoring or documenting any roadway damage that may occur.
The board did not take a final vote on detour-related measures; it directed staff to work with the attorney and DOT and to bring recommendations back to a future meeting.
