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Resident warns committee that new driveway on State Highway 70 is a safety hazard
Summary
Louise Ladenthon told the Sawyer County Traffic Safety Committee that a recently installed driveway on State Highway 70 near her Ojibwe township home was put in without neighbor notification, had permit errors and poses safety risks given historic fatalities at the site.
Louise Ladenthon addressed the committee during public comment to alert members to a newly installed driveway on State Highway 70 east of her home in Ojibwe township, and to request that the committee be aware of potential safety issues.
Ladenthon said she lives at 7442 W State Highway 70 and that the driveway was installed "just a little bit east of me." She described contacting multiple agencies to get information and said she eventually received callbacks from a county contact and from Holly Sharp at the regional office but that "none of my questions have been answered" and that her "huge concern is safety." She detailed past fatalities in the immediate area, including one in the same place last year, and asked why new driveways are permitted on state highways without neighbor notification or apparent building permits.
She told the committee the driveway is on a double-yellow centerline at the top of a downgrade and that sight lines to the west are limited; she noted the nearby Tuscobia Veil and argued that, where trail access exists, property owners could use the trail for access rather than creating new highway access. "Highways, driveways on state highways are nothing but death traps," she said, and offered to remain after the meeting to answer questions.
No formal committee decision was recorded on the driveway during the meeting; committee members suggested follow-up with state and county contacts and noted that staff would remain available to take information and investigate further.—Louise Ladenthon (Speaker 4)
