County to study intersection after public concern; 4-way stop temporarily reinstated

Highway Department staff told the Marathon County Infrastructure Committee that the intersection of County Trunk Highway X and Tesh Lane (Terrebonne) was converted back to a 4‑way stop following road work this season because several drivers continued to treat it as a 4‑way stop after the temporary signs were removed.

“Four‑way stops where they work,” Kevin said, explaining the department’s rationale and noting the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s warrant analysis relies primarily on traffic counts and crash history. Kevin reported multiple right‑angle crashes at the location and said preliminary crash data showed six crashes in a 12‑month period that likely meet the crash warrant for consideration of a permanent change.

Staff said they deployed message boards and additional signage but that these measures did not sufficiently change driving behavior. The Highway Department has contracted a consulting firm to perform an engineering study and is conducting traffic counts; Kevin said the study is expected to be completed by the end of July and will be brought back to the committee for review.

Kevin also said the county sought input from local jurisdictions: the Village of Rothschild initially indicated a preference for returning to a 2‑way stop but that position preceded receipt of the full crash and traffic data, and the Village of Kronawetter was expected to hold public comment. County staff emphasized they prefer to include local jurisdiction feedback before making a final recommendation and noted that changing a traffic-control device may require an ordinance change.

No committee action was taken during the meeting; the item was presented for education and to inform next steps.