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Council committee reopens Wausau Center master plan discussion; 30% engineering study estimated at about $150,000
Summary
Staff told the Infrastructure & Facilities Committee that removing state highway classifications from downtown creates an opportunity to advance the Wausau Center urban design and transportation master plan; staff estimated about $150,000 for 30% engineering plans, but a motion to commit funding failed for lack of a second.
City planning staff urged the Infrastructure & Facilities Committee to fund preliminary engineering (30%) plans to test feasibility of recommended changes in the Wausau Center urban design and transportation master plan.
Staff noted that removing Highway 51 and 52 designations from downtown has given the city more flexibility to change street configurations and recommended hiring engineering services to produce 30% plans to clarify signal, intersection and roundabout feasibility. "The tool plan was a planning tool. It wasn't an engineering study," a staff presenter said, recommending 30% plans to flush out details and provide cost estimates.
Staff estimated roughly $150,000 would be needed in the 2027 budget to fund those preliminary plans, depending on the scope and RFP approach. They also described potential grant funding sources — STP Urban and LRIP — that could be pursued if a feasible plan is developed.
Committee members debated scope and timing. One member said converting Forest Street to two‑way traffic with protected bike lanes should be a priority but urged detailed traffic counts and engineering to test whether proposed roundabouts and re‑alignments will physically fit in the existing roadway footprint and to evaluate future development impacts. "I think we need to get a professional traffic engineer in there that's designed some roundabouts and see if it'll actually fit in that footprint," staff said.
Alders expressed concern about committing budget dollars at this early stage and about obtaining accurate current traffic and turning counts; one motion to develop preliminary engineering plans was made but it died for lack of a second.
What happens next: staff plans to include a request for study funding in future budget planning and to return with refined scope, cost estimates and traffic counts when available. No funding commitment was approved at this meeting.
