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Committee directs short-term visibility fixes and asks staff to add median option for Sunset Drive–Guthrie Road
Summary
After staff presented short- and long-term safety options, the Waukesha City Building & Grounds Committee voted to flag stop signs, make the center stop sign more robust and direct staff to include a median option for the Sunset Drive–Guthrie Road intersection in the FY2026 CIP; residents and a police officer urged a roundabout.
The Waukesha City Building & Grounds Committee on June 30 voted to add short-term visibility improvements at the Sunset Drive–Guthrie Road intersection and directed staff to place a median option into the city’s capital improvement program for consideration in FY2026.
Staff presented tiered short-term alternatives — overhead flashing stop signs for east/west, flashing stop signs for north/south, speed feedback, restriping and pavement marking — and two longer-term concepts: medians for the east and west legs (about 100 feet each) estimated at roughly $220,000, and a compact roundabout with a preliminary estimate between about $500,000 and $1,000,000.
“A roundabout is the best long term option to handle the traffic and the behavior of people,” Alderman Paul Letesca said, urging the committee to include at least a short-term three-tiered solution in the FY2026 CIP after a recent fatality at the intersection. Letesca also said the temporary stop signs the city garage placed have helped.
Nearby residents stressed urgency. “I really think a roundabout will force people to slow down,” said Julie Griffey, who said she walks the intersection and asked the city to pursue a roundabout for long-term safety. Angie Beck, who identified herself as a City of Muskego police officer and a five-year resident at the corner, told the committee she has doorbell video capturing reckless driving and two accidents; she said roundabouts she has worked near reduced crash severity. Jerry Griffey and another long-time resident likewise urged a roundabout and said recent construction has increased traffic volumes since the March study.
Committee member Rick Lemke said many drivers do not make full stops and recommended immediate low-cost visibility measures — large orange flags and a more robust center stop sign — while acknowledging that impaired driving can cause crashes that infrastructure alone cannot prevent.
Traffic consultant Andy Raul of Ayers Associates reviewed signal warrants and crash-based criteria and concluded the intersection does not meet the standard signal warrants in the report; he said a signal could reduce some crash types but may introduce others, and that a roundabout would likely reduce crash severity and lower speeds if a single-lane roundabout could be fitted.
On costs and implementation, staff said the median option includes restriping, ADA ramp upgrades and a mill-and-overlay and would likely be more affordable than a full roundabout; signalization equipment alone was estimated around $200,000–$250,000, with additional roadway work and potential utility coordination required for either a signal or a roundabout.
The chair moved to “flag all the stop signs, try to improve the center stop sign so it is more weatherworthy, and direct staff to try and add the median option into the CIP.” Rick Lemke seconded. The motion passed; members recorded as voting in favor included Rick Lemke, Matthews and Alderman Payne, and another member verbally indicated support.
Next steps: staff will implement the short-term visibility improvements the committee authorized and will include the median option in the FY2026 CIP planning process for further engineering, cost refinement and coordination with county and utility stakeholders.
