BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Brown County Highway Department has announced safety enhancements along Packerland Drive south of Mason Street due to the continued high rate of injury crashes.
According to a release, concrete barrier walls will be installed the week of February 6 until the permanent construction can take place this summer. The south frontage road and driveways at Hardees and the south Shell Station will become right-in/right-out only.
Labeled ‘the most dangerous intersection in the county,’ injuries are already piling up at the Packerland Drive and south frontage road intersection. Officials say that since January 1, two more injury crashes have already occurred.
The following diagrams are from police reports in January:
“We are continuing to work towards these common goals,” said Paul Fontecchio, Highway Commissioner with the Brown County Highway Department. “The number one goal must be overall public safety.”
Fontecchio continued to say the project has run into problems regarding real estate acquisition, specifically related to land held in federal trust with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Oneida Nation near Trojan Drive.
If the issues are resolved, it may be possible to build a proposed roundabout at Trojan Drive in 2024 or 2025, but it is not possible for 2023.
Long-term, a roundabout at Trojan Drive will be the best way to accommodate business traffic in the area and make turning out of Southwest High School much safer.
The Highway Department says they’ll continue petitioning the Oneida Nation to approve the needed land easements to forward to the BIA, allowing roundabout construction at this location.
The Highway Department will construct the new access points at NWTC between the frontage
roads and Mason Street starting in April 2023.
The Brown County Highway Department says they’ll continue to communicate with area businesses and the public regarding upcoming construction as summer approaches.
Motorists should look for access to change along Packerland Drive starting February 6.