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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTraffic Safety Commission 10-20-10 NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA ST. CROIX COUNTY TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION October 20,2010, 10:00 A.M. Training Room —St. Croix County Sheriffs Office CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS 1. STH 65 (Jerdee Ave / Jewell St intersection), Village of Star Prairie, update 2. Year 2011 State Hwy improvement projects Hwy 35, Lake Mallalieu bridge, deck overlay Hwy 35 / County V intersection, offset right turn lane Hwy 128 bridge over UP railroad (near Wilson), new deck • I -94, Hwy 12/ U to Hwy 65, mill / resurface 2. State Hwy roundabout project updates: • Hwy 63/ 64/ 46 (4 corners), 2012 Hwy 65 corridor ( County TT, Hwy 12 W, Hwy 12 E, County G), 2012 • I -94 / Hwy 65 interchange, 2012 /2013 • Hwy 35 / Radio Road interchange, 2013 ADJOURN (Items may be taken in different order) ** Additions /Changes /Corrections ST. CROIX COUNTY TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MINUTES The St. Croix County Traffic Commission Meeting was held on October 20, 2010, in the Sheriff's Office Training Room of the Government Center in Hudson, beginning at 10:01 a.m. Present were: Captain Knudson, Dennis Johnson, Miles Wittig, Sergeant Brian Erickson, Greg Helgeson, Doris Peterson, Brian Hurtgen, William Peavey and Kelli Calleja. Meeting was called to order by Captain Knudson. Captain Knudson introduced County Board Members Brian Hurtgen and William Peavey, as well as the new Law Enforcement Secretary, Kelli Calleja. The previous minutes were reviewed by each party individually and no corrections or additions were noted. Doris Peterson advised that Farm Tech Days were cut short by one day due to the rain; other than that it was successful. She then went on to say that the Farm Bureau had Farm City Days; therefore, those who were unable to attend Farm Tech Days, were able to attend Farm City Days. She advised that the attendance was excellent; they even had busloads of people come in from the cities. Motion was made by Sergeant Brian Erickson to approve the July 14, 2010 minutes, and the motion was seconded b Miles Wittig. Y g OLD BUSINESS No one mentioned any old business that needed to be discussed. NEW BUSINESS Greg Helgeson displayed a map of the STH 65 (Jerdee Ave / Jewell St intersection) in the Village of Star Prairie. He advised that there was a bicyclist that was struck by a car in this area due to limited visibility. The Village held a meeting that was attended by many people and it was decided that they would make Jewell Street into a one way road. An ordinance was passed and the changes are being made today, with new signs, etc.; therefore, you can no longer go south, you can only go north on this road. At this time, there is no need to make physical alterations to the road; however, in the future, they may have to make some changes. At this time it is just on a trial basis to see how it goes. A News Release was issued; therefore, the public was informed of the change. The Village asked the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol for assistance to help monitor this area. Greg Helgeson discussed the 2011 State Highway improvement projects: 1) Hwy 35, Lake Mallalieu bridge, deck overlay — Greg advised that traffic will be shifting to two narrows lanes during this project. 2) Hwy 35 / County V intersection, offset right turn lane — This intersection has heavy right turn movement; therefore, they are going to offset the right hand turn lane so that the right turn traffic will not block your visibility of traffic coming north on 35. Hwy 128 bridge over UP railroad (near Wilson), new deck — Greg advised that traffic in this area will be detoured in Glenwood City, east on 170 to Boyceville and south on 79. Doris Peterson inquired as to the timeline for the work on 128. She is hoping that it will either be completed before the St. Croix County Fair time, or that they will wait until after the fair is over to start their work. Greg advised that he would check on the timeline of this project. 3) I -94, Hwy 12/U to Hwy 65, mill / resurface - Captain Knudson inquired if some of the work would be performed at night time, and Greg advised, "yes ", that the work will mostly be done during off peak hours. Greg then gave an update on the State Hwy roundabout projects. He advised that nine roundabouts will be constructed over the next four years. Below is a list of the roundabouts that are scheduled for 2012 and 2013. 1) Hwy 63 / 64 /46 (4 corners) - This was scheduled for 2011, but has now been moved to 2012. 2) Hwy 65 corridor (County TT, Hwy 12 W, Hwy 12 E, County G), 2012 — They are hoping to reconstruct and not have to detour traffic; however, Greg advised that Badlands Road, 120 street and 130 street may have to be briefly closed during this project. 3) I -94 / Hwy 65 interchange, 2012 / 2013 — There will be a complete new bridge, as well as two roundabouts constructed at this interchange (Exit 10). The traffic signal that is currently there will be removed. 4) Hwy 35 / Radio Road interchange, 2013 — Greg advised that there will be another roundabout to the south of this exchange. He also advised that they will be extending the frontage road (Paulson Road) all the way north to Radio Road. Greg advised that some of this major construction could spill into 2014. In summary, Greg stated that the single lane roundabouts are good, but it's the multi -lane roundabouts that seem to cause trouble for motorists. He advised that there were lessons learned from the Hanley roundabout. First of all, there will be more signage to direct traffic to the correct lane, the turns will not be as abrupt as those at Hanley, and the truck aprons will be improved. Dennis advised that roundabouts totally eliminate t -bone accidents. Doris Peterson made the comment that it will just take time and education for people to learn how to maneuver roundabouts. The meeting was then turned over to Dennis Johnson. Dennis handed out three pamphlets that were reviewed by the group and then discussed: 1) Tips for Winter Driving — Dennis reminded us all that we should prepare for winter driving now; don't wait until the first snowfall. 2) Field Observation of Safety Belt Use in Wisconsin — As of July 2010, seatbelt usage was at 79.2% of the population. This is the highest use rate that the State of Wisconsin has ever had. Usage went up 5% last year. There was then discussion on the fact that in Wisconsin, the No Seatbelt fine is only $10. Some in the group voiced that perhaps if it were higher, people (especially younger drivers) may be more apt to wear their seatbelts. Dennis made the comment, "Seatbelts are Free Life Insurance ". Dennis advised that the State of Michigan has a 99% usage rate. 3) State Patrol Laws of the Month for August, September and October 2010 In other new business, Dennis discussed the Daily Fatality Report. In the State of Wisconsin, the number of fatalities is at 460, which is higher than last year; however, the five year average is 542 fatalities; therefore, we are below the five year average. Motorcycle fatalities - there have been a total of 106; 95 drivers and 7 passengers. Last year there were 73 drivers and 7 passengers; therefore, we are 22 over last year's total. Pedestrian fatalities — There have been 42 pedestrian fatalities, up 14 over last year's total of 28. St. Croix County fatalities — We are well below our average. In 2009 we had 12, and for 2010 we have had 5. The total fatalities are up over 30 from last year; up 36 if you count the pedestrians and motorcyclists. Miles Wittig asked if the traffic numbers have increased and perhaps that is what is causing the increase, and Dennis said that only motorcycle traffic has increased. LEGISLATIVE REPORT Act #220, The Text While Driving Bill, goes into effect on December 1, 2010. We will be informed of the fines and points information at a later date. Dennis believes it will probably be the same as Inattentive Driving, and there will probably be a grace period, just as there was when the new insurance law was passed. Dennis reminded us that August and November are the busiest months for car /deer accidents, especially at dusk and dawn. He reminded us that if you are in a situation where a deer runs out in front of you, be sure that you hit it head on, don't swerve, unless you are on a motorcycle. Motorcyclists should swerve to try avoid the hitting the deer, due to the possibility of severe personal injuries. 2011 GRANTS The WISE Grant — The State of Wisconsin contracted with a firm out of Michigan. St. Croix County received a $25,000 Alcohol Grant. The St. Croix County Coalition for Underage Drinking will probably apply for the CARD Grant. This grant is normally for $70,000 to $80,000. Dennis wrapped it up by advising that if anyone has ideas for a highway safety plan (that is non - monetary), please send them to Madison. OPEN DISCUSSION Sergeant Erickson asked about the intersection by Shopko in River Falls. He advised that all of the signs are gone from that intersection. Greg said that changes were made and he will check into the sign issue. Doris Peterson passed around a sheet of paper that she received at a conference that she recently attended, that included new laws that have just been passed. Tim Ramberg asked if there were a maximum number of feet that someone should activate their turn signal. Sergeant Erickson advised that there is a minimum of 300', but no maximum. Tim went on to talk about a vehicle that was hauling large round bales of hay, and turned on his signal light and then proceeded to go by two driveways without turning. Motorists that were behind this vehicle thought that perhaps it was a false signal, and proceeded to start passing the vehicle. Sergeant Erickson advised that a motorist can receive a citation for Failure to Signal Turn; however, there are no citations for turning your signal light on too soon. Tim briefly discussed 511, which is a one -stop phone and web service that provides motorists with up -to- the - minute transportation information. Captain Knudson advised the group that there have been two fatalities in St. Croix County since the last meeting. One was on 8/21/10, in which an unbelted 17 year old girl was ejected. Her passenger was belted and survived the crash. Alcohol was not a factor in this crash. The next fatality was on 9/04/10, in which a 38 year old unbelted male was also ejected and died from his injuries. Alcohol was a factor in this crash. This was St. Croix County's first alcohol related fatality this year. Miles Wittig then addressed the group, asking if St. Croix County has a person who picks up the deceased deer lying alongside our roadways. Tim Ramberg advised that as of 7/01/10, St. Croix County has a new deer pick -up contractor. This contractor provides this service to several counties. Tim advised that all calls should go through our dispatch center. If St. Croix County Highway Department sees a deceased deer, they contact our dispatch center and advise of the location. Tim was unsure of the contractors schedule with St. Croix County. Captain Knudson then brought up the summer flooding and advised that there was a lot of road damage. A few members of the group stated that some of these damaged roads are now "passable ". Tim Ramberg commented on the fact that even when barricades were up to notify the public that these roads were damaged, many people went right around the barricades. Motion was made by Greg Helgeson to adjourn the meeting, and this was seconded by Sergeant Brian Erickson. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 10:59 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Kelli J. Calleja Law Enforcement Secretary