MONROE - Could Monroe's first roundabout be popping up on the city's far west side?
The city is taking another step closer to that determination as it sends out bid requests for final designs of a $4 million project running along 8th Street between Wisconsin 69 and 6th Avenue West.
Its start time is undetermined, but the Department of Public Works gave the green light to begin the shopping process Monday night through the city's pre-exsisting list of qualified vendors.
What is certain with the project is the replacing of pavement, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, storm sewer and sanitary sewer, as well as the burying of overhead electric lines and the installing of fiber.
The wildcard is the intersection of 8th Street and 6th Avenue West, and whether or not the three current stop signs (two on 8th Street and one northbound on 6th Avenue West) will suffice. If not, should traffic signals be installed? Or is a roundabout the answer?
Part of the duties of the design team that's chosen will be to make a recommendation and include it in any plans.
Al Gerber, the city's engineering supervisor, said the cost of lights or a roundabout is similar, unless the roundabout requires any adjacent land acquisition.
Either way, the influx of roundabouts in the state is the result of the Department of Transportation's hard-driving support of them.
"If you want to put in traffic signals, you have to prove they're more efficient than a roundabout. And that's not easy," Gerber said. "The DOT tries to steer you toward the roundabout."
Gerber knows a roundabout would be a hot-button topic.
"It would be fairly new to people around here," he said. "That intersection can be confusing for some people, but would a roundabout be even more confusing?"
What is now confusing to some drivers, Gerber said, is the feeling of a need to stop as they head downhill southbound on 6th Avenue West and approach the intersection. During winter conditions that can be difficult and it is why no fourth stop sign exists. Currently, there is no history of an inordinate number of accidents there, he added.
An argument for the roundabout is that drivers will clearly see it coming and that traffic flow will even out in all four directions.
Furthermore, the area may get busier thanks to the commercial draw of the new Walmart, which relocated to 6th Avenue West five years ago.
"We expect to see more development out by Walmart, although there's nothing we've heard about," Gerber said. "But we do have some out lots near there. The project is supposed to have a 20-year vision."
The city is taking another step closer to that determination as it sends out bid requests for final designs of a $4 million project running along 8th Street between Wisconsin 69 and 6th Avenue West.
Its start time is undetermined, but the Department of Public Works gave the green light to begin the shopping process Monday night through the city's pre-exsisting list of qualified vendors.
What is certain with the project is the replacing of pavement, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, storm sewer and sanitary sewer, as well as the burying of overhead electric lines and the installing of fiber.
The wildcard is the intersection of 8th Street and 6th Avenue West, and whether or not the three current stop signs (two on 8th Street and one northbound on 6th Avenue West) will suffice. If not, should traffic signals be installed? Or is a roundabout the answer?
Part of the duties of the design team that's chosen will be to make a recommendation and include it in any plans.
Al Gerber, the city's engineering supervisor, said the cost of lights or a roundabout is similar, unless the roundabout requires any adjacent land acquisition.
Either way, the influx of roundabouts in the state is the result of the Department of Transportation's hard-driving support of them.
"If you want to put in traffic signals, you have to prove they're more efficient than a roundabout. And that's not easy," Gerber said. "The DOT tries to steer you toward the roundabout."
Gerber knows a roundabout would be a hot-button topic.
"It would be fairly new to people around here," he said. "That intersection can be confusing for some people, but would a roundabout be even more confusing?"
What is now confusing to some drivers, Gerber said, is the feeling of a need to stop as they head downhill southbound on 6th Avenue West and approach the intersection. During winter conditions that can be difficult and it is why no fourth stop sign exists. Currently, there is no history of an inordinate number of accidents there, he added.
An argument for the roundabout is that drivers will clearly see it coming and that traffic flow will even out in all four directions.
Furthermore, the area may get busier thanks to the commercial draw of the new Walmart, which relocated to 6th Avenue West five years ago.
"We expect to see more development out by Walmart, although there's nothing we've heard about," Gerber said. "But we do have some out lots near there. The project is supposed to have a 20-year vision."