JUDA - A Wisconsin Department of Transportation study is currently going on to assess the safety and accessibility of Wisconsin 11 between Monroe and Janesville.
Larry Barta, WisDOT Southwest Region project manager, and Barbara Feeney, a certified planner with the engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., met with county residents Wednesday in Juda to explain the study and gather community input.
"You who travel this road everyday know it in ways we will never know it," Feeney told the crowd of 30 to 40 people.
Information gathered from the study, which is scheduled to end mid-2012, will be used to develop a transportation plan for the Wis. 11 corridor. The plan and its recommendations will be used by the state to prioritize future project funding.
The plan will may recommend how the state can improve safety at intersections, manage access points, coordinate with planned developments and possibly install passing lanes.
But no plans to expand the highway to four lanes are expected, said Barta.
"This corridor is relatively safe," he said.
But the plan is still important, because it is "addressing possible and potential problems for the next several decades," he said.
DOT studies project traffic between Monroe and Janesville to increase in the next 20 years. Estimates of future traffic is based on a model of a number of factors, said Barta, including historical numbers, recent and projected development, and the amount of regional traffic.
"It's not based on gas prices," he said, "which has shown to be a significant importance recently."
According to Barta, the annual average daily traffic count for Wis. 11/81 at Monroe's northern most point was projected to increase from 9,100 vehicles in 2007 to 9,500 vehicles in 2010.
"We found people were traveling less, even though the number of trips per household increased," Barta said.
The decrease in travel is attributed to higher gas prices, he added. Barta also said the number of trips per household is leveling off.
By the year 2030, Wis. 11 near Monroe is projected at 11,850 vehicles.
Even with increased traffic and developments, the two-lane highway doesn't meet current DOT standards for four lanes, and it probably won't any time soon, said Barta.
After collecting data and comments, the next step in the study will be to do a a crash and deficiency analysis, comparing the road to existing DOT standards; a capacity analysis, comparing the amount of traffic to the roadway and long-term volume forecasted; and access analysis of the current and projected roadway connections.
Barta and Feeney plan a follow-up meeting with residents in about a year, after mapping and compiling comments and other data for community recommendations. Some intersections along the corridor may be scheduled for more in-depth analysis.
Another study is scheduled to start in 2013, which will look at Wis. 11 west from Youth Cabin Road in Monroe to Dubuque.
Citizens can still submit recommendations on the Wis. 11 study by e-mail to Larry.Barta@dot.wi.gov; or bfeeney@sehinc.com.
Another presentation will be held Tuesday, Feb. 15 at Orfordville Elementary School, 408 W. Beloit St., Orfordville.
Larry Barta, WisDOT Southwest Region project manager, and Barbara Feeney, a certified planner with the engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., met with county residents Wednesday in Juda to explain the study and gather community input.
"You who travel this road everyday know it in ways we will never know it," Feeney told the crowd of 30 to 40 people.
Information gathered from the study, which is scheduled to end mid-2012, will be used to develop a transportation plan for the Wis. 11 corridor. The plan and its recommendations will be used by the state to prioritize future project funding.
The plan will may recommend how the state can improve safety at intersections, manage access points, coordinate with planned developments and possibly install passing lanes.
But no plans to expand the highway to four lanes are expected, said Barta.
"This corridor is relatively safe," he said.
But the plan is still important, because it is "addressing possible and potential problems for the next several decades," he said.
DOT studies project traffic between Monroe and Janesville to increase in the next 20 years. Estimates of future traffic is based on a model of a number of factors, said Barta, including historical numbers, recent and projected development, and the amount of regional traffic.
"It's not based on gas prices," he said, "which has shown to be a significant importance recently."
According to Barta, the annual average daily traffic count for Wis. 11/81 at Monroe's northern most point was projected to increase from 9,100 vehicles in 2007 to 9,500 vehicles in 2010.
"We found people were traveling less, even though the number of trips per household increased," Barta said.
The decrease in travel is attributed to higher gas prices, he added. Barta also said the number of trips per household is leveling off.
By the year 2030, Wis. 11 near Monroe is projected at 11,850 vehicles.
Even with increased traffic and developments, the two-lane highway doesn't meet current DOT standards for four lanes, and it probably won't any time soon, said Barta.
After collecting data and comments, the next step in the study will be to do a a crash and deficiency analysis, comparing the road to existing DOT standards; a capacity analysis, comparing the amount of traffic to the roadway and long-term volume forecasted; and access analysis of the current and projected roadway connections.
Barta and Feeney plan a follow-up meeting with residents in about a year, after mapping and compiling comments and other data for community recommendations. Some intersections along the corridor may be scheduled for more in-depth analysis.
Another study is scheduled to start in 2013, which will look at Wis. 11 west from Youth Cabin Road in Monroe to Dubuque.
Citizens can still submit recommendations on the Wis. 11 study by e-mail to Larry.Barta@dot.wi.gov; or bfeeney@sehinc.com.
Another presentation will be held Tuesday, Feb. 15 at Orfordville Elementary School, 408 W. Beloit St., Orfordville.