Port board will hold public informational meeting March 4 on ways to redesign street and make it safer

    For years, residents have told Town of Port Washington officials about the dangers posed on Green Bay Road — the hills and curves, deep ditches and lack of a shoulder they say pose a safety concern, especially since many pedestrians walk along the road as motorists zip past.

    Now, the Town Board is asking residents to tell them what they want to see in a new design for the road, which they plan to rebuild in the future.

    Letters were sent to about 60 homes in the area inviting them to a public informational hearing on the road, which connects highways LL and 33, at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 4, at Town Hall.

    Former Green Bay Road resident Greg Welton, who lives on nearby Applewood Drive, said that while he generally likes the current road, it would be good to add a separate pedestrian lane or sidewalk.

    “It’s still a country road, one of the oldest around. When the weather’s decent, every day I see people walking there,” he said. “I think more people will walk on it and ride bikes on it if it’s widened or there’s a pedestrian path on one side. It would be nice.”

    Eleanor Kidd has lived at 3014 Green Bay Rd. since 1968 and says the traffic patterns have changed.

    “When I moved here, if you saw a car every hour it was one of your neighbors,” she said. “Nowadays, we’ve got big trucks, heavy equipment, delivery trucks, all sorts of vehicles using the road. We seem to be a shortcut between the north side of Port Washington and Saukville.”

    Traffic moves quickly, Kidd said, and drivers sometimes underestimate the curves and turns of the road.

    She’s also concerned about drainage issues she and her neighbor have, but doesn’t want to see the town upgrade the road to the point of adding too many amenities. “I certainly don’t want us to be city-fied,” she said.

    Ted Fischer, 3065 Green Bay Rd., said that since the speed limit was lowered to 35 mph the number of accidents and problems seems to have diminished.

    The idea of widening the road and adding a bike trail “is just overkill,” he said.

    “All we really need to do is have it resurfaced,” Fischer said. “It’s a historic road. I don’t understand why they’re going to widen it.”

    In the letter to residents, Town Clerk Jennifer Schlenvogt said there are no construction plans or redesign efforts in place for the road, nor plans to repave it in the next two to three years.

    “Your opinion is being sought on future design options,” she wrote. “As you may already know, Green Bay Road is a popular road for pedestrians pushing strollers or walking dogs, bicyclists and as a convenient route between the north side of Port Washington and Saukville. The safety of all who live on and use this road should be considered if any improvements are to be made to Green Bay Road.”