Fix for deadly intersection to begin next week

Traffic patterns will soon be different along highways 33 and I in the Town of Saukville. Construction to transform the intersection into a roundabout begins July 5.

Since the project requires the intersection to be closed, drivers will be directed to new detour routes. Highway 33’s east-west traffic will be directed towards county roads Y, NN, 60 and I-43. Meanwhile, north-south traffic on Highway I will be directed towards highways O and 60.

Safety sparked the decision to build the roundabout. Between January 2014 and September 2022, there were 24 crashes, with 74% of them resulting in injury or death. These statistics are higher than the typical rural intersection, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

“There have been a lot of accidents there, and a number of fatalities,” Town of Saukville Plan Commission member Tom Ravn said.

The intersection’s last major accident was on June 15 when a semi truck and a car collided as construction workers were doing preparatory work for the project. The accident resulted in a minor injury with one report of head laceration.

On July 8, 2020, an accident near the intersection killed 68-year-old Jane Strobel. Strobel’s car was traveling east when it was hit by a car attempting to pass a semi truck. The car that hit Strobel was unable to veer back into the westbound lane in time to avoid the collision.

Due to accidents like these, Ravn believes the roundabout will be good for the community. He recalled seeing a car rolled over at the intersection several years ago.

“It’s not a good intersection,” Ravn said. “Especially eastbound traffic, they look a lot further away than they really are. So you think you have plenty of room, then you’re on top of each other.”

Even those paying attention can fall victim, Ravn said. He said he’s had several near misses himself.

Ravn cited the roundabout at the intersection of Paradise and River roads in West Bend as evidence to support his high hopes in this project.

“Once they put the roundabout in there, traffic flowed much more smoothly,” Ravn said. “And at least for me, I haven’t seen nearly as many accidents since.”

The project is anticipated to be completed this fall. Michael Pyritz, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin DOT, was unable to give a specific date regarding when in the fall.