Burlington, News

DOT to change signals on bypass

The Burlington bypass intersection at Highway 36 and South Pine Street is set to have all dedicated green turn arrows after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation agreed to make the switch. Burlington had its second fatal crash in a year at the intersection recently. (Photo by Jennifer Eisenbart)
The Burlington bypass intersection at Highway 36 and South Pine Street is set to have all dedicated green turn arrows after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation agreed to make the switch. Burlington had its second fatal crash in a year at the intersection recently. (Photo by Jennifer Eisenbart)

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be changing the traffic control signals on a pair of intersections on the Burlington bypass highway, including the one at and South Pine.

The intersection at Pine Street has been altered once before, following a fatal crash last fall. After that incident, flashing yellow turn arrows were added to three of the intersection’s four directions, with a green turn arrow that would turn red added to the fourth.

Now, all four directions will have green turn arrows that will cycle to red and stop turns across oncoming traffic. The same changes – allowing for a green turn arrow going to red and eliminating the flashing yellow arrows – will be made to the bypass at the Highway 11 (Durand Avenue) intersection.

“Once the green disappears, it goes to red, and there’s no more turns until the next cycle,” Mayor Jeannie Hefty said. “Or people thinking they can turn, and misjudge.”

The change comes about three weeks following a second fatal crash at the South Pine intersection. On July 8, motorcyclist Jack Shilts, a 57-year-old from Cudahy, died after a semi-trailer truck traveling westbound on the bypass appeared to fail to yield the right of way on a left-hand turn.

Hefty said before the second fatality, there was another crash at that intersection involving a semi-truck and a car. There have been several other crashes at the intersection, but no other fatalities.

The mayor said that the word “misjudgment” had come up in virtually all of the accidents.

“All of a sudden, it hit me, why is there so much misjudgment?” Hefty said. She said the problem is a combination of the flashing yellow lights, and the speed at the intersection.

City Administrator Carina Walters said that the flashing yellow lights seem to be a common initiative by the Wisconsin DOT, but not something she sees in Illinois, where she lives.

“I can’t comment to their procedures and their process,” Walters said. “We don’t react on making decisions. We make sure we have good data, to make those decisions.”

With the new change on the turn arrows, Hefty and Walters both said they hope there will be some reduction in the frequency of crashes. Hefty said the intersection of Highway W and 36 has had fewer crashes since dedicated green turn arrows have been installed.

The second factor – the speed along the bypass corridor – will be considered this fall. Department of Transportation representatives are set to attend a City Council Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss the speed limit at not just the Pine Street intersection, but along the entire bypass.

“I think they’re going to look at that corridor to determine what or if that speed limit needs to be changed.”

There are also “Be Prepared to Stop” signs on the bypass while approaching South Pine Street.

Hefty said drivers need to be careful regardless of what changes are made.

“It’s an intersection you can’t take for granted,” Hefty said. “Anything can happen there.”

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