Letter 2
Letter written in 1999 on behalf of 34+ residents requesting the lowering of
speed limits along Saylesville Rd. The County denied the resident's request
with unacceptable reasons. These unsafe circumstances have not "gone
away". Development continues on this road and traffic volumes pulling onto
the road will continue to go up.
The concerns and wishes of these residents still remain and the number of
supporters for reducing speeds and truck traffic has grown. These issues do
not just affect the "downtown" Saylesville area but all of Saylesville Rd. from
83 to 59. Updated comments are in red -not in original letter.
speed limits along Saylesville Rd. The County denied the resident's request
with unacceptable reasons. These unsafe circumstances have not "gone
away". Development continues on this road and traffic volumes pulling onto
the road will continue to go up.
The concerns and wishes of these residents still remain and the number of
supporters for reducing speeds and truck traffic has grown. These issues do
not just affect the "downtown" Saylesville area but all of Saylesville Rd. from
83 to 59. Updated comments are in red -not in original letter.
<Back
| October 30, 1999 Mr. Richard Bolte, Director Waukesha County Transportation Department 1320 Pewaukee road Waukesha, WI 53188 Dear Mr. Bolte: We are all Waukesha County residents who reside on or near Saylesville Road (County Trunk X) in the southwest section of Waukesha County. We are writing to request Waukesha County consider reducing the overall speed limit on Saylesville Road to 45mph and the unincorporated section of Saylesville to 35mph. We would like to expand that to 35mph from Woods Road to 83 as there are several driveways, blind drives, hills, curves and crossroads (6) just from Ridgefield Rd to 83. That is in an area that is only approx. 1.5 miles long. |
| The reasons for the requests are as follows: Issue/Request #1 Reduce overall speed limit of 55mph to 45mph. A. Currently there is only 1.8 miles of road which is posted at a speed limit of 55 mph. In that 1.8 miles length of road there are three curves posted at 30 mph, 35 mph and 40 mph. B. Construction of Waukesha West High school in 1993 has dramatically increased the traffic and the number of young drivers. The subdivisions built around or near West High School along with the addition of a county park have made it even more important to reduce speeds and cut-through traffic along Saylesville Rd. Students and residents are not able to cross the highways due to real and perceived danger. Multi-modal transportation is not an option with speeding cars and trucks. C. This speed limit would be consistent with other County Roads with similar traffic patterns ie: County Highways J, E, I, D, Y, DT(35mph), C and U (40mph). Issue/ Request #2 Reduce the speed in unincorporated Saylesville section (Woods road to Holiday Road) from 45 mph to 35 mph. Currently there are critical emerging issues that imperil the traffic safety in the area. A. The bridge over Genesee Creek has structural deficiencies that threaten safety. The bridge is scheduled for replacement in 2001. This has been done. B. A traffic volume study at the bridge in 1998 revealed 4,200 vehicles per day traveled over the bridge with 7% of those being trucks. A Wisconsin Department of Transportation study in 2000 indicated that only 3,900 was the AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic). The new bridge is structurally sound for the trucks but why aren't the trucks taking WIS59? State funds were used to replace the bridge. C. The area was evaluated for the National Register of Historic Places as a fine collection of the late nineteenth century buildings. A historic preservation team has prepared all the necessary reports and have been approved by a Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff historian and are currently awaiting approval by the State Historic Preservation Office (SPHO). The SPHO concurred with the recommendation that the Saylesville Historic District is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This has all been approved and Saylesville is a Historic District. D. There are three access roads within 1/4 mile length. (Point Dr., Rockwood Trail, and Ridgefield Bay Road). Speeds of 45 mph are perilous. E. There are 10 residential driveways in the same 1/4 mile length, one of which is also a commercial business. Speeds of 45mph are perilous. F. The Genesee Creek Bridge (and the Waukesha County Landmark- Saylesville Mill) are in the same 1/4 mile length. How are visitors supposed to stop and enjoy this landmark? G. Of the 10 residential homes, 8 buildings are extremely close to the road. The addresses and the distances form the edge of the asphalt road to the front door are listed: S52 W28713 Saylesville Road- 28 feet Saylesville Historic Hall- 28 feet S53 W28741 Saylesville Road- 28 feet S52 W28757 Saylesville Road- 27 feet S52 W28799 Saylesville Road- 30 feet S52 W28809 Saylesville Road-33 feet Historic Barn- 24 feet Historic Blacksmith shop- 20 feet S53 W28831 Saylesville Road-52 feet Historic Saylesville Cemetery - 17 feet to closest headstone S53 W28998 Saylesville Road- 37 feet H. All residences on the south side of the road in the Historic Saylesville area are zoned B-2. I. All buildings on the south side of the road in the Historic Saylesville area are less than 150 feet apart. We have since identified 2 additional segments of the highway that have driveway distances that average not more than 200 ft. apart within 1,000 ft. along CTHX. J. The residential driveway at S53 W28960 Saylesville Rd. is 68 feet from the concrete apron of the newly installed Ridgefield Bay Rd. There is not adequate "turning light notice" time or distance when traveling south and turing into the driveway with speed of 45 mph. K. The residential driveway at S52 W28794 Saylesville Road is located less than 100 feet form Rockwood Trails. There is not adequate "turning light notice" time or distance when traveling south and turning into the driveway with speeds of 45 mph. L. Saylesville Road has narrow or no shoulders. There is concern regarding safety for emergency vehicles with speeds of 45 mph. Please find enclosed the relevant state statutes and the county's authority regarding these two issues. State statutes Chapter 346.57 deals with speed restrictions. Chapter 205 of the Department of Transportation statutes deals with county highway standards and definitions and Chapter 346 ("Rules of the Road") deals with driving rules, definitions, etc. We would like to thank Senator Joanne Huelsman's office for assisting us with the research for these requests. We are very pleased with the manner in which Waukesha County is acting responsibly to the increasing community concerns. We believe that as residents of Waukesha County, County officials will continue to take seriously the responsibility entrusted to them. It is important that measures for assuring the provision of critical and necessary changes that protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents be taken. We respectfully request your consideration of the speed limit reductions in the two identified areas. We will be most grateful for whatever change you can provide in addressing these important safety issues. Responses and or further inquires can be directed to Mr. Daniel Koehler, S52 W28713 Saylesville Rd., Waukesha, Wi 53189. Respectfully submitted: Signatures attached Copies available contact info@saylesvillecommunity.com cc: Waukesha County Executive, Dan Finley Mr. Charles H. Thompson, Secretary Wisconsin State Department of transportation Mr. Jim Dwyer, chair, Waukesha County Board Mr. Richard Manke, chair, Public Works Committee Ms. Mareth Kipp, Waukesha County Supervisor, Genesee Ms. Sharon Leair, Chair, Genesee Town Board Ms. Stacey Pilgrim, Historic Preservationist, Mead & Hunt Mr. Don Gray, North Prairie Fire Chief Mr. William Kruziki, Waukesha County Sheriff Mr. Philip Everson, Executive Director, SEWRPC (We plan to resubmit to current personnel) |