STH 60 Northern Reliever Route Feasibility Study

At the request of Washington County, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission conducted a feasibility study of a northern reliever route to STH 60 between the western limits of the City of Hartford and IH 41. The study was conducted in response to a request from the Hartford Area Development Corporation to the Washington County Board Chairperson, which was prompted by their concerns of increasing traffic volume, congestion, and safety problems on STH 60, and in particular, the effect of increasing truck traffic. The Commission staff worked with staff from concerned and affected local governments, Washington County, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to identify and evaluate potential STH 60 northern reliever routes and improvements to STH 60.

A final report was prepared that documents:

• The identification of traffic movement problems and issues along STH 60 between the western limits of the City of Hartford and IH 41 through meetings with local officials from affected and concerned communities, a public information meeting, and an inventory of existing and future conditions along STH 60;

• The development of the potential STH 60 northern reliever routes and improvements to STH 60, including the identification of the goal to be achieved by a northern reliever route and STH 60 improvements, the objectives and criteria used for evaluating alternative STH 60 reliever routes, and the potential alternative northern reliever routes and STH 60 improvements;

• The evaluation of alternative northern reliever routes with respect to attainment to the goal, objectives, and criteria; and

• The alternative reliever route recommended for further study and recommendations with respect to STH 60.

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING

A public information meeting was held on June 29, 2016 at the Town of Hartford Hall to gather information from the public regarding issues on STH 60 and to receive comment on potential alternative reliever routes and STH 60 improvements. The meeting was held in an open house format with display boards presenting inventory information on the STH 60 corridor, including total and truck traffic volumes, traffic congestion, travel times, and pedestrian and vehicle crashes, and the potential alternative northern reliever routes and STH 60 improvements identified to date. Based on the comments received at the public information meeting, and a public comment period of June 16, 2016 through July 15, 2016, additional alternative routes and criteria were added for the evaluation of alternative routes. A record of the public comment received at the meeting can be found in Appendix A of the final report.

WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD ACTION

On February 14, 2017, the Washington County Board determined to not ask that the selected STH 60 reliever route be included in VISION 2050--the year 2050 regional land use and transportation plan.