The Brookfield Scene
Janet, a Town of Brookfield resident, has lived in the Elmbrook area for nearly 40 years and is an avid gardener and volunteer. Her blog focuses on the city and town of Brookfield – past, present and future.
A Safer Bluemound Road
By Janet Wintersberger
Sunday, Jan 7 2007, 10:29 AM
Brookfield is well-noted for Bluemound Road. The connotation is not positive. About 45,000 vehicles travel on a three-mile stretch of Bluemound Road each day. (The stretch is between Moorland and Barker Roads.) The highway experiences about 1.5 traffic accidents each day.
The city of Brookfield, in its quest for greater tax base, has created a nightmare. We can expect more traffic on Bluemound when the new restaurants and food stores open at Brookfield Square. Even more traffic will be generated when VK develops its 70 acre property at Calhoun.
Wisconsin’s DOT’s proposal to make Bluemound Road safer is admirable. The state’s proposal is to reduce the number of left-turn medians on the three mile stretch of road and to create frontage roads along Bluemound Road. These two steps would (a) keep traffic flowing and (b) divert traffic from the highway.
Turning left across three lanes of traffic is dangerous. The accident data isn’t available yet, but that’s probably not the predominate reason for the accidents. There is just too much traffic on the highway.
I suspect drivers take this stretch of Bluemound Road because they (a) want to be on the road (to get to a business or home) or they (b) have to be on the road (because Moorland and Barker Roads are the only exits on I94).
Bluemound Road could become safer if the long-talked-about Calhoun Road interchange were built. This, too, would divert traffic from Bluemound Road.
By the way, I requested information about Bluemound Road from the town of Brookfield, the city of Brookfield and the state DOT. The town and state responded promptly.
I’m still waiting to hear from the city.
