Well, I lost count of the weeks of the construction along Bluemound Road.  In mid-June, I summarized activities of week one.The three one-mile segments of construction between Moorland and Barker Road were to have each taken three months.

It's now November, and the orange barrels are catching snowflakes.  The DOT has improved the flow of traffic along Bluemound Road.  Traffic can more easily travel at 45 mph.  Many medians were closed.  Crossing over to a business or retail shop on our "Bluemound Corridor" is more difficult.  For example, when traveling east on Bluemound,  I can make a left turn into my bank.  When I leave the bank, I need to turn right (west).  Luckily there are strip malls along the way for turning around and getting back to 18 Eastbound.  Of course, one could always make a U-turn at the stop lights.

Ooops.  Sorry, that's illegal. It's been decades since I read the motor vehicle handbook, so I confirmed the legality with the town and city police departments.  If an officer happens to be nearby, you may get a ticket or a warning. The city police department told me the DOT isn't likely to post No U-Turn Signs at intersections. Somehow the town of Brookfield convinced the DOT to post them.

Other DOT improvements consist of removing some driveway entrances/exits onto Bluemound, and putting in "walk signals," marking sidewalk crossings and meeting ADA (Americans with Disability) standards.  That should make it easier for pedestrians of all abilities to cross the highway.

The inconvenience of the road construction will soon be forgotten.  But, in 2011 construction will begin on both Capitol Drive and Bluemound Road. That should really be a trip!

The Brookfield Police Department is trying to reduce its fleets gasoline costs.  The solutions: limiting travel (up to 10%) for 7 to 8 squads on each of shift; turning squad engines off (rather than idling) when stopped; having more foot patrols; and staffng two-'man' squads.

Most of these solutions make sense.  But doubling up in squads doesn't seem an effective use of human resources in Brookfield.  Two-'man' squads are generally used in areas subject to more violent crimes - where crowd control is needed.  

Each week, our local paper carries police reports.  The city usually has about 20 reports of burglary, vandalism and other crimes each week.  Crime takes place at homes and businesses throughout the city.  But Brookfield's "mall" is a common single location for crime. Increasing the visiblility of police at Brookfield Square, and a patrol of the perimenter could prevent crime from happening.

Enforcing the speed limits on city streets could also make our roads safer and generate revenue for the city.

The Department of Transportation began its improvements to traffic flow on Bluemound Road in early June.  The work will be done in three one-mile segments and each segment will take about a month to complete.

The first phase is between Moorland and Calhoun Roads.  Over the summer, work will progress westward (in one-mile increments) to Barker Road.

Since early June, the following work has been accomplished between Moorland and Calhoun Roads.  Temporary utility poles were installed and stop lights strung across the intersections. Orange barrels have been distributed along the roadway.  Barricades have been erected at many medians. The white diagonal lines that designated bus and right turns have been painted over.  Drivers may now drive in the right lane.  That is good, because drivers can no longer use the left lane.

As we enter week two:  Concrete medians are being removed.  Any trees and/or shrubs in the medians are being bulldozed.  Alas, I believe the trees and shrubs being sacrificed were once part of "streetscaping"  partially funded by taxpayers. Perhaps a reader can clarify.

Because there is construction on Calhoun Road and on Bluemound Road delays are compounded.  The difficulty entering/exiting V Richards Plaza is no doubt adversely impacting the businesses located there.

Perhaps the construction is really part of traffic calming for the 70,000 cars that travel east/west along Bluemound Road each day.