State Highway 15 Bypass / Hortonville Bypass
Prepared by the Town Clerk - April 28, 2010
The following information targets Electors in the Town of Hortonia.
For the latest on the State Highway 15 Bypass, see WisDOT site:
• http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/d3/wis15/index.htm
For questions and concerns about the project, you can contact WisDOT Project Manager:
• Robert Wagner - (920) 492-5983
• Wisconsin DOT project ID 6430-06-00
• Environmental Impact Study (EIS) FHWA-WI-EIS-2006-02-F
What's the latest news?
March 29, 2010 - No Construction Currently Planned for Hortonville Bypass !! CLICK HERE !! for details.
March 16, 2010 - FEIS (Final Environmental Impact Statement) evaluates transportation alternatives for the WIS 15 corridor from New London to Greenville in Outagamie County, WI. Alternatives considered include the four-lane expansion of the existing two-lane WIS 15 roadway and the bypass of the Village of Hortonville. The FEIS selects a preferred alternative that include the four-lane expansion of WIS 15 and a northerly bypass of the Village of Hortonville. This document is available online as of April 1, 2010 from WisDOT. Comments on this FEIS will be accepted for 30 days following publication of the availability of the FEIS in the Federal Register - ended April 26. All comments will be taken into consideration before approval of a Record of Decision. All comments can be directed to Robert Wagner.
When will the STH 15 project begin?
2018 at the earliest. The project needs to be approved by the TPC (Transportation Projects Committee) in Madison. The committee meets in the Fall of every even numbered year to approve projects. There is a backlog of projects the TPC needs to consider in 2010 with funding for other WisDOT projects taking higher priority over STH 15 expansion. Once construction is approved, it takes about 6 years for construction to begin.
Related Documents on Hortonia's website:
• !! CLICK HERE !! - MAP: STH15 Bypass West - Roundabout at Givens & T
• !! CLICK HERE !! - MAP: STH15 Bypass East - Roundabout at Manley & JJ
• !! CLICK HERE !! - MAP: Rules for Driving Roundabouts
• !! CLICK HERE !! - MAP: WisDOT exhibit for Jan. 26, 2010 Public Hearing on Land Use
• !! CLICK HERE !! - Feb. 9, 2009 WisDOT Public Exhibit part 1 - Project Schedule, Impacts, more
• !! CLICK HERE !! - Feb. 9, 2009 WisDOT Public Exhibit part 2 - Land Use, Cnty Rd M overpass, more
• !! CLICK HERE !! - Jun. 8, 2009 Town Board minutes - resident concerned STH 15 splits farm property
• !! CLICK HERE !! - Oct. 27, 2009 Town Board minutes - include discussion of STH 15 Bypass
• !! CLICK HERE !! - Jan. 26, 2010 Public Hearing minutes - resident concerned STH 15 proximity to school
Issues / Concerns
• County Sheriff - fatalities along STH15 result from current heavy traffic on 2-lane road
• Residents - current prolonged waits to enter traffic - left turns difficult & dangerous
• Hortonville Elementary School PTO - affect of Bypass 100 yards from school on children's well-being
• Farmers - bypass splits property w/ no access for farm vehicles to work land on other side
• Chairman - proposed CB extension to JJ to STH45 will make STH15 bypass irrelevant
• Resident - 2-lane roundabouts ok in residential; 4-lane roundabouts ridiculous & dysfunctional
note: these are just highlights in no particular order; some issues have related documents for example EIS documents are inconclusive with regard to affect of traffic proximity on children, and WisDOT petitions received in 2003 p.7-7 indicating many signatures of people concerned with bypass' affect on environment, cost implications, health, safety & welfare of children, impacts on farmers and homeowners, etc.; some issues are less well documented - for example the lack of access at County Rd M has to do with Federal guidelines that stipulate exists must be a certain distance apart forcing the Village to choose between: 2 exists at East & West ends of town vs. 1 at the North end - the Village chose 2 - the school district was disappointed that there will not be access for the busses at/near County Rd M making it necessary for busses to drive through Hortonville to access the bypass at either end. Regardless of how the STH 15 details are worked out, there will be winners, losers and compromises. WisDOT has solicited public comment at public hearings and comment periods. People who continue to have questions / comments / concerns can contact WisDOT and/or Town Supervisors.