Chapter 4: Transporation Features

This section provides information about the existing condition of roadways in the Town Center. Included here is available traffic count information for reference purposes.

· CTH B - is a main east-west route through the Town Center. It is classified as a major collector (see definition box at right). The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) conducted the most recent traffic count for CTH B in 2001. Traffic projections are not available for CTH B. However, comparing WisDOT’s 1995 traffic counts to the 2001 information, traffic has significantly increased in the area. The Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is shown in the table below.

CTH B is a two-lane roadway with one lane in each direction. Turn lanes are provided at the intersections along CTH B. Specifically:

o Westbound CTH B has right turn lanes at Veterans Avenue, the USH 41/141 northbound on-ramp, and at Velp Avenue.

o There is a left turn lane on westbound CTH B at the USH 41 southbound on-ramp.

o Eastbound CTH B has a right turn lane at the USH 41/141 southbound on-ramp and a paved shoulder that functions like a right turn lane into the gas station and car wash across from Veterans Avenue.

o There is a left turn lane on eastbound CTH B at the USH 41/141 northbound on-ramp.

 

The intersection of CTH B with CTH HS/Velp Avenue is a 4-way stop. All other intersections on CTH B have a stop on the side streets accessing CTH B. There are also stop signs provided at the end of the off-ramps of USH 41/141.

There is an at-grade intersection with the railroad tracks. There is flashing light signals but no gates at this location. As traffic increases in the area, it may become necessary to install gates at this crossing to improve motorist and pedestrian safety.

As a county trunk highway, maintenance and improvement decisions on CTH B are made by Brown County, with input provided by the Town of Suamico. A copy of this plan should be provided to Brown County, so needed transportation improvements to accommodate new development can be planned.

· CTH HS/Velp Avenue - is a main north-south route on the west side of USH 41/141. It is classified as a major collector (see definition in the box on the previous page).

The 2001 traffic counts from WisDOT on CTH HS were 3,100 ADT. The 1995 volume was 2,800 ADT. There is no traffic volume data available for Velp Avenue north of CTH B.

CTH HS/Velp Avenue is a two-lane roadway with a right turn lane in the northbound approach to the intersection of CTH B. The intersection of CTH B and CTH HS/Velp Avenue is a 4-way stop. All other intersections along CTH HS/Velp Avenue have a stop on the side street to allow for traffic flow along CTH HS/Velp Avenue.

· Veterans Avenue - is an important north-south route on the east side of USH 41/141. It is a two-lane roadway that serves as the frontage road to USH 41/141. Unfortunately, no traffic volumes or count data is available for Veterans Avenue. Veterans Avenue is stop controlled at the intersection of CTH B. Veterans Avenue is classified as a minor collector.

There is also a railroad crossing on Veterans Avenue. There is a stop sign at the at-grade intersection with the railroad tracks. The roadway and shoulders narrow at the crossing. There is no railroad flashing signals or gates. As additional development occurs in the area, particularly residential development, it may be necessary to improve the safety of the railroad intersection by installing gates and flashing signals. This will also become important if train volumes increases due to the planned industrial development north of Veteran’s Avenue.

· Riverside Drive - is an east-west route located south of the Suamico River. It is a two-lane roadway that has a variable width from one area to the next. No traffic volumes are available for Riverside Drive. The drive is classified as a minor collector street.

Riverside Drive has a stop at the intersection with CTH HS. All other intersections have a stop on the side street leading to Riverside Drive.

Riverside Drive has a grade separated crossing with the railroad and with USH 41/141. The clearance at the railroad overpass is only 11 feet, which is significantly below the modern design standard of 14’9" (minimum).

· Side Street - is a relatively short two-lane roadway that runs a north-south route parallel to the railroad corridor on the west side of USH 41/141. It begins at the intersection with Riverside Drive and precedes northerly to the intersection of CTH B. It then continues northerly and angles to the west where it intersections with Velp Avenue. Traffic volumes are not available for Side Street. Stops along Side Street are located at the intersections of Riverside, CTH B and Velp Avenue.

 CTH B - The existing width and number of thru lanes on CTH B is adequate for the 2001traffic volumes. Two lanes in each direction are not warranted until vehicle counts approach 13,000 ADT. However, some of the intersections on CTH B may present challenges as traffic increases. Of particular concern is proximity of driveways to the intersections. Every effort should be made to have driveways located as far away from intersections as possible.

The intersection of CTH B with CTH HS/Velp Avenue is currently a four-way stop. As traffic increases this may not be adequate to meet traffic demands. Options that might be considered are additional turn lanes, a roundabout, or traffic signals. An intersection traffic count is needed to properly evaluate the options for the intersection.

Also of some concern is the intersection of CTH B and USH 41/141 ramps. The intersection of CTH B with the USH 41/141 ramps should be monitored as traffic increases. Additional turn lanes, traffic signals or roundabouts are all potential options that could be considered to improve this area in the future.

 CTH HS/Velp Avenue - The existing width and number of thru lanes is adequate for the 2001traffic volumes on CTH HS/Velp Avenue. However, some of the intersections on CTH HS/Velp Avenue may present challenges as traffic increases. One of the concerns is the location of the driveways to the intersections. Every effort should be made to have driveways located as far away from the intersection as possible.

As traffic increases on CTH HS, the intersection with Riverside Drive may also need to be evaluated and improved. Although these improvements might be well into the future, new driveways close to the intersection should not be allowed to prevent conflicts with anticipated improvements.

 Riverside Drive - The major concern on Riverside Drive is the substandard clearance at the railroad structure. Options to improve this would be to lower the roadway, raise the railroad tracks, or a combination of the two. Final determination of corrective action will likely be made by the railroad company that owns this track. The Town of Suamico will need to continue to coordinate with the railroad to document concerns and suggest improvements.

 Veterans Avenue - The first priority for Veterans Avenue should be to address the railroad crossing. Although this is not a safety concern today, it could develop into one as traffic increases, particularly given the planned residential development in the area and the potential increase in train speed from 40 mph to 49 mph.

Another future concern for Veterans Avenue is the intersection at CTH B. Additional turn lanes may be needed in the future as development occurs along Veterans Avenue. Traffic counts should be taken regularly at this intersection to document the need for any improvements.

· Side Street – There are several potential concerns that should be addressed to improve the function and safety of Side Street, particularly it access to CTH B is to continue in the future.

The intersection of CTH B and Side Street possesses two major concerns. One is the location to the railroad tracks and the other is the visibility in the northwest quadrant.

As traffic volumes increase, the close proximity of the intersection of Side Street to the railroad crossing may cause vehicles to back up onto the railroad tracks. One option to remedy this situation is to provide an additional lane on CTH B to separate left turning traffic onto Side Street and thru traffic. Another, less desirable option, would be to eliminate left turns onto southbound Side Street. This option is not desired, as it will limit access to the proposed development in this area of the Town Center.

Site distance is limited in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Side Street and CTH B due to the grade change in the property in that quadrant. This limits the visibility on the north portion of Side Street at the intersection of CTH B will be a concern as traffic increases. Safety may be improved by removing the north leg of the intersection. This could be accomplished by providing a cul-de-sac on Side Street north of CTH B. Another option would be to restrict movements from the north leg of the intersection to a right turn in and right turn out only.

 

 

An important success factor for businesses is visibility from major roadways and highways. Visibility is a factor that encourages motorists to stop into a business. Several areas of the Town Center are visible from USH 41/141. During the winter, when leaves are off the trees, areas along Riverside Drive, Side Street, Velp Avenue, Veterans Avenue and CTH B are visible from USH 41/141. In the summer months, when the leaves return, visibility is obscured from Veterans Avenue, Riverside Drive and Velp Avenue. To maximize visibility the following actions are recommended:

1) The use of gateway or entrance signage at prominent intersections (as described in chapters 8, 9, 10 and 11);

2) The use of shared business signs along the USH 41/141 corridor in lieu of extensive billboards or tall illuminated highway signs;

3) The establishment of anchor businesses at key intersections to draw consumers into the area; and

4) The use of architectural building design elements to enhance the visibility of the Town Center and distinguish it from other exits along the USH 41/141 corridor.

This section provides information about reported accidents. Accident data for the last five years (1998-2002) was obtained from the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.

 CTH B – Within the study area, there were a total of 43 accidents over the last five-years along CTH B. In the year with the most accidents, 11 accidents were reported. The average was 8.6 accidents per year. Of all reported accidents, 74.4% (32 accidents) occurred at intersections. Most of the accidents occurred at the intersection of CTH B and USH 41/141. Thirteen accidents occurred at this particular intersection over the 5-year period. Another 12 accidents were reported at the intersection of CTH B and CTH HS/Velp Avenue.

An intersection accident rate computes the number of accidents per million vehicles entering the intersection. This information would be helpful to compare the CTH B and USH 41/141 intersection and the CTH B and CTH HS/Velp Avenue intersection to others in the greater area. Intersection traffic counts are needed to compute this accident rate. Obtaining intersection counts at these two locations should be considered since the raw data appears to be somewhat high. It may also be desirable to commission a study to obtain more detailed crash information at the intersections so accident diagrams could be prepared and analyzed for types and patterns of accidents.

 CTH HS - There were a total of 8 accidents in the last five years along CTH HS within study area. Half of these accidents were recorded in a single year. The average was 1.6 accidents per year. Again, the vast majority of accidents, 75% (6 of the 8 accidents) occurred at intersections. The most accidents occurred at the intersection of CTH HS and CTH B and the intersection of CTH HS and Riverside Drive with 3 accidents each in the 5-year period.

 Velp Avenue - There have been a total of 3 accidents since 1998 along Velp Avenue within the Town Center. Two of these accidents occurred in a single year. One of the accidents occurred at the intersection of Velp Avenue and Side Street.

 Veterans Avenue - There was one accident in the last five years along Veterans Avenue within the Town Center. This means the average is 0.2 accidents per year. The accident occurred at the intersection of Veterans Avenue and CTH B.

 Riverside Drive - There were 12 accidents in the five-year period along Riverside Drive between CTH HS and USH 41/141. Four of these accidents occurred in a single year. The average was 2.4 accidents per year. All of the accidents occurred at intersections. Most accidents occurred at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Side Street (8 accidents in 5 years). Obtaining more information at this intersection should be considered since the raw data appears to indicate a high rate of accidents. Accident rate and crash diagrams would be needed to determine types and patterns of accidents as well as potential solutions.

 Side Street - No accidents were reported on Side Street in the 5-year period.

 

Trails – Strengths & Challenges & Opportunities

The Chicago Northwestern (CN) Railroad runs northeasterly through the Town Center. An average of 12 trains per day pass along this railroad line. The trains operate at 40 mph. The railroad is planning to increase the speed to 49 mph in the near future.

 

There are four crossings in the Town Center, two-grade separation and two at-grade crossings. The grade separations are under USH 41/141 and over Riverside Drive. There is only 11’ of clearance at Riverside Drive. The at-grade crossings are located on CTH B and on Veterans Avenue. Neither location has gates. The CTH B crossing has flashing light signals. There is a stop sign for vehicles on Veterans Avenue at the railroad crossing.



Riverside Drive Crossing - The existing 11’ clearance at the grade-separated structure on Riverside Drive presents concerns for emergency vehicles and trucks to cross to the east side of USH 41. This is especially true when a train is blocking the crossing on CTH B. The current design standard for vertical clearance on local roads is 14’9" to 15’3".

Options to improve this would be to lower the roadway, raise the railroad tracks, or a combination of the two. Raising the railroad tracks is often very difficult due to the fact that acceptable slopes on railroad tracks are relatively flat. As a result, a significant distance of track is required to be relayed. At this location it would be even more expensive to raise the tracks due to the short distance between this bridge and the railroad bridge over the Suamico River.

Lowering the roadway may be an option. However this would require the evaluation of a lower road elevation in relation to the high water elevation of the nearby Suamico River. The obvious intent of the evaluation is to ensure that lowering the roadway will not cause roadway flooding problems. In order to determine the feasibility of lowering the roadway without replacing the existing bridge, the existing railroad bridge plans would need to be obtained and evaluated. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the 3’9" of additional clearance needed to meet design standards could be obtained this way.

 

 CTH B and the Railroad - One of the tools used to evaluate needed traffic controls at a railroad crossing is the "exposure factor". The "exposure factor" is the number of trains per day multiplied by the number of vehicles per day. The exposure factor at this crossing is 82,800 (6,900 vehicles times 12 trains). Train activated flashing light signals are warranted when the exposure factor is above 5,000 and auxiliary gates are warranted when the exposure factor is above 20,000. Based on the exposure factor of 82,800, gates with train activated flashing light signals are warranted for this crossing.

 Veterans Avenue and Railroad - This crossing is very narrow and controlled by a stop sign on Veterans Avenue. Approaching motorist’s line of sight appears to be limited. A traffic count on Veterans Avenue should be considered to check if more than a stop sign is warranted. A significant increase in vehicle traffic volume and the proposed increased speed of the trains should be monitored so adequate traffic control can be provided.

 

Water features are also considered transportation features. In the Town Center, the Suamico River is the primary water feature. As is discussed elsewhere in this plan, historically the river was an important fishing route to Lake Michigan. In fact, it is the river that is the reason for the original development of the Town of Suamico. However, in modern times the importance of the river as transportation route has diminished significantly. However, the river remains an important recreation-based travel route. As such, it provides a connection between Lake Michigan and the commercial development of the Town Center.

The continued maintenance of this route for recreation-based (and limited commercial fishing) is important. Likewise, opportunities exist to provide areas for boat docking to bring additional customers to the businesses in the Town Center.