GRAFTON, Wis. — An intersection in the Village of Grafton has seen a rising number of crashes since 2019, and village officials are now asking residents to weigh in on two proposed permanent fixes.
The intersection of Highway 60 and 13th Avenue, just west of the Milwaukee River, has been a persistent problem. Temporary bollards were installed to prevent left turns, but a permanent solution stalled during village staffing changes.
TMJ4 News reporter Alex Gaul has more on the community reaction in the video below:
The village is hosting a public meeting at Village Hall on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to present the options and gather input, with much of the backround information listed in this Board of Public Works agenda from earlier this month.
Anette Righi DeFendi, owner of Sweettrio Chocolate, operates a storefront near the intersection and said the core problem is driver confusion.
"People don't know that it's no left turn," DeFendi said. "And then, you have the people who think they can turn left, and it blocks all of the traffic... I feel bad for the kids who ride their bikes. There's just people constantly."
Some crashes have been severe enough to strike a nearby home. Donna Klumb, who lives in the home next to the intersection, said left turns remain a daily occurrence.
"Oh, absolutely, right here," Klumb said. "(I) just saw it yesterday."
Klumb said she learned about the upcoming public meeting after finding a notice about it tacked to her door. She expressed support for the village taking action.
Both proposed solutions aim to eliminate dangerous left turns at the intersection. The first option includes larger traffic islands but would require 13th Avenue to become completely one-way. The second option would create a smaller island and still allow two-way traffic on 13th Avenue, but only to the north of the intersection.
DeFendi and Klumb offered measured reactions to the proposals. DeFendi argued there are pros and cons to each while Klumb said she does not have a preference between the two options.
TMJ4 has been covering the broader issue of increasing traffic in Grafton for several months. Construction projects have also increased the total traffic on Highway 60 through downtown, according to the local police department.
The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Grafton Village Hall. Once feedback has been taken, the village will submit the proposal for inclusion in upcoming WisDOT road improvements.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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