GRAFTON, Wis. — Traffic congestion at Grafton's main intersection of Wisconsin Highway 60 and 12th Avenue is getting worse, and residents say relief is nowhere in sight.
Grafton Police say there's been a significant increase in the amount of cars passing through the village, since the village's last completed traffic study.
More than 1.5 million vehicles passed through the village in the last month, if you add up the data from all of the department's Flock Safety cameras. As far as unique vehicles through the village, the figure is still more than 261,000.
Residents say afternoon rush hour backups now stretch a from a half mile to a whole mile, and three converging factors — population growth, construction traffic and the area's geography — are driving the problem.
"It has gotten worse and worse, and this year's been by far the greatest amount of increase in traffic," said David Tice, who lives near the intersection.
Grafton's population has grown more than 10% since 2020, according to U.S. Census data, adding more vehicles to already strained roads. Heavy truck traffic from the Port Washington Data Center and other nearby developments has compounded the problem.
The intersection itself sits in a natural bottleneck — narrow roads with no turn lanes, hemmed in by a bridge crossing over the Milwaukee River.
Watch: Grafton residents want solutions as Highway 60 traffic grows; here's what's behind the congestion
Grafton Police say they have been receiving complaints and have increased enforcement along Highway 60, working in coordination with the State Patrol.
For many residents, the solution in the short term is simply to avoid the area altogether. And with additional housing developments proposed along Highway 60, residents worry the current congestion could become permanent.
"I avoid going that way because I can see from where I live, it's backed up. So I try different routes," Tice said. "In the afternoon rush hour, traffic can be backed up for half a mile or a mile... It will get worse. No doubt about that."
Neighbor Sharon McKelvey echoed that sentiment, saying locals have learned to navigate around the congestion.
"You can go around. There are other routes, but a local will know," McKelvey said. "Another bridge across the river would be very nice."
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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