SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Residents of the Stonebrook Crossing neighborhood, on the south side of Sheboygan, have been dealing with constant heavy machinery traffic since early August, with dump trucks running through their streets five days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The trucks are hauling dirt for two city projects: a subdivision and a sports complex. But the constant stream of heavy vehicles has created safety concerns and quality of life issues for residents.
"Makes it very unsafe for anyone to take a walk, walk our dogs, or children to play outside in our front yard," Jen Cardarelle said.
"It causes traffic issues for people trying to navigate their way to and from their home," Pete Giliberti added.
Patrick Giliberti, Pete's dad, described the noise level as overwhelming.
"It sounds like you're living on a highway," Patrick said.
The trucks also create dust and mud problems for the neighborhood.
It's just crazy," Patirck's wife, Joanne, emphasized.
"When it rains, this just turns into mud," another resident added.
Watch: Dump truck traffic disrupts Stonebrook Crossing neighborhood for months
Residents seek answers from city officials
Frustrated residents, including Cardarelle, Pete, Patrick, Joanne and Mike Fatla sought answers from city officials about why the trucks couldn't use other roads, but received little information.
"They aren't built for this type of traffic," Patrick said about the neighborhood streets, noting his prior experience in road construction.
Mike Fatla said the situation has united neighbors, but not in a positive way.
"It's bringing people together for all the wrong reasons," Fatla said. "I'm tired of beating a dead horse already."
"That's why we turned to you," Patrick told me.
Local municipalities' explanation
I contacted Mayor Sorenson, who explained that the city shares roads with the Town of Wilson, which denied the trucks access. The only option at the time was to route them through Stonebrook.
I also reached out to Town of Wilson officials, who said the trucks were causing damage to their roads before they intervened. The town requested a contract from the city to repair the damage. Only then would it allow trucks on its roads. No contract has been received.
The Town of Wilson provided the following statement:
The Town empathizes with the residents of Stonebrook Subdivision who now face the same disruptions that our Town residents endured. The Town's commitment remains to protect our community's infrastructure and quality of life while fostering cooperative solutions with the City.
Pete said he appreciated finally getting information about the situation.
"You were able to tell us more today than we've been able to get in the months since we've started reaching out," they said.
Looking for solutions
Mayor Sorenson says the city is working with the DNR to find an alternate route. There may be a stopping point in November due to weather, but the project will resume in the spring.
Cardarelle believes better planning could have prevented the disruption.
"If there is an alternate route, that should have been in place maybe before this project even started to protect the residents," they said.
For now, residents are asking for transparency.
"Just clear communication and answers around how this is going to end in our neighborhood."
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