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WIS 153 (Main Street) & Old Hwy 51 Roundabout ProjectThe Roundabout is Open
Roundabout HistoryGovernor Jim Doyle recently signed a $1.9 million contract to construct a roundabout at the north intersection of WIS 153 and Old 51 in Marathon County. Construction on the roundabout started in the summer of 2010 and was completed in October. S & N Incorporated was the prime contractor for the project. Crews replaced the current north intersection of WIS 153 and Old 51 with a roundabout. Other improvements included lighting, landscaping and a multi-use recreational trail. Roundabout Project DetailsThe intersection improvement project included the construction of a Modern Roundabout which will eliminate the four-way stop sign traffic controls that are presently located at this major intersection. According to the WisDOT, there are approximately 16,000 vehicles which travel through this intersection each day. The highway project also included the reconstruction of the intersection of North Old Highway 51 and Depot Street. After the Depot Street intersection reconstruction work was completed, Depot Street then became the new main entrance to the Wausau Paper Corporation Mill and the existing State Highway 153 entrance to the paper mill was closed to safely accommodate the new roundabout intersection. According to the WisDOT website, modern roundabouts are the newest form of intersection in the U.S. Several can be found in Wisconsin, including a new urban roundabout on Milwaukee's south side. Several others are in the planning stages around the state. Roundabouts provide safe and efficient traffic flow and make use of extensive safety and traffic research conducted over the past 25 years in other countries. Today's roundabouts are much smaller than the "traffic circles" of earlier years. Roundabouts move traffic safely through an intersection because of:
Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) show that roundabouts provide a:
Click here to view the WisDOT's Mosinee roundabout information page Click here to view WisDOT's animation - "How to use a Roundabout" Click here to view a live video feed of a roundabout located in Kenora, Ontario, Canada Please refer to this webpage often, as we will continue to provide updates pertaining to the status of the roundabout intersection improvement project and we will also be adding educational information on how to effectively and safely travel through a modern roundabout intersection. For additional information regarding modern roundabout intersections, please visit the following websites: |
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