With the preliminary design for the Hwy. M improvement project nearly completed, engineers expect the year-long construction project will likely begin in the fall of 2023.
Gerry Schmitt of KL Engineering, the firm hired to complete the design, provided an update on the project at the Jan. 16 Waunakee Rotary meeting.
Initially, the project was to span from Hwy. 113 to Hwy. Q, but the project limit has been scaled back to Hwy. 113 to Oncken Road.
The issues with the road have involved congestion, safety, planned development at the Community of Bishops Bay, infrastructure, stormwater management and the fluctuating speed limits along the roadway, which range from 35 to 55 mph at different sections.
Other projects and studies, such as the North Mendota Parkway, involve Hwy. M.
“And how do we take the results of that and translate that to what we need to do, but still focus on the fact that M has needs now, and the North Mendota Parkway is a long-term study, a more regional study, and this was more focused on M itself?” Schmitt added.
Schmitt provided daily traffic counts for the road from 2018 and compared them to what they will be in 2045 once Hwy. M is improved, along with the projections with no improvements.
The 2018 counts were 18,000 vehicles per day between Hwy. K and Hwy. 113. With the improvements in 2045, they are expected to rise to 27,000, as compared to 22,000 with no improvement.
The team looked at two- and four-lane alternatives from Hwy. Q to Oncken Road, and mostly four-lane alternatives from Oncken to Hwy. 113.
Another alternative was to limit access to Hwy. M and consolidate driveways with frontage roads in some cases, and right-in, right-out access in others.
Between Borchers Beach and BuIntersection improvements at Woodland Drive and Mary Lake are also among the alternatives.
As the engineers looked at the year 2045, they considered a signalized intersection at Oncken Road, although Schmitt noted the projections depend on how Bishops Bay develops by that time.
Hwy. K is a heavily traveled intersection. Three ranges of alternatives were considered – a signalized intersection, a roundabout and a separated roadway.
All meet the service level needs, Schmitt said, but the roundabout cost would be lower over time.
Last summer, when the Department of Transportation was seeking proposals for its Surface Transportation Improvement Program, the Hwy. M design was submitted to the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board for referral to the DOT.
The project ranked highest of all others submitted, and the project was approved by the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board for construction in the fall of 2023. It includes a four-lane section, a roundabout at Hwy. K, an additional bridge over Six Mile Creek, multi-modal connections, and necessary intersection improvements.
The engineers will find out this month whether the plan has received DOT approval, but Schmitt said approval is likely because it has been accepted by the local transportation planning organization.
Public involvement meetings on the final designs are planned for this spring, Schmitt said.

 

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Other News:

–On Feb. 8, a program on Talking Across the Political Divide will be offered, said Susan Vergeront.
–On Jan. 22, new club members can join an orientation at the Waunakee Village Center at 5:45 p.m.

 

Guests: Ray Kuehl, guest of John Cullen; Rhonda Arries, guest of Nick Mischler.

 

Birthdays: Jan. 26, Joseph Baer; Jan. 26, Mark McFarland; Jan. 27, Pat Durden; Jan. 28, Jim Elvekrog; Jan. 29, Gary Epping.

 

Anniversaries: None.

 

Programs: Jan. 23, Christine Benedict, Girls on the Run; Jan. 30, Maria Woldt, Yahara Pride Farms; Feb. 6, Gregory Lee Renz, author of “Beneath the Flames.”

 

Greeters: Jan. 23, Nancy Kuehn-Thomas and Alan Langeteig; Jan. 30, Drew Lawrence and Kim Lengfeld.