December 18, 2019 – Richfield, WI – It’s been tabbed as “one of the most dangerous intersections” in the 2019 Washington County Traffic Safety Analysis Plan and now officials with Washington County government say the intersection of County Highway Q (County Line Road) and Hillside Road will be reconstructed with a new roundabout.
“A roundabout will address the severe angle crashes observed at this location,” said Highway Commissioner Scott Schmidt. “We’re in the business of providing safe, efficient and effective mobility and this is an exciting project for those reasons.”
2013-2018 saw 37 accidents at the intersection. With support from the Village of Richfield and the Town of Lisbon, Washington County applied for and obtained Highway Safety Improvement funding for the project from the federal/state government in the amount of $1,620,000. The remaining $180,000 of the project will be funded through local contributions.
The Village of Richfield has been assisting in monitoring crash data at this intersection for years and had made temporary modifications as part of the STH 164 reconstruction efforts, only allowing right-turn movement from Hillside Road. As part of intersection safety priorities in 2019, Washington County reached out to SEWRPC and Department of Transportation Safety engineers for further review. The conclusion: a bigger step is needed for to make this intersection safe.
“We’re elated Washington County secured this grant to address this long-standing safety concern,” said Village of Richfield Administrator Jim Healy. “We’ll be working throughout the construction process to ensure that our residents have ample opportunity for feedback and discussion on plan design.”
Town of Lisbon Administrator, Gina Gresch added the following, “We are delighted to see Washington County feels this project is important enough to approve funding to improve this intersection for the safety of our residents and everyone traveling through our communities.”
