#3 Action on relocation order for right-of-way for E Milwaukee/Wuthering Hills intersection improvement project (File Res. #2011-851)
Public Works Department Memorandum
Date: December 12, 2011
TO: Janesville City Council
FROM: Carl Weber, Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Action on a Proposed Resolution Establishing the Relocation Order
for the Right-of-Way of the East Milwaukee Street/Wuthering Hills
Drive Intersection Improvement Project (File Resolution No. 2011-
851) (Postponed from 11/14/11)
____________________________________________________________
SUMMARY
On 11/14/11 the City Council reviewed File Resolution No. 2011-851 and
postponed action until 12/12/11 so that the Administration could provide an
analysis of not installing the roundabout and a comparative price for a traffic
signal.
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
The Plan Commission and Community Development Department recommended
on 11/14/11 that the City Council support a motion to adopt Resolution No. 2011-
851 establishing the Relocation Order for the East Milwaukee Street/Wuthering
Hills Drive Improvement project and authorizing the City Manager to execute the
Relocation Order. Upon completing the further review requested by the Council
on 11/14/11, the Public Works Department staff supports that recommendation.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Out of the four options that are under consideration, the City Manager
recommends that the City Council either move forward with the roundabout
construction or stops the project and leaves the road in the current configuration.
It is perceived that the reconfiguration has enhanced safety at the location. I
believe that the roundabout would further enhance safety, but ultimately it comes
to cost-benefit decision by the City Council.
SUGGESTED MOTION
I move to adopt Resolution No. 2011-851 establishing the Relocation Order for
the East Milwaukee Street/Wuthering Hills Drive Improvement project and
authorizing the City Manager to execute the Relocation Order.
BACKGROUND
A. In 2008, City Council approved a proposal to construct a roundabout at the
intersection of East Milwaukee Street and Wuthering Hills Drive. The project
will require the widening of the roadway at the four corners of the intersection
to accommodate proper turning radii. The project includes complete
reconstruction of the intersection including; new pavement, curb and gutter,
street lighting and sidewalks.
B. The project has been proposed to be undertaken along with the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation. Funding for the reconstruction project will be
provided partially by State/Federal Highway Safety funds ($395,000) with the
City providing funding for the remaining funds ($220,000). A Relocation Order
is a necessary step in the acquisition process and the attached Resolution
No. 2011-851 establishes the Relocation Order for the properties and
easements to be acquired.
C. The Community Development and Engineering Departments have evaluated
this road reconstruction project and agree that the proposed acquisitions of
the various temporary easements and additional right-of-way along East
Milwaukee Street and Wuthering Hills Drive are necessary for construction of
the roundabout. The temporary easements, which will accommodate the
proper grading to match driveways and sidewalks, consist of 3,809 S.F. and
affect 4 properties. Additional right-of-way will need to be acquired from
those 4 properties in order to accommodate the widening of the roadway. The
total amount of new right-of-way is 790 S.F. All affected property owners will
be compensated at fair market value for the acquisition and/or temporary use
of their property. The properties impacted by the project are shown on the
attached Exhibit A. Although the new alignment will require the acquisition of
790 S.F. of property at the corners, an additional 4,049 S.F. of green space
will be developed between the new sidewalk alignment and the existing ROW
lines.
D. As previously reported, staff believes that the acquisition of land for the
construction of the roundabout is consistent with City plans. The Plan
Commission on 11/7/11 moved on a 5 to 2 vote to recommend approval of
the Relocation Order.
E. At the Council meeting of 11/14/11 three residents spoke in opposition to the
construction of the roundabout stating that the restriping of East Milwaukee
Street completed in 2010 had, in their opinion, slowed traffic and corrected
safety problems at the intersection which had driven the 2008 decision of the
Council to construct a roundabout. Some Council members, while expressing
support of the function of roundabouts, questioned whether the East
Milwaukee Street/Wuthering Hills Drive intersection is a good application for
one because:
1. The traffic appears to be functioning well under current conditions;
2. The proposed facility does not fit within the existing right-of-way;
3. Installation of traffic signals may cost less.
F. The intersection did not meet warrants for traffic signals when studied in
2008. The HSIP (Safety) Grant was approved on the basis of the ability of a
roundabout to reduce the number and severity of accidents experienced over
a 4 year period at the intersection. As such, the installation of traffic signals
would not be eligible under the grant and would have to be funded entirely by
the City.
G. While warrants for a traffic control are not currently met according to the 2008
traffic study, they likely will be at some point in the future when Wuthering
Hills Drive is extended north to Highway 14, the area to the southeast of the
Highway 14 bend and east of Wuthering Hills Drive is developed and the area
to the northeast of East Milwaukee Street and Highway 14 is developed. At
that time there may not be grant funds available to fund a traffic control
improvement of any type. Although with the current recession it may be some
time before the additional development occurs, transportation improvements
are typically planned for a 20 year horizon.
H. Under the terms of the grant agreement, should the City withdraw the project,
it will reimburse the State for any costs incurred by the State on behalf of the
project. As the design for the project is near completion, there is a current
balance of $78,000 for which the City will become liable in the event that
project is withdrawn.
I. Staff has determined that there would likely be no added liability to the City
should the City not proceed with the proposed improvement as originally
planned. This is due to the fact that the increase in the cost estimate and the
perceived improvement resulting from the 2010 lane realignment would show
a change in the cost-to-benefit relationship providing adequate reason for
reconsideration.
J. Mid-block speed studies near the intersection were conducted in 2007 prior to
the grant application and in 2011 subsequent to the 2010 lane restriping. The
following is a summary of the data collected in those studies. The summary
indicates that westbound speeds have reduced 1mph and eastbound speeds
have not reduced since the lane realignment.
WB WB EB EB
Study Year Avg Speed 85 th % Speed Avg Speed 85 th % Speed
2007 36 40 34 39
2011 35 39 34 39
K. The following is an accident summary for the intersection. The restriping
occurred in the fall of 2010. The time since that improvement is very short so
a conclusion as to whether the safety of the intersection has improved since
the lane restriping cannot be reached from this data.
Year PDO INJURY FATAL TOTAL
2004 2 1 0 3
2005 2 0 0 2
2006 0 1 0 1
2007 1 1 1 3
2008 1 3 0 4
2009 0 1 0 1
2010 0 0 0 0
2011 1 0 0 1
ANALYSIS
There appear to be 4 options for this intersection:
1. Construct a roundabout as originally planned.
2. Install traffic signals.
3. Install a 4-way stop
4. Leave the intersection as is. (Null alternative)
The following table summarizes the costs for the various options. The design
cost for the roundabout is included in the traffic signal and null alternatives
because those funds have already been expended and must be paid by the
City. A cost for resurfacing is included in those two alternatives as well as it is
expected that the streets will be recommended for resurfacing in about 5
years. This cost will be avoided within the limits of the roundabout alternative
as that area will be newly constructed in concrete with a 50 year life
expectancy.
Roundabout Signals Null
Total State City City City
RDBT Design &Review $95,000 $35,000 $50,000 $78,000 $78,000
RDBT Construction $520,000 $360,000 $160,000
Traffic Signals $160,000
Resurfacing $27,000 $27,000
Net cost $605,000 $395,000 $220,000 $265,000 $105,000
Staff does not recommend the installation of traffic signals because:
1. They are not warranted.
2. They are the highest local cost alternative of the three
3. They do not provide the safety benefits of a roundabout
A 4-way stop is also not warranted and not recommended. The cost would be
about $5,000 more than the Null alternative depending on what features, such
as flashing lights, would be included to make the East Milwaukee Street signs
more noticeable.
If the Council believes the added short term safety and long term traffic control
benefits of a roundabout over the current alignment justifies the additional
$115,000 cost, then the relocation order resolution should be approved.
If the Council believes that the safety concerns at the intersection have been
adequately addressed by the 2010 lane realignment and that future traffic
control benefits are insufficient to justify further expenditures at this time, then
the relocation order resolution should not be approved and staff should be
directed to withdraw from the HSIP project.
Exhibit A
East Milwaukee Street/Wuthering Hills Drive Intersection Reconstruction Project
Affected Property Owners
Additional Additional
Temporary Right-of-Green
Easement way Space
Required Required Developed
Affected Property Owners
(sf) (sf) (sf)
927
1 Gregory G. Clathworthy 947 281
268
2 Adam J. Splinter 1,019 119
Muhammad Humayun Qureshi &
3 Ayesha Humayun Qureshi 1,237 289 1,987
Donald L. Bohman & Faye A.
4 Bohman 606 101 867
RESOLUTION NO. 2011-851
A Resolution Establishing the Relocation Order for the Acquisition of Right-of-
Way on East Milwaukee Street and Wuthering Hills Drive.
WHEREAS
, to properly establish, layout, widen, construct, reconstruct, improve, or
maintain a portion of the highway hereinafter described, it is necessary to acquire certain
lands or interests in lands, as shown on the attached plat marked Plat of Right-of-Way
required for East Milwaukee Street and Wuthering Hills Drive, City of Janesville, Rock
County, Project I.D. 5990-00-25 as approved by the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation; and
WHEREAS
, the Common Council of the City of Janesville, together with the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation, recognizes the need to improve the intersection of East
Milwaukee Street and Wuthering Hills Drive to provide for the construction of a
roundabout to improve vehicular traffic safety; and
WHEREAS
, the City of Janesville shall acquire certain lands and interests therein as
shown on the attached plat marked Plat of Right-of-Way as provided by Chapter 32,
Wisconsin State Statues; and
WHEREAS
, the termini of the East Milwaukee Street/Wuthering Hills Drives
improvement project are more particularly described as follows:
BEGIN RELOCATION ORDER:
FROM A POINT on the North line of the Northeast quarter, being located S
8845’43” E, 1.99 feet from the North quarter corner of Section 28, Town 3 North,
th
Range 13 East, of the 4 P.M., City of Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin.
END RELOCATION ORDER:
Thence easterly to a point on the North line of the Northeast quarter, being
located N 8845’43” W, 2341.07 feet from the Northeast corner of Section 28,
th
Town 3 North, Range 13 East, of the 4 P.M., City of Janesville, Rock County,
Wisconsin
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
by the Common Council of the City of
Janesville, pursuant to authority granted under Section 62.22, and other applicable
Wisconsin Statutes, hereby authorizes this Relocation Order and directs the City
Manager to file a copy of this Resolution with the County Clerk of Rock County,
Wisconsin on behalf of the City.
1. The said roadway intersection is laid out and established to the lines and widths as
shown on the plat;
2. The required lands or interests in lands as shown on the plat shall be acquired by the
City of Janesville; and
3. This order supersedes and amends any previous order issued by the City of
Janesville, Wisconsin.
ADOPTED:
Motion by:
Second by:
APPROVED:
Councilmember Aye Nay Pass Absent
Brunner
Dongarra-Adams
Eric J. Levitt, City Manager
Liebert
McDonald
ATTEST:
Rashkin
Steeber
Voskuil
Jean Ann Wulf, City Clerk-Treasurer
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Wald Klimczyk, City Attorney
Proposed by: Engineering Division
Prepared by: Community Development Department