Kenosha County plan to reduce fatal and severe-injury crashes to be finalized by November

BRISTOL — A plan to reduce serious car crashes and an ambitious goal to eliminate traffic deaths altogether at dangerous intersections in Kenosha County is expected to be finalized in the next few months.

At the last of two public information sessions on the issue held Thursday Greg Boldt, the county's highway commissioner, said the comprehensive safety analysis with final recommendations is expected to be completed by mid-to-late November.

"They've done all the data analysis, now they're figuring out what it's going to say and see what's feasible," he said.

A map showing a heat map of fatal and severity A crashes between 2018-2022, created by Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. Kenosha County's Compreh...

During the open house-style gathering, consultants from Short Elliott Henderson Inc. answered questions and showed a handful of residents visual displays of "heat maps" that marked the concentration of fatal traffic collisions and crashes with severe injuries to motorists.

Consultants used Kenosha County crash data from 2018-2022 to generate the maps. Through their analysis, they also provided a list of the top 20 crash-prone intersections and road segments. According to the maps, the greatest concentrations of crashes occurred between Interstate 94 and Green Bay Road in Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie, and in Somers north of Highway L between Green Bay Road and Sheridan Road. Other problem intersections and segments in Bristol, Trevor, Paddock Lake and Twin Lakes also made the top 20.

In July, the county held a similar public information session at Pleasant Prairie Village Hall where local officials and residents shared their thoughts on troubled traffic spots.

Boldt said at both public information sessions, and at "pop up" meeting events held in Wheatland, Somers and Silver Lake, all shared a common concern: speeding.

"That's the one thing that during the groups that (consultants) SEH met with said ... speeding was always one of the biggest issues," he said. Over the last five months, 200-300 people offered their input at the meetings and through written correspondence.

Other issues raised were the various modes of transportation used on county roads and how to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.