Yet another fatal cross-over accident occurred on Interstate 43 in Ozaukee County this past week when a northbound vehicle veered into the oncoming southbound lane of traffic. It was the fifth fatal cross-over accident in that area in just the past few months. Sadly, these crashes have taken the lives of the young, the old, visitors to our state and to our neighbors. The driver’s familiarity with the highway, weather conditions and the time of day seem to have no connection to investigators. Only the location of each crash and the lane crossing aspect appear to be consistent.
As a result, Ozaukee County’s state legislative delegation have scheduled a meeting with the Secretary of the state Department of Transportation next week to discuss what DOT has done, and will do to increase safety for motorists along I-43. Ultimately, we have asked that DOT prioritize that particular stretch of roadway, especially between Mequon Road and Highway 60 in Grafton. I am prepared to demand improvements be made.
This past February, department officials were quoted publicly as saying DOT would be undertaking a study of these crashes. It is my hope that the results of this study will soon be ready for public consumption, so it can then be determined if additional medians or barriers would be of any help. The aforementioned stretch of highway should not be so deadly and the time has come for state transportation officials to move forward with actions to back up their words.
DOT has proven for years to be adept at analyzing specific criteria and statistics to determine what should be done to increase safety and reduce accidents on state highways. In fact, a few years ago, DOT recognized a similar problem further south on I-43 and promptly constructed steel and rope barriers between Good Hope Road and Mequon Road. In that case, simple improvements appear to have helped lower the number of fatal crossover accidents.
I acknowledge there are several variables that can and do lead to accidents, and that often times, due to the shear speed of the vehicle, interstate accidents result in fatalities. However, cross-over accidents, such as the ones Ozaukee County emergency responders seem to deal with every few weeks can and should be remedied. It is my hope we can work together, in a state and local partnership, to ensure corrections and improvements can begin immediately, and that ultimately, these types of accidents stop.
To provide some feedback on this column, contact me at (800) 863-1113, or sen.darling@legis.wi.gov.
