Sept. 26, 2019 12:30p; Sept. 27 Correction made in identification ot new access road to reflect the east end being 60th Ave. not 60th St.
(WGTD)---A few years from now, the busiest intersection in the City of Kenosha--Highway 50 and Green Bay Road--- is going to look a lot different.
For one thing, the corner is included as part of the project to rebuild and expand Highway 50.
In the northeast quadrant of the intersection, a new connector street will be built to help relieve congestion. It’ll run behind a number of businesses on the north side of Highway 50 from 60th Ave. due west to Green Bay Road. Patrons of most of those businesses will continue to access from Highway 50, but they'll also have the option of coming in off of the new 74th St.
State Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Pyritz says there will be other improvements. "If you can get that area working properly and working well the rest of the corridor will flow much better," he said.
Installing what's called, in road-design lingo, "jug handles" in the northeast and southeast quadrants are under consideration, Pyritz said. The design concept has drivers wanting to make a left turn exiting right on a ramp then turning left at a new intersection a number of feet from the main one.
Advantages include not having to build long and multiple left-turn bays.
The design work is expected to be completed in the coming months, with construction expected to begin a year and a half from now.
As many as four lanes in either direction will be available on the project’s west end. The number of lanes will gradually taper down to two in each direction, with the east end—close to Pershing Plaza—being more of a rebuilding job than an expansion project.
Business relocations to make it all happen may not be as numerous as you might think.
Pyritz says at the moment planners are looking at the possibility of having to relocate just two of them. He wouldn’t say which ones as negotiations are continuing.
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