Rep. Born Reluctantly Agrees Highway 33 Roundabout Is ‘Safest Option’

(Beaver Dam) State Representative Mark Born says a reconstruction project along Highway 33 has been four years in the making. The intersection that crosses 33 and County Road P is being transformed into a roundabout in the hopes of reducing severe crashes at the location. Born says something needed to be done to fix the dangerous problem and put an end to the high number of fatal crashes that occur there. He says he meet with the Department of Transportation and demanded a four-way-stop be installed. Born says the DOT told him that the traffic does not warrant it and that they do not like to stop highway traffic for a county road. Just a week after that meeting another fatal accident happened. Born says that spurred the DOT to reevaluate the area and believed a four-way-stop was necessary. He says the fix would have only been temporary and that the DOT was searching out grant opportunities to provide a more permanent solution. The state applied to the Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program and received a grant to cover the $1.5-million dollar cost for the project. During a recent appearance on WBEV’s Community Comment, Born said the fed’s researched the intersection and their data showed, and he reluctantly agrees, that a roundabout is the safest option. During construction, drivers will be detoured to Wisconsin Highways 67, 28 and US Highway 41. Work is slated for completion by July 3. For more information visit 511wi.gov.