Ask NOW: Why aren't there turn signals at intersection of Wauwatosa and Milwaukee?

A reader wants to know when the city will install left-turn arrows at the intersection of Milwaukee and Wauwatosa avenues.

A reader wants to know when the city will install left-turn arrows at the intersection of Milwaukee and Wauwatosa avenues.

May 13, 2014

Is there a rumor you've heard that you would like to track down? Is there something in the city — like playground equipment or a pothole — that needs to be fixed? Rick Romano answers some of the mysteries of life in Wauwatosa and helps solve everyday problems.

Why aren't there turn signals at the intersection of Wauwatosa and Milwaukee avenues?

Issue: A reader wants to know why the city has never installed turn signals at the intersection of Wauwatosa and Milwaukee avenues.

"It is such a bad bottleneck there, especially during rush hour," he wrote.

Status: City Engineer Bill Wehrley said the city recognizes there are a number of intersections that need upgrading.

Wauwatosa follows an evaluation and approval process that includes observing and counting traffic that turns over multiple hours and multiple days, he said.

"We would then look at the hardware that is out there, have a design consultant design it and advertise for bids," Wehrley said. "Of course, it is contingent on the budget and whether the common council approves it."

Wehrley said new technology affects the way traffic is directed.

"Now there is microwave technology that detects traffic and regulates the signals instead of them being on a fixed time pattern," he said. "Intersections with the newer technology now can favor the higher volume of traffic on a main road over a lower volume road that intersects."

Submit your question by sending an email to news@cninow.com.

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