More roundabouts coming to Green Bay

BROWN COUNTY - Right now there is only one multi-lane roundabout in Brown County, at the east end of the Claude Allouez bridge in De Pere. But there will soon be more than two dozen multi-lane roundabouts in the county. And that is not counting the plans for Military Avenue.

"It's just a safer way to move traffic," said Kris Schuller with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Schuller says said the upcoming Highway 41 expansion project includes a total of 44 multi-lane roundabouts; 28 of them in Brown County; 16 of them in Winnebago County.

"They're going to be placed at the ramp terminals, the on- and off-ramps and also at some of the nearby intersections that feed traffic into the system," Schuller said.

That includes two at Lombardi Avenue and 41; three near Mason Street and 41, including one at Taylor Street; and five near Shawano Avenue and 41.

"In years to come, they're going to be all over Green Bay," said alderman Tom Weber, who supports roundabouts. He said opponents of the roundabouts on Military Avenue will still have to deal with plenty of roundabouts.

"If you won't go though a roundabout you may not get to Military Avenue. It's going to be a lot of roundabouts," Weber said.

While the plan for roundabouts on Military Avenue is expected to change and the debate will continue, the Highway 41 project and its roundabouts is pretty much a done deal.

"That was basically pushed down our throats. We didn't have much say about that," said Brown County Supv. Pat Evans. He does not support roundabouts on Military Avenue. Evans said the two projects can not really be compared.

"People understand that there's going to be all sort of roundabouts on 41 but that doesn't mean they want them on Military Avenue," Evans said.

One thing both sides agree on is that the work on Military Avenue should be completed before the 41 project begins. That is still two or three years away.

A portion of the Highway 41 project in Winnebago County will start later this year. The DOT is planning a major public relations campaign once the 41 project gets started. Its goal will be to educate the public on how to navigate the multi-lane roundabouts.

Find out more about the Highway 41 project.