Plans set to redesign West neighborhood intersection for greater safety, navigation
Plans are underway to resolve decades of headaches arising from the intersection of Sawyer Street and Oshkosh Avenue, a definite thorn in the side of West drivers for generations. The intersection, known for its confusing, nontraditional structure, will be standardized into a basic four-way controlled intersection when construction begins in 2028. A traffic study conducted in 2018 confirmed the navigational difficulties Oshkosh residents have dealt with for years: numerous aspects of the intersection are performing far below acceptable levels. Notably, the northbound right-turn lane operated at an F on the A-F scale used to grade traffic flow.
Jim Collins, City of Oshkosh Director of Transportation, noted the planning process revealed some inadequacies.
“There is some crash history there. It isn’t anything overwhelming, but they found from 2019 to 2023 there were 35 crashes,” he said. “Strand Associates came up with a number of different alternatives, like five or six, and we took those to the transportation committee for evaluation. They came up with a recommendation, which went to the city council, and this is what they approved.”
Collins said that everything from roundabouts to conventional intersections were considered as alternatives. The former was ruled out quickly.
“The roundabouts were ruled out for a number of reasons. Most notably, with the drawbridge there, if the bridge goes up and traffic backs up, there’s nowhere for traffic to go,” he said. “Additionally, we found that roundabouts aren’t the most pedestrian friendly.”
The intersection has been slated for redevelopment for decades, but plans have been slow to form. In addition to the drawbridge, the intersection is in close proximity to a public boat launch, attracting a volume of large vehicles and trailers, as well as Rainbow Park, which spans both sides of Oshkosh Ave. According to Collins, development will be made there as well.
“The Parks Department has a comprehensive outdoor recreation plan and there are some improvements that are going to be made at Rainbow Park,” he said.
Collins is one of many involved in putting this project together. Collaboration between the Parks Department and those organizing this project will be essential to ensure that there is no conflict between future developments at Rainbow Park and the intersection. This cooperation is necessary not only on the municipal level, but on the state level as well.
“This is also a connecting highway, so we have to get a review from the Director of Transportation (DOT),” he said. “We have to do what’s called an Intersection Control Evaluation, which looks at the layout and the current situation. They do some traffic modeling, they look at the current and projected level of service and compare all of that against the other alternatives.”
The evaluation has already been sent in, and progress will continue once the DOT gives the go-ahead. Until then, the City of Oshkosh will focus on acquiring the remaining few properties needed to build upon. A large number of properties have come under the ownership of the Redevelopment Authority (RDA), a branch of Oshkosh’s Community Development Department. This organization is tasked with collecting properties over time for use in redevelopment projects. According to Kyle Henderson of Strand Associates, this project will be slightly different from usual.
“This project is somewhat unique,” he said. “It’s unique in that there’s not much of a limit as to how much space we can occupy.”
Improvements like the intersection redesign are often restricted to an existing boundary, forcing engineers to get creative in how they go about changing boundaries already there. Therefore, any land remaining outside the boundaries will be sold to developers in a long-term revitalization plan on Oshkosh Ave. Much of the space north of the intersection is already available for redesign thanks to the RDA’s work in acquiring those properties over the years. Widening the roadway into this space will be beneficial; chief among the benefits is increased attention towards pedestrian safety by focusing on a wider median and fixing sidewalks. City Engineer Justin Gierach affirmed the department’s commitment to accessibility.
“Safety for the public is one of our top priorities,” he said. “There are many types of people who use this intersection—cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. Our goal is to improve public safety for everyone.”
by Grey Zahner
Published March 17th, 2025
Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue VI