TRENDS Winter 2022 | Page 22

Expressway vs . freeway , a matter of safety
While the need for the Highway 29-Highway VV project has been in discussion for many years , Ayres wasn ’ t hired to begin initial design planning until 2010 . And it wasn ’ t until federal funding for the project was approved in October 2018 that construction could begin in May 2021 .
But now that construction is complete , Highway 29 throughout western Brown County has been upgraded in official designation from an “ expressway ” to a “ freeway .”
That seemingly minor distinction in terminology is actually quite important . While both terms apply to multilane divided highways , the difference lies in how vehicles gain access to them .
On an “ expressway ,” vehicles enter , exit , and cross the highway via at-grade intersections . That was the situation where Highway 29 crossed Brown County Highways VV and U .
“ It was pretty dangerous for vehicles accessing Highway 29 to get up to speed with vehicles already on the highway ,” said Troy Robillard , Ayres ’ manager of transportation services in Green Bay . “ It was particularly dangerous for trucks when they were entering / exiting Highway 29 or for vehicles trying to cross Highway 29 .”
WisDOT officials cited a number of serious accidents involving these scenarios , some involving fatalities , as the main reason Brown County was determined to replace the last of its at-grade intersections on Highway 29 .
As with the County ’ s previous such projects , the newly opened confluence of Highway 29 and Highway VV has been upgraded from an intersection to an interchange , meaning vehicles now cross over the highway via a bridge rather than dashing across four lanes of traffic at-grade . It also means that entering and exiting the highway is done via lengthy ramps , allowing vehicles to gradually accelerate or decelerate rather than make right- or left-hand turns from a dead stop onto a highway with a posted speed limit of 65 mph .
“ You can access and cross the highway more safely and efficiently now ,” Robillard said .
These safety enhancements , as well as the decision to close the nearby Highway 29-Highway U intersection and reroute Highway U traffic to the new interchange , will only grow in importance as traffic volumes increase .
WisDOT statistics indicate that in 2019 daily traffic volumes on Highway 29 ranged from 20,000 vehicles traveling west of Highway VV to 31,000 vehicles traveling east . By 2034 those traffic volumes are projected to increase by 50 % for westbound traffic and by 82 % for those traveling east .
Enhanced safety not limited to motor vehicles
The new bridge crossing over Highway 29 at Highway VV has been designed with more than just cars and trucks in mind .
Previously , pedestrians and bicyclists faced the same hazards as motor vehicles when trying to cross Highway 29 to access residential and commercial developments in the Village of Howard north of the freeway or in the Village of Hobart to the south . But the new bridge includes sidewalks for pedestrians ; striped lanes for
22 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .