Well, I lost count of the weeks of the construction along Bluemound Road.  In mid-June, I summarized activities of week one.The three one-mile segments of construction between Moorland and Barker Road were to have each taken three months.

It's now November, and the orange barrels are catching snowflakes.  The DOT has improved the flow of traffic along Bluemound Road.  Traffic can more easily travel at 45 mph.  Many medians were closed.  Crossing over to a business or retail shop on our "Bluemound Corridor" is more difficult.  For example, when traveling east on Bluemound,  I can make a left turn into my bank.  When I leave the bank, I need to turn right (west).  Luckily there are strip malls along the way for turning around and getting back to 18 Eastbound.  Of course, one could always make a U-turn at the stop lights.

Ooops.  Sorry, that's illegal. It's been decades since I read the motor vehicle handbook, so I confirmed the legality with the town and city police departments.  If an officer happens to be nearby, you may get a ticket or a warning. The city police department told me the DOT isn't likely to post No U-Turn Signs at intersections. Somehow the town of Brookfield convinced the DOT to post them.

Other DOT improvements consist of removing some driveway entrances/exits onto Bluemound, and putting in "walk signals," marking sidewalk crossings and meeting ADA (Americans with Disability) standards.  That should make it easier for pedestrians of all abilities to cross the highway.

The inconvenience of the road construction will soon be forgotten.  But, in 2011 construction will begin on both Capitol Drive and Bluemound Road. That should really be a trip!

Work began in early June to improve the safety of Bluemound Road.  The first segment of construction is between Moorland Road and Calhoun Road.  The DOT anticipated that each segment would take about a month to complete.  We are at week four, so the newly configured highway should soon be "open." 

Businesses east of Calhoun should breathe a sigh of relief within a week or so. The learning process will then begin.

In the meantime, we have all enjoyed the traffic calming to date and traffic tie-ups. Especially enjoyable are the motorists who block other intersections while waiting.

Also noticed (while sitting through three stop light cycles) is that more drivers are making u-turns at intersections with stop lights.  The "no u-turn" signs are no longer at the intersections, so evidently they are legal now.  

Also, be especially wary of work that has been completed.  For example, Calhoun Road, north of Bluemound, has already made changes to traffic patterns, but one exit from the strip mall does not have a "no left turn" sign - yet.

When the work is completed east of Calhoun, crews will begin working on the Calhoun to Brookfield Road improvements.

The Town of Brookfield announced plans for development of the "Bluemound Road Corridor."  The area is bounded by Barker Road, I 94 and Bluemound Road and extends east of Poplar Creek.  The development covers about 80 acres. It includes the properties owned by Marcus Corporation and Menards. 

The Corridor plans include 4-8 story commercial buildings and 2-4 story multi-family units.  Since the plans were announced, the town has sought public comment and met with property owners. Town officials believe it's important to work with the business owners - to meld the visions of the town and business owners together.  There is a strong desire to achieve positive acceptance about the development. Indeed, suggestions about roadway placement and project flexibility have already been integrated into the consultant's plans.

The goals of the development plans are to address problems of circulation (pedestrian and automobile), maintain property values and provide an inviting consumer environment.  Plans for the Bluemound Corridor Node accomplish all three.

Traffic circulation will be improved by two additional east/west roads (parallel to I94) and a north/south road (beneath high-tension lines). Sidewalks will encourage foot traffic between the businesses and offices.

Taller structures (4-8 and 2-4 stories) provide more business / office space.  This yields a more economically-viable development while positively impacting property values. A planned parking structure will reduce the need for large asphalt parking lots.

An inviting consumer environment is provided through urban style architecture.  Ground level stores will have large windows, and include eateries and service providers. It's possible that a person working in an office or business could spend his/her lunch hour within the same complex.

The Town of Brookfield's administrator, Rick Czopp, said, "Government should be slow and deliberate because of the future impact on the community" and a desire to achieve positive acceptance.

The town's plans are consistent with Waukesha County's development plans.  The town is one of 27 communities that are collaborating with the county.

There are no plans for tax incremental financing (TIF or TID) for this development.  These designations are typically used in distressed areas.  The town did use TIF funds for the environmental clean up of the new Palladium Theatre site.  The ground had become contaminated by underground diesel storage leaks.

The Town of Brookfield will look much different in 10 years.

(1)  My writing (and believing) that 124^th Street south of Greenfield was in Brookfield.  (Dec 12, 2006)

(2) A statement that the Town of Brookfield won't use TIF (Tax Incremental Financing) to redevelop property along Bluemound Road  (Aug 13, 2007)

(3) My belief that Greenfield Road has better traffic flow than Bluemound Road (Sep 28, 2007)

He was right on the first one. I will never forget that 124th Street south of Greenfield is in New Berlin. In fact, I acknowledged that Dec 31, 2006.  But I do maintain that a [non-environmental] TIF won't be used in the town, and that the traffic flow on Greenfield is better than that on Bluemound.

Here's why:

Legally, the town form of government cannot use a TIF.  But evidently there is an exception for lands needing environmental cleanup.  A state TIF was used (by the Town) in clean up of the Majestic theatre site.

In my opinion, Greenfield Road does has better traffic flow than Bluemound Brookfield Road (corrected 11/2/07).  While I normally head east on Greenfield Road to 124^th, I have taken Greenfield Road west to Waukesha.  Admittedly, the road does narrow west of Bluemound Road. (That’s because the Town of Brookfield chose not to fund the road widening at the level the state demanded.)  From my perspective, the alternate design the state created does not impede traffic flow.

I do live in the Town of Brookfield.  I enjoy the lower tax rates, town water, and sanitary sewer rates that are lower that the city’s.  Emergency response times have been good, and I am confident in the first responders’ skills.  As the word ‘town’ implies, it has smaller government which I feel tends to be more responsive than larger entities.

Nonetheless, I’m sorry I inconvenienced those who pointed out my errors. So please let me know about future misstatements by using the "commenting tool' on this blog.