Posted: Oct. 20, 2009

Hales Corners — The village's Board of Trustees is appealing to Gov. Jim Doyle for help in changing the state's plans to reconstruct Highway 100.

Trustees said in a letter dated Oct. 12 they were troubled by the public informational meeting the state Department of Transportation held Sept. 30, when DOT officials presented their "preferred alternative" that included relocating two homes and five businesses, one of which was the historic Bosch restaurant.

That didn't sit well with many Hales Corners officials.

In the letter signed by all six trustees and Village President Robert G. Ruesch, officials said a better balance must be struck regarding improvements at the triangular intersection of Highway 100, Janesville Road and Forest Home Avenue, where the seven buildings would be torn down.

"Statistically, it might not sound like much," the letter states, "but it is part of our tax base, it is part of our history, it is part of the surrounding neighborhood, it is part of a multi-year attempt to redevelop our business district, and it is a defining element of the 'corners' in Hales Corners."

DOT project manager Vida Shaffer said in an earlier interview that additional lanes are needed along some stretches of Highway 100 because of increased traffic over the years.

The state doesn't take the idea of relocating those buildings lightly, she said, and would work with those property owners throughout the relocation process.

Trustees also sent a five-page letter to Shaffer outlining a litany of problems they have with the DOT's plans. Besides the triangular intersection, they criticized elements such as business access, median breaks, bicycle lanes and pedestrian accommodations.

The Highway 100 construction project is scheduled to begin in 2014.

ON THE WEB

For previous coverage of the DOT's Highway 100 plans, visit myhalescornersnow.com.