The city of Stevens Point is struggling with finding the best-fitting design for expansion renovations to the intersection of Coye Drive and Hoover Road as all four corners of the intersection are occupied by businesses.

Because of the Hoover Road railroad overpass project, city officials and AECOM engineers, an engineering firm hired by the city to head the project, say the intersection will need to be expanded in preparation for the railroad overpass. When the overpass is complete – along with the potential for more businesses to set up in the Stevens Point Industrial Park – AECOM engineers predict an increase in traffic through the area.

When the overpass construction begins in 2017, Joerns Drive will be cul-de-saced and leave only Coye Drive as the single entrance and exit to the Industrial Park.

“Last year, we completed a traffic impact analysis and as a result we wanted to look at some improvements to the Coye intersection and then also a possible extension of Heffron Street (to reopen a second access),” said Bruce Gerland, AECOM project manager.

“What we looked at was expansion to ‘full build-out’ and then the 20 year design life of the Coye intersection,” Gerland said. The traffic impact analysis recommended a couple of things be done at the intersection; that the roadway be extended to the west and set up for future signalization – sometime during the design life of the intersection we predict signals will be needed at the intersection. It’s a good location at about half way between the signals at Hoover Avenue and Highway HH and the signals at Highway 66 and Country Club Drive.

“The other thing it recommended is a dedicated north-bound right-turn lane. So, if you’re traveling north and turning right onto Coye, (you’ll have) a dedicated turn lane. Also, a dedicated left-turn lane going west, particularity for trucks going to Herrschner’s because their loading dock is back in that area,” he said.

“The last thing the analysis looked at was extending Heffron Street as a potential second entrance/relief route for the Coye intersection,” Gerland said.

“So, before we even started putting anything to paper, Scott (Schatschneider, director of Public Works) and I went out and met with the property owners. We met with the First Law Group, Delta Dental, Herrschner’s and Maher Water and listened to their concerns,” Gerland said.

As a result, AECOM drafted a plan to shift the intersection 10 feet to the north because as the intersection is now, widening it would cut into all the business’ properties, especially Maher Water’s main parking area.

Even though city officials and AECOM tried to work closely with the surrounding businesses to find the best possible solution, the owners of the Maher Water building on the southeast corner of the intersection weren’t happy with the design alternative.

Aside from cutting into the parking lot on the north end of their property, the Maher family said the new intersection will also remove their entrance from Hoover Road.

Gerland said AECOM will look at a plan to shift the entrance south into a shared entrance with the Graybar building immediately south of Maher because it is too close to the intersection as it is now.

“We are not happy about losing our access off Hoover Road right were it is,” said Bill Maher, owner of the Maher Water building.

He said he can’t recall there being an accident caused because the entrance is only a few feet away from the intersection and it hasn’t been a problem yet.

However, roadway construction standards have changed since the entrance was built and AECOM said no matter what alternative it devises, the entrance will have to be moved.

Gerland also said that the project is designed for a 20-year lifespan. The increase in traffic makes the entrance near the intersection dangerous, so it’s better to have it designed and built to handle it than have to tear it up and rebuild a second time.

“We’re not thrilled at all about having a 16-foot (shared) driveway running over to (Graybar), that involves considerable costs moving their sign and adding additional signage so people know how to get to Maher,” Maher said.

Maher said a shared entrance with the 16-foot driveway wouldn’t work because the property’s front is too constrained.

“I find it’s absolutely mandatory for me to have an access off of Hoover Road to run my business,” said Danielle Maher-Baron, owner of the Maher Water business and Bill Maher’s daughter.

“Every day I have clients pull up to my front door, which is right off my parking lot, and I carry out 300 to 400 pounds of salt and water all the time, and if they have to park on the other side of the loading dock when a semi is backed up to it, there is no way I’ll be able to walk back and forth,” Danielle said.

“I service over 18,000 customers from our building throughout central and northern Wisconsin. Depending on the day, we have a fleet of anywhere between seven and 10 vehicles that have to get out into Coye Drive traffic,” said Sam Baron, also an owner of the Maher Water Corporation and Danielle’s husband.

Sam said when employees of nearby businesses get off a shift, Coye Drive is very busy and his drivers have had more close calls entering and leaving the Coye entrance than the Hoover Road entrance.

“This is my District and listening to their testimony, I do feel bad for the Mahers because, looking at the layout of their property, if they’re having a delivery in their loading dock, it’s going to shut down the flow of their property,” said Jeremy Slowinski, District 6.

“Someone’s going to be affected here. We’re making improvements to the intersection to try and keep up the traffic flow for the next 20 years,” said Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza. “No matter which way we go with this, someone will be affected and there is no perfect solution. There almost never is a perfect solution. We’re trying to do the most good for the most people.”

The Common Council voted Monday, Dec. 21, to move forward with AECOM’s proposal.

Schatschneider said they will continue to search for alternatives to better accommodate Maher Water, but remains doubtful something will come up.

Heffron Street Extension

The second issue the city will have to wrestle with is opening up a second entrance to the Industrial Park. Because the Hoover Road railroad overpass will necessitate the closure of Joerns Drive, the only remaining entrance and exit to the Industrial Park will be Coye Drive.

AECOM presented three possible solutions, all involving extending Heffron Street to Hoover Road. The first two options would extend the street just south of the Central City Credit Union building and the third option would run the street to the north of Central City Credit Union, between the credit union and the Truck Shop USA building.

When it comes time for the Common Council to choose an option, they will be faced with a decision between supporting businesses or local residents.

Representatives from the Credit Union said the first two alternatives would be manageable, but the first two alternatives would put an industrial-use road in several resident’s back yards, requiring nearly all the buffer trees to be cut down and people to relocate or remove their sheds and garages.

Central City Credit Union also said option three, which would alleviate residential concerns, would not work for them because it would cut into their parking spaces and close off a major entrance.

However, Wiza said the issue isn’t ready for the Council to vote on yet, and it will be brought back at a later time.