This section describes the transportation network in the Town of Westboro in terms of local transportation planning; including county, state and regional planning perspectives.
Background
As of December 2007, the Town of Westboro had a total of 92.8 miles of town roads. Vehicular travel is the dominant form of transportation in the town.
Functional Classification of Roads
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is in charge of classifying roadways in the Town of Westboro according to the character of service they provide, ranging from a high degree of travel mobility to land access functions. At the upper limit of the system (principal arterials), are those roads that emphasize long, interrupted travel mobility, whereas at the lower limits are those local roads and streets that emphasize access. The functional classifications are generally defined as either principal arterials, minor arterials, collectors, or local roads.
Principal Arterials
Principal Arterials serve corridor movements with trip lengths and travel density characteristics of an interstate or interregional nature. These routes generally serve urban areas or connect major centers of activity and the highest traffic volumes. There are no roads classified as principal arterials in the Town of Westboro.
Minor Arterials
Minor Arterials, in conjunction with principal arterials, serve cities, large communities, and other major traffic generators service trips of moderate length, with more emphasis on land access than principal arterials. STH 13 and STH 102 are classified as minor arterials in the Town of Westboro.
Collectors
Collectors (major & minor) provide both land access service and traffic circulation within residential neighborhoods, commercial areas, and industrial sites. The collector system collects and distributes traffic from the local streets system and channels it onto the arterial system. County Road N, County Road D, and County Road E are major collectors in the Town of Westboro.
Local Roads
Local Roads comprise all roads not on one of the higher systems. They serve primarily to provide direct access to abutting land and access to the higher order of systems. Local roads offer the lowest level of mobility and usually provide for travel over relatively short distances. Most of the roads in the Town of Westboro are local roads.
Traffic Volume
Traffic volumes are usually presented as an Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) figure, and are calculated for a particular intersection or stretch of roadway. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, as part of its traffic count program, provides highway traffic volumes for selected roads in the state on a rotating basis every three years. Traffic volumes were last published in 2007 and one site in the Town of Westboro was identified.
- STH 13 (South of County Road D, at intersection withBusiness Hwy 13) – 2,800 AADT
Pavement Surface Evaluation Rating (PASER)
WisDOT requires all communities to submit pavement ratings every two years on the physical condition of roadways under their jurisdiction. The data from evaluations provides the foundation for the Wisconsin Information System for Local Roads (WISLR), which is a computer resource that enables communities to assess, plan, and budget for future road improvements.
Road Improvements
Road improvements in any community are critical for maintaining an adequate and safe roadway system. The Town of Westboro maintains and continually updates its future road improvement plan. Future road improvements are done on a year-to-year basis with guidance from the PASER program.
Taylor County maintains a 5-year County roads improvement plan. A stretch of County Road D from the Village of Rib Lake to Business Hwy 13 in Westboro is slated to be reconstructed in 2012.
Other Transportation Modes
Other transportation modes include: pedestrian, transit and transportation for the disabled, rail, airports, bicycle, and trucking and water transportation.
Pedestrian
Pedestrian travel opportunities in the Town of Westboro include the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Pine Line Rail Trail, and road shoulders.
Transit and Transportation for the Disabled
There are no scheduled pick-up or drop-off locations for transit opportunities in the Town of Westboro. The only public transportation offered to Westboro residents is the mini-bus system, provided by the Taylor County Unit on Aging. This door-to-door scheduled pick-up is offered once a week to Medford. The Taylor County Commission on Aging also sponsors a Volunteer Escort Driver Service for all Taylor County residents age 60 or over and/or disabled persons of all ages.
Rail
There are no rail lines in the Town of Westboro. At this time there is no reason to believe that the current Pine Line Rail Trail would ever be restored into a functional railroad.
Airports
There are no registered airports or airfields in the Town of Westboro. The Taylor County Airport, located in the Town of Deer Creek provides public air service. The airport is intended to serve corporate jets, small passenger and cargo jet aircraft used in regional service and small airplanes (piston orturboprop) used in commuter air service. The closest airports providing scheduled passenger service are the Central Wisconsin Airport (Marathon County) and the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (Chippewa County).
Bicycle
Bicycle transportation/recreation is possible on a number of roads and trails in the Town of Westboro. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation worked in partnership with the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (BFW) to produce a Wisconsin Bicycle Map outlining providing a bicycling condition assessment. Figure 3-1 depicts the current biking conditions in the Town of Westboro. The Pine Line Trail and County Road’s N, D, and E, as well as STH 13 from STH 102 to County Road D have the best conditions for biking (green). STH 102 and STH 13 north of County Road D have moderate conditions for biking (blue). STH 13 south of STH 102 is rated as having high volume, undesirable conditions for biking (red).
State, Regional, and Local Transportation Plans
Some State, regional, and county agencies have developed transportation related plans and/or studies for roadways or infrastructure under their jurisdiction. What follows is a listing of applicable state, regional, and county plans/studies to this element.
- Wisconsin State Highway Plan
- Corridors 2020
- Connections 2030 (under development by WisDOT)
- Taylor County Highway Improvement Program
- Six-Year State Highway Improvement Program
- Translinks 21
- Wisconsin State Airport System Plan 2020
- Wisconsin Bicycle Transportation Plan 2020
- Wisconsin Pedestrian Policy Plan 2020
- Transportation Planning – Resource Guide
The Town of Westboro’s goals, objectives, policies and actions have been compared to these county, state and regional plans and no conflicts have been identified. In the future, it is imperative that all agencies and jurisdictions communicate on proposed activities.
Programs and Implementation Tools
The following section identifies the agencies as well as programs established and administered by those agencies to provide financial the technical support for the operation, maintenance and planning for transportation networks.
General Transportation Aids (GTA)
General Transportation Aids (GTA) is the second largest program in WisDOT’s budget and returns to local governments roughly 30% of all state-collected transportation revenues (fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees) – helping offset the cost of county and municipal road construction, maintenance, traffic and other transportation-related costs. Town road improvements, construction, and maintenance are funded, in part, through the state’s disbursement of general transportation aids. The state provides a payment to each municipality in the state that pays a portion of local governments’ costs for such activities as road construction, snow removal, and grading. The statutory “rate per mile” is $2,015 for 2009, which totaled a GTA award to the Town of Westboro of $177,299.85.
Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP)
The Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) was established in 1991 to assist local units of government in improving seriously deteriorating county highways, town roads, and municipal streets in cities and villages under the authority of the local unit of government. LRIP is a reimbursement program and pays up to 50% of the total eligible project costs, with the balance matched by the local unit of government. All LRIP projects are locally let and are reimbursed by WisDOT upon project completion.
Flood Damage Aids
Flood Damage Aids assist local governments with improving or replacing roads and roadway structures that have sustained major damage from flooding. The program provides and helps defray costs of repairing major flood damage to any public highway, street, alley or bridge not located on the State Trunk Highway System.
Traffic Signing and Marking Enhancement Grants Program
The Traffic Signing and Marking Enhancement Grants Program provides funds to local units of government for the installation of traffic signing and roadway marking enhancements, with the goal of improving visibility to assist elderly drivers and pedestrians. The program distributed approximately $3.8 million in state funding between 2005 and 2006. All Wisconsin counties, cities, villages, and towns are eligible to be project sponsors. The program can pay up to 75% of total eligible project costs, with the local government contributing matching funds equal to at least 25% of the total eligible costs to the limit of the award. Funding for the Traffic Signing and Marking Enhancement Grants Program was eliminated in the 2007-2009 State Biennial Budget, but continued by Wis State Statute 85.027 through June 30, 2009.
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