2018 annual report - co.washington.wi.us · construction in the summer. typical spring maintenance...

WASHINGTON COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

2018 ANNUAL REPORT

Public Works Committee John Bulawa, Chairman

Robert Hartwig, Vice-Chairman Marcy Bishop

Russell Brandt William Symicek

Scott M. Schmidt, PE, PLS Highway Commissioner

Submitted: January 7, 2018

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The vision of the Washington County Highway Department is to be fiscally responsible while proactively addressing the needs of the citizens and businesses

by providing a safe and well-maintained transportation network.

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The mission of the Washington County Highway Department is to provide a safe, reliable, accessible, and efficient highway and public transit system.

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INTRODUCTION The Washington County Highway Department maintains a proud tradition of providing exceptional winter service to the citizens of Washington County while also providing preventative road maintenance to protect our infrastructure investments. While striving to balance the multi-modal transportation needs of the public with a fiscally prudent Highway Department, Washington County has been able to maintain a high level of service for all citizens. Highway Department Overview Washington County’s Highway Department is responsible for two distinct branches of transportation. First, the Highway Department’s primary responsibility is to provide a high-quality county highway system through construction and maintenance activities. Secondly, Transit Services, as a division of the Highway Department, is responsible for the management of alternative transportation options including the Washington County Commuter Express (WCCE) and Washington County Shared-Ride Taxi. The Highway Department is comprised of 51 personnel headed by the Highway Commissioner. Directly serving under the Highway Commissioner are the following:

Project Manager/Deputy Surveyor

Transit Manager

Project Technician

Accounting Supervisor

West Bend Patrol Superintendent

Slinger Patrol Superintendent

Shop Superintendant

Project Engineer (a member of the Administration Department housed within the Highway Department that reports to the Highway Commissioner when assigned to highway-related projects)

The remainder of our personnel is as follows:

West Bend Foremen

Slinger Foreman

Mechanic Foreman

Traffic Signer

(34) Highway Patrolmen

(3) Mechanics

County Board Supervisor oversight is provided by the Public Works Committee, consisting of:

John Bulawa, Chairman

Robert Hartwig, Vice-Chairman

Marcy Bishop

Russell Brandt

William Symicek The Public Works Committee meets once a month (typically 4th Wednesday) throughout the year to guide the Highway Department, provide fiscal oversight, and approve various permitting and construction-related projects or purchases. DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS The Washington County Highway Department is responsible for the maintenance and construction of approximately 442 lane miles of County Trunk Highway (CTH) and the maintenance of approximately 650 lane miles of State Trunk Highway (STH), United States highway and interstate. Maintenance activities are performed throughout the year but are seasonally based. Seasonal Operations Spring Spring operations focus on roadway maintenance to repair damage sustained during the winter season and the preparation of roadways scheduled for construction in the summer. Typical spring maintenance activities include removal of snow fence, grading shoulders, and right-of-way management including mowing operations, trash pick-up, and brush cutting. Summer Summer operations include roadway repairs, but the focus turns toward larger projects. These projects include select construction operations on County, State or Local roadways. The Highway Department also begins the regular maintenance tasks required to preserve infrastructure. Typically, this involves crack-filling and seal coating select highways, ditch cleaning, culvert replacement, pavement marking, traffic sign maintenance, shoulder repair, bridge maintenance, pavement repairs, tree removal, and installing or repairing guard rail and cable guard.

Fall Fall operations consist mostly of finishing summer roadway and right-of-way maintenance work such as installing snow fence, preparing plows, and filling salt sheds. Depending on the weather, the Highway Department will also start preparing for the next construction season with additional culvert replacements, ditch cleaning and any other required tasks. Winter Winter operations mostly entail snow and ice management, such as snow plowing during a snow event, salting and brine application during melting/freezing periods, snow clearing to re-establish full-width shoulders, maintaining safe vision corners and snow removal from bridges, intersections and park and ride lots. The Highway Patrolmen also perform safety appurtenances (mostly guardrail and cable beam) repairs throughout the winter season. The Highway Department works with local law enforcement agencies to ensure this work is paid for by the individuals who damage the appurtenances. Additionally, the Highway Patrolmen perform tree cutting along the right-of-way for the upcoming construction season and to improve vision and remove potential roadside obstacles for safety. Year-round Operations Traffic Control Maintenance of traffic control signage is on-going as roadway accidents occur. We also make sure all of our traffic control devices are in compliance with requirements of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Permitting Permit review and enforcement of the Washington County Access Control and Utility Accommodation Policies are activities that continue throughout the year. Enforcement of the Washington County Access Control Policy maintains the level of safety and traffic carrying capacity of the highway system while still adequately serving the property access needs of landowners. Public Relations While providing management for the above referenced services, the Highway Commissioner is also responsible for communications with County Supervisors, residents, local business leaders, local engineering, public works and political contacts. The focus is given to maintaining timely correspondence and ensuring an open line of communication.

Planning Other on-going responsibilities are long-range planning and providing proper training for field and office personnel. Planning involves internal operations such as updating our Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) system, Five-Year Highway Improvement Plan, Highway Equipment Replacement Program, 2050 Transportation Network Sustainability Plan, and beginning in 2019, our Intersection Safety Analysis. We also review the Washington County Jurisdictional Plan adopted by the County Board in 2008 to continue our efforts toward a cooperative relationship with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and local municipalities on proper roadway planning. Training Training is an important tool for office and field staff to continue seeking increased efficiencies and effectiveness in our office-related and maintenance operations. Equipment Competency Training An equipment competency training program was implemented in 2017 and continued in 2018. All potential operators of a piece of equipment learn how to properly operate it then complete a skill test. The goal is to ensure that it’s being used properly and in a safe manner and that less maintenance will be required for the piece of equipment. The program was extended to users outside of the Highway Department such as Parks Laborers and employees of the Village of Slinger and Village of Newburg for front end loader training. In 2018, competency training was completed with the mower tractors for those who operate them and continued for the skid steer and front end loader for new employees. Local Road Improvement Program Finally, the Highway Department also acts as the local manager of the WisDOT’s Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) within Washington County. Bi-annually, LRIP distributes state and federal funding to the county, cities, villages, and towns within Washington County. Finance Management and Accounting Our highway operations for County roadways are funded by the County in the form of County Levy, County Sales Tax and through the State with General Transportation Aids (GTA). These funds are utilized for the reconstruction of our highways through competitive bidding and maintenance of the county highways by our Department. WisDOT also utilizes the Highway Department to perform maintenance on state roads through a Routine Maintenance Agreement (RMA). Based upon the RMA and with direction from WisDOT staff, the County performs general maintenance and snow plowing on all State Highways and invoices the State for any work performed. Extending Services The Washington County Highway Department also offers some maintenance services to local municipalities when it is cost-effective to do so. This cooperation among jurisdictions allows Washington County to maintain our services while providing local municipalities with cost-saving opportunities for work performed throughout Washington County. While this accounts for

less than five-percent of the Highway Department revenue, the services and emergency response times can be invaluable to local municipalities. Equipment Maintenance and Management Another key in our operations is the dependability of our equipment, especially our snow plows which operate the majority of the winter coated in salt. Therefore, maintenance and responsible turnover of our equipment is a top priority. All equipment costs (fuel, lubes, repairs parts, labor, depreciation, etc) are assigned to each individual piece of equipment to provide the Shop Superintendent with the true cost of ownership for every piece of equipment in our fleet. The Highway Department closely monitors the life cycle costs for all equipment to ensure that each piece of equipment is retired before significant additional costs are incurred or depreciation in value occurs. Transit Transit management is also part of the Highway Department’s operations, and involves two forms of alternative transportation options in Washington County: Shared Ride Taxi and Commuter Express. Both services are contracted with oversight provided by the Transit Manager. The Shared Ride Taxi is operated by Specialized Transportation Services (STS), and provides shared ride taxi service throughout Washington County except if trips are wholly within the City of Hartford or City of West Bend limits. These trips would be serviced by their respective municipal taxi service. The Washington County Commuter Express (WCCE) is operated by Go Riteway and provides bus routes from Washington County to downtown Milwaukee (ten stops along Wisconsin Avenue), the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Froedtert Medical Center, Innovation and Research Drive Business Park, Summit Place, Schlitz Park and Marquette University High School. Park and Ride lots continue to be used by motorists for the WCCE and other commuter purposes on Paradise Drive (West Bend), Lannon Road (Germantown), Pioneer Road (Richfield), STH 33 (Allenton), CTH K (Addison), and CTH P (Jackson). The WCCE utilizes the park and ride lots at Paradise Drive, Pioneer Road, and Lannon Road for commuter pick-up and drop-off locations. Similar to the Highway fleet, an important factor in transit operations is the dependability of the vehicles. Whereas the Commuter Express is operated with vehicles owned by Go Riteway, the County owns the shared ride taxi vehicles and leases them to STS. Based on the assumption that most shared ride taxi vehicles will put on more than 50,000 miles each year, the maintenance and responsible turnover of these vehicles is a top priority. In 2018, the Shared Ride Taxi fleet included twenty-seven (27) vehicles. Five vehicles were replaced in 2018 through grants and the budgeting process. Two additional vehicles were replaced due to accidents. Despite this, the vehicles replaced in 2018 still had an average mileage of 231,818 miles.

ACHIEVEMENTS FROM 2018 Jurisdictional Transfers Washington County was involved in something historical this past year. One of the largest and perhaps most complex jurisdictional transfer deals in Wisconsin history was successfully executed within Washington County in 2018. Washington County spearheaded discussions with the State of Wisconsin and eight local governments within the county aiming for win-win solutions with all parties involved. In the end, discussions resulted in approximately 13.5 miles of roadway being exchanged between the various jurisdictional authorities. Some aspects of the deals were complex, some involved significant financial investments, but in the end and when all aspects of the deals are executed, it was agreed upon by all parties involved that the roads will be managed under jurisdictional authority that is in the best interest of the public and that tax payer dollars are and will continue to be spent in the most efficient way possible.

2018 JURISDICTIONAL TRANSFER SUMMARY

JURISDICTIONAL TRANSFERS EXECUTED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN 2018

Winter Maintenance During the 2017-2018 winter season, the Highway Department used a total of 16,663 tons of salt on State and County Highways, a decrease from the previous winter season.

SALT USE TOTALS IN TONS (2009‐2010 thru 2017‐2018 Winter Seasons)

Washington County had ordered an adequate supply of salt for the winter months. The Washington County Highway Department, along with state purchased salt, began the 2018-2019 winter season with 25,590 tons of salt in our inventory. At $67.74 per ton, this is over $1.73M worth of salt to begin the winter season. Through the annual bid process, Washington County reserves the option to purchase an additional 2,700 tons of County salt during the current winter season. This would provide adequate salt to exceed the most severe winter season in recent history. The Highway Department performed our last salt run of the season on April 19, 2018. The most notable event of the 2017-2018 winter was actually a sequence of events over multiple days. Beginning on April 14th, which is late in the winter season for a significant snow event, we received 6” of snow. April 17th brought high winds which resulted in drifting around the county. On April 18th, we received another 6” of snow.

Winter Season County State Total

2009‐2010 4,146 9,371 13,517

2010‐2011 6,787 11,656 18,443

2011‐2012 4,452 7,122 11,574

2012‐2013 10,057 14,357 24,414

2013‐2014 7,690 16,071 23,761

2014‐2015 4,552 7,496 12,048

2015‐2016 4,196 9,047 13,243

2016‐2017 7,136 11,684 18,820

2017‐2018 5,385 11,278 16,663

Reconstruction & Paving Operations Through the annual budget process, the Washington County Highway Department 5-Year Highway Improvement Plan is reviewed and updated. Highway and bridge improvement projects are planned and programmed based on pavement conditions, vehicles accident/safety concerns, traffic patterns and necessary street expansion to accommodate increased traffic from new residential or commercial/industrial development. To help facilitate the 5-Year Highway Improvement Plan, all of the county highways are typically field-inspected annually and given a pavement condition rating. The pavement rating system (PASER) assigns a number from 1 to 10, with 10 being a new roadway and 1 being a pavement in extremely poor condition. In 2016, Washington County completed a 12.79 mile paving project. Due to staffing, a PASER evaluation was not completed in 2016. In 2017, 2.3 miles of roadway were reconstructed and a PASER evaluation was completed. In 2017, the average PASER rating of the entire county highway system was 7.02, an increase of 0.31 from 6.71 in 2015. Due to PASER ratings being required to be submitted every odd-numbered year and due to paving and reconstruction projects already being planned for the next few years and beyond, a PASER evaluation was not completed in 2018 for the entire county highway system. The Highway Department aims to improve and/or resurface an average of 7.4 miles of county highway per year based on a 25-year pavement service life and 186 miles of county highways. Over the past 10 years, a total of 55.6 miles have been improved averaging 5.56 miles per year and falling short of the 7.4-mile goal. In the next 10 years, the Highway Department plans to improve 82.5 miles (8.25 miles per year) and exceed the goal of 7.4 miles per year, and with proper maintenance, correct the trend with the intention of creating an extremely high-quality and structurally sustainable county highway system once all road segments have been improved after a 25-year pavement life cycle. This should, in turn, increase the average PASER rating of the county highway system significantly.

Miles of County Highway Improvement Past 10 Years (2009‐2018) and Future 10 Years (2019‐2028)

Year PASER Average

2009 6.33

2010 6.41

2011 6.33

2012 6.42

2013 6.98

2014 6.97

2015 6.71

2016 N/A

2017 7.02

2018 N/A

Reconstruction of CTH P – STH 60 to Woodland Drive CTH P in the Towns of Polk and Jackson and the Village of Jackson was reconstructed from State Trunk Highway (STH) 60 north to Woodland Drive for a total of 1.3 miles. The roadway was built with 6.25” of asphalt and includes 12’ travel lanes, 5’ paved and 3’ gravel shoulders, with curb in select locations. The project area was designed to meet current and future traffic needs and improve safety for the traveling public. Project funding was supplemented through the Wisconsin County Highway Improvement Program (CHI) and County Highway Improvement Discretionary Program (CHID).

Reconstruction of CTH Z/NN – around Little Cedar Lake In the Town of West Bend, CTH Z/NN was reconstructed along the east side of Little Cedar Lake and the remaining portion of road running along the north end of the lake and extending to CTH Z was pulverized and repaved. The purpose and need for the project was to improve the long-term pavement conditions of the roadway, improve drainage and the failing slope on the west side, and reduce future roadway maintenance costs.

Preventative Maintenance To ensure we maintain our infrastructure, Highway Department employees perform road repairs and preventative maintenance throughout the year. Some of our more significant projects from the past year are detailed below. If left untreated and unmaintained, pavement will deteriorate over time at an ever-increasing rate. Preventative maintenance and rehabilitation can slow or reverse this deterioration. The degree to which this occurs is dependent on the type of maintenance as well as the timing of such actions. In general, an early and systematic maintenance plan is the most cost-effective approach and results in the greatest extension of useful pavement life. To combat this deterioration, the Highway Department performed 36.9 miles of crack filling and three miles of chip sealing on County Highways during the summer months. Mastic treatments were also applied at select locations. These tasks attempt to keep water out of the roadway base due to the destructive actions that will occur when water is allowed to penetrate the surface. The water in a roadway’s base will freeze and thaw during Wisconsin’s long winter expanding and contracting the road subgrade. The Highway Department provides an extensive focus on the life cycle costs for all County Highways. This focus drives the decision to reconstruct, pulverize and repave, or overlay roads as they reach the end of their useful life. Depending on design standards and geotechnical reports from soil boring, the total life cycle cost of the road is analyzed to ensure the most value to the taxpayers of Washington County. Crack Filling (CTHs CC, D, H, K, NN, S, W, Z, and Q) In 2018, Washington County crack filled 36.9 miles of county highways. Crack filling is the application of hot rubber into cracks of the roadway to prevent water entry. This is done by routing the crack, blowing out the dust with compressed air, applying hot rubber, and covering the rubber with one-ply toilet paper to help it set. Washington County always crack fills a roadway prior to chip sealing it in the same year to achieve optimum performance from the chip seal. Chip Sealing (CTH CC)

In 2018, Washington County chip sealed 3.0 miles of county highways with stone chips. The chip sealing process takes place in summer and, depending on the location and weather, usually takes 2 to 3 days. Emulsion oil is applied onto the road, then a fleet of trucks hauls stone chips or boiler slag to a chip spreader that will spread the material evenly onto the emulsion oil, then a compactor will set the chips or slag into the oil. Any excess material is swept off to the side of the road. This is all done while the road remains open to traffic.

Mastic Mastic was applied to 4-mile stretch of CTH H between USH 45 and STH 144 and also to roadways and bridge decks at select locations. Mastic can effectively fill larger gaps in the surface that standard crack filling cannot and can also improve the riding surface making it smoother. Brine Machine A new brine machine was installed at the West Bend shop in 2017 giving the Highway Department sources of brine at both of its shops. Having a brine machine at both facilities increased efficiency for brine application across the county. The department increased its experimentation with brine technology during the 2017-2018 winter season by dedicating an entire snow plow route to brine application only. The department monitored the performance of various brine blends during various winter storm events on the dedicated route. Results of brine use were very encouraging as it performed well from a safety standpoint while also reducing environmental impacts otherwise caused by application of salt. The department is expanding the dedicated brine route during the 2018-2019 winter season as it continues to collect data through its own experience and through communication with other counties also experimenting with brine usage. Washington County also holds a seat on the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s (SEWRPC) Chloride Committee and on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s brine committee.

2050 Transportation Network Sustainability Plan After the Highway Department developed its first long-range plan for management of the Washington County highway system in 2017; the 2050 Transportation Network Sustainability Plan received its first year of implementation in 2018. There were a few updates made to the plan in its first year as it is a living document and management of the county highway system will always be evolving. The plan contains the following elements: 1) an inventory of all county roadways; 2) a timeline of necessary maintenance with anticipated expenses accounting for anticipated inflation; 3) a summary of recommended ‘Best Practices’ for the timing of necessary maintenance (i.e. crack filling, chip sealing, resurfacing, reconstruction, etc.); 4) a breakdown of recommended average

annual funding necessary to adequately maintain existing roadways; and 5) an analysis of the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan and the anecdotal impact of the addition or subtraction of roadways via the Plan. The plan was well-received in its first year and will continue to guide the department’s management and maintenance of the county highway system. Performance Based Maintenance (PBM)

In January of 2013, the Wisconsin Transportation Finance & Policy Commission released their report examining the issues related to the future of transportation finance in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the only state that utilizes County Highway Departments to perform maintenance on State Highways. In Wisconsin, this annual agreement is our Routine Maintenance Agreement ($2,553,700 in 2018 for Washington County). Under this arrangement, the Washington County Highway Department performs routine maintenance on State Highways and sends an invoice to WisDOT monthly for our actual costs.

One concern of the Transportation Finance & Policy Commission was that this relationship made it challenging for WisDOT to monitor costs or even establish the value of services received. Out of this recommendation, Performance Based Maintenance was born as well as the creation of 84.07(2)(b) of the Wisconsin state statutes, which provides that WisDOT “and the county or municipality may agree to a payment and terms other than specified in par a. (a), including payment according to a contract price for maintenance services rather than payment of actual costs of the maintenance.” The Washington County Highway Department performed three projects under Performance Based Maintenance for WisDOT in 2018. For these projects, Washington County submitted a unit cost quote/bid for WisDOT to review and accept or reject. All of the projects were considered a success for Washington County and WisDOT and allowed for some much needed repairs on the State Trunk Highway System. The total income for these projects was $579,671. These funds may be used at the discretion of the County.

Roadway Segment Maintenance Type STH 83 STH 167 to Lee Rd Crack fill and chip seal USH 45/I‐41 Various bridges Bridge deck sealing I‐41 USH 45 split to STH 28 Shoulder repair

Staffing

1) In May of 2017, Washington County hired its own Project

Engineer. The position is housed in the Highway Department but is part of the Administration Department. The Project Engineer can be involved with a wide array of county projects that can range from road construction inspection to building improvements on the county campus. The Project Engineer reports directly to the Highway Commissioner for highway-related projects and to Administration for any other work. In 2018, the Project Engineer’s primary project was to monitor and inspect the reconstruction of

Brad Abraham Project Engineer

1.3 miles of CTH P from STH 60 to Woodland Drive. The Highway Department estimates that the county saved approximately $25,000 by having its own Project Engineer perform the construction inspection instead of hiring a consultant for such services for that project alone.

2) The department’s labor force experienced significant change in 2018 through the loss of three laborers and a patrol superintendent. There is also the pending retirement of the West Bend Patrol Superintendent and resignation of a laborer in early 2019. The department is in the process of refilling the vacant positions. At the time this report is being submitted, Tim Pfeifer (former lead sign installer), will be stepping into the West Bend Patrol Superintendent position. Kevin Schweizer will be stepping into Tim’s former position as lead sign installer and Tyler Daley will be moving into Kevin’s former role as assistant sign installer. Three newly hired laborers will be starting with the department in January of 2019 and the remaining laborer position will be refilled as soon as possible.

County Surveyor The County Surveyor’s office is responsible for maintaining the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) in Washington County, managing the monument maintenance program, and providing survey services for various highway projects and for other county departments. In 2018, approximately 40 PLSS section corners were remonumented by County survey staff. In the Monument Maintenance Program, survey consultant firms performed monument maintenance work in the townships of Farmington, Germantown, and Richfield. County survey staff conducted work and prepared maps for several land transfers and agreements related to County construction projects. Transit Washington County Transit along with SEWRPC and all the other Southeast Region Transit Agencies combined their efforts to form a Regional Transit Assets Management Plan or TAM Plan. This is a new Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirement. The contracts have been renewed for 2019, which will be the fourth year in the five-year renewable contracts for the transit services. The shared ride taxi service is contracted with Specialized Transport Services, Inc (division of Johnson Bus, Inc.) and the Commuter Express service is contracted with GoRiteway Bus Service, Inc. The Washington County Commuter Express (WCCE), which provides service to downtown Milwaukee and several medical centers in Milwaukee had a fairly normal year in 2018 even though there was some minor scheduling changes and re-routing due to construction downtown

along Wisconsin Ave and the downtown Milwaukee trolley construction project. Staff was able to stay on top of the changes and inform riders through announcements, emails, and website alerts. For the year, a decrease of about 2.4 percent is projected for WCCE ridership from 2017 with a total of 78,888 rides. Decreased ridership in 2018 was still likely due to four runs being eliminated in 2016, low gas prices, and construction projects. The Washington County Shared Ride Taxi service experienced some changes in 2018. Such changes included moving dispatch software (Routematch) from the County server to Routematch Cloud Services. Another change was the replacement of the tablets that drivers use to see their pickups and drop-offs and other ride information. The original tablets were purchased in 2012 and were showing signs of failure. An aspect to monitor in the future is vehicle demand and ride capacity as it has reached maximum limits between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and also between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. This will be a continuing problem in the foreseeable future. Facilities utilizing these peak times are: Threshold, Our Place - Day Services, 1022 Club - Adult Day Care, dialysis clinics, and doctor appointments. A driver shortage also seems to be becoming a factor in operations. With the high demand at peak times, Washington County and our Shared Ride Taxi provider (Specialized Transit Services) place great emphasis on the safety of our passengers and the traveling public. Washington County will ensure that we continue to provide our riders with reliable, safe and secure transportation. The Shared Ride Taxi is projected to finish 2018 with about 91,990 rides. This is an increase of about 1.47% from 2017. On May 9, 2018, a shared ride taxi was involved in an accident on CTH E. It was determined that the Shared Ride Taxi driver was not at fault and no citations were issued. Accident reports indicated that another vehicle crossed the center line and swerved into path of the Shared Ride Taxi vehicle causing the taxi vehicle to go into the ditch for some distance. The damaged taxi vehicle was a 2016 Ford Starcraft-Starlite minibus (less than 30ft) with 173,748 miles. The vehicle was declared totaled, and the County’s insurance fully covered the replacement of the vehicle. A new vehicle was ordered and delivered. In mid-December 2018, the Transit Manager accepted a position in the Planning and Parks Department. The Highway and Administration Departments are working on a staffing plan with direction from the Public Works Committee that may include the merging of management staff or programs with another municipality.

2019 PROJECTS The Highway Department will have the following road improvement projects in progress during 2019: Reconstruction CTH K Reconstruct from STH 83 to I-41 (2.72 miles)

Finalize utility relocation in early 2019 Reconstruct roadway in summer of 2019

Pioneer Road Reconstruct from STH 175 to Richfield Way (0.5 miles)

Finalize design, right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation in 2019 Reconstruct roadway in summer of 2020

CTH M Bridge Replace bridge located 400’ south of STH 33

Finalize design and engineering in 2019 Replace bridge in 2020

CTH D Reconstruct curves between Nenno Road and railroad tracks (0.46 miles)

Finalize design, right-of-way acquisition, necessary permitting, and utility relocation in 2019

Reconstruct roadway in 2020 CTH W Reconstruct from STH 33 to STH 83 in 2021 (3.5 miles)

Finalize design and engineering in 2019 Progress with right-of-way acquisition and necessary permitting in 2019 Utility relocation in 2020

Paving / Resurfacing

Pulverize and repave CTH C from CTH Z to CTH P (2 miles) Pulverize and repave CTH WW from STH 33 to CTH D (3 miles)

GOALS FOR 2019 AND BEYOND The following goals have been established for the Highway Department and align with the priorities set forth by the County Board:

Annually update the 2050 Transportation Network Sustainability Plan with the work completed the previous year, proposed future work, and submit to the Public Works Committee at its January meeting in conjunction with the Capital Improvement Program timing.

Keep a high friction surface treatment (HFST) project on an expedited schedule to be completed in 2019. This project is funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and with a 90% federal and 10% local cost-share. The HFST will be applied to the curved stretch of CTH H between Oak Drive and Kettle Moraine Drive in the Town of Kewaskum in effort to improve safety on a stretch of roadway with an accident history primarily related to hydroplaning.

Explore new and innovative means, methods and materials to improve our final product that we provide to the public by attending winter and summer highway conferences, sending the shop and patrol superintendents to their regional supervisor meetings, and attending vendor trainings.

Collaborate and market our services to other County departments, local municipalities, and surrounding counties by meeting annually with the Highway Commissioners of surrounding counties and informing other County departments of any new service or equipment.

Continue to expand the communication forums between the Department and the public and emphasize that we strive to serve them by posting Highway Department information and messages on Washington County’s Facebook page at least once per month.

Complete a safety analysis of all County-controlled intersections and present the final analysis to the Public Works Committee in the summer of 2019.

Utilize salt brine on the State and County highway network to reduce dependency on rock salt, analyze brine usage in the 2018-2019 winter season, and make necessary adjustments for the 2019-2020 winter season.

In 2019, review the County’s mowing operations for timing, amount of mowing, and route optimization.

Provide training to all employees and users of Highway Department equipment to ensure it is being operated properly and safely by selecting at least two pieces of equipment annually and have all employees and users trained on the equipment.

Review the Department’s current staffing levels by May of each year and determine if it will satisfy the expected workload. If a deficiency is noted, work with Administration through the budget process to address the need.

Provide outside training to employees to expand their knowledge base, enhance efficiency, and enable them to train other employees.

In 2020, review all roadway signage to ensure it meets current MUTCD standards for reflectivity, location, advisory speed, speed limits, etc. and report the findings to the Public Works Committee by its December meeting.

Adjust snow plowing routes during 2018-2019 winter season to increase efficiencies.

Annually meet with WisDOT and local municipalities to review upcoming transportation projects, the 2050 Transportation Network Sustainability Plan, the 2050 Jurisdictional Transportation Plan, land use plans, current traffic concerns, and available equipment and services.

Transit Services Goals for transit services include:

Review the need for in-vehicle cameras for the Shared Ride Taxi service.

Maintain a reliable and safe shared ride taxi fleet to provide consistent and timely service.

Replace five shared ride taxi vehicles with grant and budgeted funds.

Work with Milwaukee County Transit on possible WCCE route changes due to the proposed Milwaukee Bus Rapid Transit Routes.

Work together and meet annually with organizations such as Interfaith, ADRC, senior centers, nursing homes, adult day cares, and SEWRPC to ensure proper levels of transit services and information are being provided to the increasing senior population.

Explore partnership opportunities with municipal and public or private entities in relation to Commuter Express routes while attempting to create possible ways of transporting Washington County workers to Amazon, Foxconn, or other area business centers via drop-off points in the Milwaukee Metro Area by meeting annually with regional transportation providers and update the Public Works Committees.

Explore partnership opportunities with municipal and public or private entities in relation to Commuter Express routes while attempting to create possible ways of transporting Milwaukee County citizens to Washington County Employers or drop-off points in Washington County

Provide a staffing plan for the Transit Program

CONCLUSION The Washington County Highway Department went through a number of staffing changes in 2018 and there are a few more changes coming in early 2019. As Commissioner, I will continue to strive to keep the Department fully staffed with responsible and efficient employees. I appreciate all highway department staff for their service and commitment to providing a safe, well-maintained, accessible, and reliable transportation network. Our accomplishments in 2018 could not have been fulfilled without the support of the Public Works Committee, Administration, and County Board – thank you. It continues to be a privilege to serve as the Highway Commissioner for Washington County.

Respectfully submitted,

Scott M. Schmidt, PE, PLS Washington County Highway Commissioner/County Surveyor

Performance Management Highlights Report – Highway Department 2018

Targeted services to be measured S1. Snow & Ice Control – Winter operations S2. Traffic Control – Signs, signals, pavement markings S3. Driving Surface Management – Pavement and shoulders S4. Roadside Maintenance – mowing, weed control, litter pickup, tree and brush control S5. Structures and Drainage – Bridges, culverts and roadside ditches Outcomes of services to be measured O1. County highways are open to travel 365 days a year. O2. County highway signs are easy to read, command respect and direct traffic safely. O3. County highway pavements are safe and provide a high ride quality. O4. County highway rights-of-way contribute to motorist safety and are aesthetically pleasing. O5. County highway bridges and culverts are structurally sound and functional.

Targeted Service Measure Target for 2018 Actual for 2018 Target for 2019

S1 Snow & Ice Control County trunk highways blocked for more than six hours

0 0 0

S2 Traffic Control Devices Pavement markings are done annually

100% 100% 100%

S3 Driving Surface Maintained Potholes 2" or deeper not filled within one day of the reported condition

0 0 0

S4 Roadside Maintenance All rights-of-way are mowed once a year

33% 33% 33%

S5 Bridges, Culverts, and Drainage

Culverts blocked by debris 0 0 0

Outcomes of Services Measure Target for 2018 Actual for 2018 Target for 2019

01 County highways are traversable year round

Highways blocked by snow or ice for more than six hours

0 0 0

02 County highway traffic control devices are easy to read, command respect, and direct traffic safely.

Downed stop signs are replaced within 24 hours

100% 100% 100%

Other downed or damaged signs replaced within three working days

100% 100% 100%

03 County highway pavements are safe and provide a high ride quality.

Pavement ratings increase each year 6.50+ Not available 7.00+

2" deep potholes filled within one working day

0 0 0

Shoulders not more than 2" of pavement elevation

0 0 0

O4 County highway rights-of-way contribute to motorist safety and

are aesthetically pleasing.

Five or less complaints about site distance due to vegetation

0-5 1 0-5

Ten or less complaints about noxious weeds on county rights-of-way

0-10 0 0-10

Highways blocked due to fallen dead trees

0 0 0

05 County highway bridges and culverts are structurally sound and functional

Highways closed due to catastrophic failure of bridge or culverts

0 0 0

Highways closed by flooding caused by plugged culverts

0 0 0

2018 annual report - co.washington.wi.us · construction in the summer. typical spring maintenance...

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