What's the Worst Intersection in Port Washington and Saukville?
Two accidents causing injury in August occurred at intersections that are known to have had crashes in the past, including Highway H and B in the town of Port Washington.
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Injury-causing accidents at two Port Washington intersections in August inspired Patch readers to sound off about dangerous conditions at those and other crossroads in the area.
Here’s a closer look at one of them. Is this the most dangerous in the Port Washington/Saukville area? Tell us in the comments which one you think is the worst, and why, and Patch will give it a look.
Highway H and Highway B
This is a rural crossroads north of the city. On Aug. 15, four were injured — including two children — in a two-car accident. A woman failed to stop completely on Highway B, according to the Sheriff’s Department, and was struck by a car traveling on Highway H.
"Yes, that intersection is very dangerous and we go through it all the time,” Patch user JB commented on the original article. “When headed north on B after coming to a stop, you can barely see enough of H to you're (sic) right to know when it's safe to proceed.”
What it looks like
Drivers at that location find roads that cross at an awkward angle. Approaching from the south on Highway B, a driver comes to a complete stop as H crosses from the southeast with no traffic control, forcing the driver to turn far back to the right to see oncoming traffic (see the video attached to this article).
To make matters worse, cars approaching on Highway H from the southeast are hidden from the drivers on Highway B due to a rise that peaks about 250 yards from the intersection. Because there are no speed-limit signs on H within a couple of miles of the crossroads, cars approach at high speeds, based on observations from Patch editors who visited the intersection.
“I really wish something would be done with that intersection; its terrible!” wrote Patch user Mindy on the original article. “My husband rolled his truck twice there 3 years ago this fall, my son & dog were also in the truck.”
Another commenter pointed out that high weeds in summer and snow piles in winter make the intersection even more daunting.
Accident history
The Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Department reported 13 accidents at the crossroads of Highway H and Highway B since 2000. A summary of those accidents:
| Date | Vehicles | Injuries |
| Feb. 13, 2000 | 2 | 0 |
| Nov. 29, 2000 | 1 | 0 |
| May 19, 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| June 13, 2001 | 2 | 1 |
| July 2, 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| Dec. 23, 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| July 3, 2005 | 2 | 1 |
| Feb. 20, 2006 | 1 | 1 |
| Dec. 2, 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb. 1, 2008 | 2 | 0 |
| Jan. 10, 2009 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct. 24, 2009 | 2 | 3 |
| Aug. 15, 2012 | 2 | 3 |
The department does not keep records of the most-dangerous intersections based on numbers of accidents.
What do you think is the worst intersection in Port or Saukville?
Tell us in the comments.
Bridgett Bartlein Drews
3:11 pm on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I think it's equal blame. It wouldn't let me vote. The drivers have to be so careful because of the blind spots but alot of them just slow down & don't come to a complete stop. And that includes the police also!
jackie
6:25 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Still not going to change the fact that something should be done.
Bridgett Bartlein Drews
8:46 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
I agree Jackie, it's just the what that needs to be figured out
Greg Huegerich
9:14 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Right now, I'd nominate Mill St. and Hwy 33. The west side of Mill should be No Parking all the way to the intersection, right now, parked cars block what could easily be a 2 lane road. The place is an absolute mess in the mornings/afternoons when school starts/ends, and if you get a semi-truck taking 4 minutes to block the road while it parks, its wildly frustrating.
Greg
10:44 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
The one that sucks, even though there is not much traffic, is the road to the South Beach. Or actually from the South Beach. The visibility is pretty bad.
Lyssa Beyer
2:38 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
Yeah, it's like you're in the middle of the mountains at that corner!
JB
12:37 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012
More grading and a flattening out of the rise in Hwy H would correct the problem, but instead what will most likely happen, if anything, would be to make the intersection a 4-way stop. The powers that be seem to like stop signs as an easy fix. I would question though, why was this dangerous intersection constructed in the first place? The civil engineers who designed the road certainly knew the contours of the land and the line of sight problems. Why wasn't more grading done to flatten out the rise in Hwy H and improve visibility? If the numbers given here are assumed, that the crest of the rise on Hwy H is approximately 250 yds. from the intersection, a car traveling at 55mph would reach the intersection from that point in just 9.3 seconds.