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Verona Road/US 151 study - purpose/needs, local issues

Traffic growth

Madison area growth has raised Verona Road traffic volumes from carrying about 14,000 vehicles per day in 1969 to 55,000 vehicles per day in 2006. During most of this period, the Madison area has enjoyed an efficient transportation corridor that moves people, goods and services without serious delays. However, most of Verona Road reaches its capacity during the morning and evening rush hours, and average daily traffic volumes on Verona Road are projected to grow up to 78,000 by 2030. This will increase congestion and extend the morning and evening rush hours. 

Traffic congestion on US 151/Verona Road.

Traffic turning onto US 151/Verona Road 
from the westbound Beltline.

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Traffic diversion

As congestion increases on the Beltline and Verona Road, more and more drivers choose to divert to local streets. Neighborhood traffic problems will grow as this occurs. Traffic modeling indicates that up to 80 percent of the traffic on Seminole Highway during the evening rush hour is traffic diverted from the Verona Road corridor.

Safety

The westbound Beltline in the vicinity of the Verona Road interchange regularly experiences stop and go conditions during the morning and evening rush hours. Backups from the Verona Road interchange interfere with traffic on the Beltline. This contributes to a higher than normal crash rate for the area. From 2001 to 2005 the westbound Beltline from Seminole Highway to Verona Road had a crash rate 80 percent higher than the state average. Verona Road also has crash rates higher than the state average. Between 2001 and 2005 portions of the Verona Road corridor experienced crash rates up to 40 percent greater than the state average.

Bike and pedestrian mobility

Although bicycle and pedestrian travel is gaining importance in Madison's overall transportation network, traveling by these modes is difficult in and around the Beltline and Verona Road corridors. Specifically in the Verona Road area, where medium and high-density residential housing exists, few accommodations are made for bicycle or pedestrian transportation. Well-worn dirt paths in the right-of-way, pedestrians darting across Verona Road, and bus shelters without pedestrian facilities are examples of the unmet needs that exist for bike and pedestrian accommodations.

Additionally, it is difficult to walk between stores or access them from adjacent neighborhoods. These pedestrian travel difficulties have further isolated local neighborhoods from the Madison-area community.

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Allied Drive isolation

The Beltline and Verona Road, along with the natural barrier of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, limit transportation options in and out of the Allied Drive neighborhood. This problem is shared by the Marlborough Heights and Crawford Heights neighborhoods. Improved transportation connections to and from these neighborhoods are desirable.

Noise

Groups representing neighborhoods along Verona Road have voiced concerns about increasing noise levels from the rising volume of traffic in general and trucks in particular.

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Questions about the content of this page:
Southwest Transportation Region, madison.dtd@dot.state.wi.us
Last modified: May 13, 2008