Well, I lost count of the weeks of the construction along Bluemound Road.  In mid-June, I summarized activities of week one.The three one-mile segments of construction between Moorland and Barker Road were to have each taken three months.

It's now November, and the orange barrels are catching snowflakes.  The DOT has improved the flow of traffic along Bluemound Road.  Traffic can more easily travel at 45 mph.  Many medians were closed.  Crossing over to a business or retail shop on our "Bluemound Corridor" is more difficult.  For example, when traveling east on Bluemound,  I can make a left turn into my bank.  When I leave the bank, I need to turn right (west).  Luckily there are strip malls along the way for turning around and getting back to 18 Eastbound.  Of course, one could always make a U-turn at the stop lights.

Ooops.  Sorry, that's illegal. It's been decades since I read the motor vehicle handbook, so I confirmed the legality with the town and city police departments.  If an officer happens to be nearby, you may get a ticket or a warning. The city police department told me the DOT isn't likely to post No U-Turn Signs at intersections. Somehow the town of Brookfield convinced the DOT to post them.

Other DOT improvements consist of removing some driveway entrances/exits onto Bluemound, and putting in "walk signals," marking sidewalk crossings and meeting ADA (Americans with Disability) standards.  That should make it easier for pedestrians of all abilities to cross the highway.

The inconvenience of the road construction will soon be forgotten.  But, in 2011 construction will begin on both Capitol Drive and Bluemound Road. That should really be a trip!

Work began in early June to improve the safety of Bluemound Road.  The first segment of construction is between Moorland Road and Calhoun Road.  The DOT anticipated that each segment would take about a month to complete.  We are at week four, so the newly configured highway should soon be "open." 

Businesses east of Calhoun should breathe a sigh of relief within a week or so. The learning process will then begin.

In the meantime, we have all enjoyed the traffic calming to date and traffic tie-ups. Especially enjoyable are the motorists who block other intersections while waiting.

Also noticed (while sitting through three stop light cycles) is that more drivers are making u-turns at intersections with stop lights.  The "no u-turn" signs are no longer at the intersections, so evidently they are legal now.  

Also, be especially wary of work that has been completed.  For example, Calhoun Road, north of Bluemound, has already made changes to traffic patterns, but one exit from the strip mall does not have a "no left turn" sign - yet.

When the work is completed east of Calhoun, crews will begin working on the Calhoun to Brookfield Road improvements.

The Department of Transportation began its improvements to traffic flow on Bluemound Road in early June.  The work will be done in three one-mile segments and each segment will take about a month to complete.

The first phase is between Moorland and Calhoun Roads.  Over the summer, work will progress westward (in one-mile increments) to Barker Road.

Since early June, the following work has been accomplished between Moorland and Calhoun Roads.  Temporary utility poles were installed and stop lights strung across the intersections. Orange barrels have been distributed along the roadway.  Barricades have been erected at many medians. The white diagonal lines that designated bus and right turns have been painted over.  Drivers may now drive in the right lane.  That is good, because drivers can no longer use the left lane.

As we enter week two:  Concrete medians are being removed.  Any trees and/or shrubs in the medians are being bulldozed.  Alas, I believe the trees and shrubs being sacrificed were once part of "streetscaping"  partially funded by taxpayers. Perhaps a reader can clarify.

Because there is construction on Calhoun Road and on Bluemound Road delays are compounded.  The difficulty entering/exiting V Richards Plaza is no doubt adversely impacting the businesses located there.

Perhaps the construction is really part of traffic calming for the 70,000 cars that travel east/west along Bluemound Road each day. 

The City has announced its 2008 community improvements.  Beware the barrels.

We will be experiencing inconveniences soon as the state begins reconfiguring Bluemound Road between Moorland and Barker Road.  The goal: a safer highway.  This will be accomplished by closing medians to limit left turns.  Construction will start at Moorland; work will be done in sections.  About the time this road work moves to Calhoun Road, construction will begin on Calhoun Road south of Bluemound.

The road will be widened to four lanes and include a median and sidewalks.  This will be accomplished by "taking" the front yards of properties along the road.  Once the sidewalks are in, we should see more pedestrian traffic.  The widening of Calhoun Road will signal VK to finalize his plans for the 80 acre "Ruby Farms" property.   While the city seems to know VK's vision/plan it has not been shared with the community/taxpayers.

Brookfield Square will be adding two new businesses - a restaurant (2008) and a furniture store (2009).  Parking is already at a premium at the mall.  These additions will contribute more parking lot congestion.  The improvements at Brookfield Square are intended to make the shopping center competitive with the proposed Pabst Farms.

A recent Journal/Sentinel article about the Pabst Farms proposal likened the shopping experience to the upscale Mayfair and Bayshore malls.  Sorry, Brookfield.

We cannot forget the city's two new fire stations - on Calhoun Road at Greenfield and Capitol Drive. Ironically the Calhoun/Greenfield station will be on a four lane road with medians.  The Calhoun/Capitol location will not.

Let's hope your New Year's resolution included (a) no left turns except at controlled intersections and (b) more involvement in the city's plans.