Wisconsin legislators speaking out about dangers of State 23
Legislators in Wisconsin who want to expand State 23 sent a letter last week to the Seventh District Court of Appeals in an attempt to proceed with the expansion of the highway to four lanes. Six legislators signed the letter, including Sens. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg), Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac), Duey Strobel (R-Saukville) and Reps. Tyler […]
Legislators in Wisconsin who want to expand State 23 sent a letter last week to the Seventh District Court of Appeals in an attempt to proceed with the expansion of the highway to four lanes.
Six legislators signed the letter, including Sens. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg), Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac), Duey Strobel (R-Saukville) and Reps. Tyler Vorpagel (R-Plymouth), Terry Katsma (R-Oostburg) and Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), according to an article in the Fon du Lac Reporter.
The legislators feel that expanding State 23 to four lanes is crucial for the safety of drivers. At least seven people were sent to the hospital after two recent head-on collisions that occurred three days apart along the controversial stretch of highway.
Two of those people reportedly sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of the crashes.
“It’s been nearly two years since U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman halted the State 23 expansion project under protest from the environmental group, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. The case remains under appeal today,” the Fon du Lac Reporter article reads.
Not only do the legislators address safety as a main concern for expanding the highway, but they also say they believe the expansion is vital to the strength of the local economy.
“Unfortunately, the news of serious accidents occurring on (State) Highway 23 is far from surprising. ‘Accidents on (State) Highway 23’ has become an all too familiar headline in the districts we represent. This two-lane stretch of highway averages an accident every eight days. Many of these accidents could have been prevented had the expansion project been allowed to proceed,” the letter reads.
In a recent crash on State 23, five people were injured due to a head-on collision in the town of Greenbush in Sheboygan County.
“A passenger car and minivan collided after one of the vehicles traveled left of center and into the path of the other,” the article reads. “The male driver of the passenger car suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah.”
On Monday, an 18-year-old Sheboygan man tried to pass a semi-trailer and slammed head-on into an east bound vehicle on State 23 in Fond du Lac County. The driver of the eastbound car was airlifted to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah with serious injuries. The crash shut down State 23 for about five hours.
