Sturgeon Bay’s West-side Kwik Trip Gets Its Highway Access

Sturgeon Bay city administrator Josh VanLieshout informs the Common Council on Tuesday about how truck traffic could be routed through the area where Kwik Trip plans to build a new store on the west side after a raised median would be built along Highway 42/47 to prevent left turns. Photo by Kevin Boneske.

The Sturgeon Bay Common Council approved a recommendation Tuesday to allow a new Kwik Trip to have a driveway connecting with Highway 42/47. Kwik Trip’s plans for the west-side store include three entrances/exits, with the other two also having two-way traffic located along Duluth Avenue (County S).

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) informed the city that if Kwik Trip had driveway access to the highway, then the two-way, left-turn lane that currently exists would be eliminated, and a new raised median would be installed at Duluth Avenue to the raised median at Ashland Avenue.

Representatives of area businesses appeared before the council Tuesday to express their objections to closing the median, which would restrict access to their businesses.

City administrator Josh VanLieshout said city staff and representatives from Kwik Trip were in contact with WisDOT officials March 1 to propose alternatives to a raised median: a speed reduction on the highway; a right-turn, enter-only driveway; a memorandum of understanding to install a median at a later date; construction of a partial median; or a seasonal median.

VanLieshout said WisDOT officials did not go for any of those options and still require the raised median, which – with or without Kwik Trip – was in the area’s future, WisDOT told city officials. Given that likelihood, the council approved Kwik Trip’s site plan with a driveway connection to Highway 42/57 that includes the following conditions:

• Require access to the Kwik Trip property for Destination Door County and the Verlo Mattress parcel.

• Require Kwik Trip to allow freight deliveries to and from Sturgeon Bay Metal Products and others to go through the Kwik Trip property to reach Duluth Avenue to make a left turn back onto the highway for truck access.

• Require dedication of a right-of-way from Kwik Trip for a future connection to South Ashland Avenue.

• Direct the Finance/Purchasing and Building Committee to consider an amendment to the tax incremental district (TID) #7 plan to acquire and improve the right-of-way on a private road between North Duluth Avenue and the Target store/North Ashland Avenue.

VanLieshout said Kwik Trip, which was agreeable to provide truck traffic access to its west-side location, will be responsible for paying for the raised median that he expects WisDOT will require to be in place before the new store opens.