Temporary Fix for Gordon Road Heading to County Board

A temporary fix may materialize next year at the congested intersection of Gordon Road/County BB and Highway 42/57, where the Culver’s restaurant is located.

First, the Door County Board of Supervisors must go along with the idea that has now passed out of two county committees – the Highway and Facilities Committee on Aug. 10, and the Finance Committee on Aug. 16. Then, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) must agree to incorporate the fix into the resurfacing project the state will do next year on the stretch of highway that passes the intersection.

“From our standpoint, it should be incorporated into the DOT project,” said Ken Pabich, Door County administrator, during the Finance Committee’s Aug. 16 meeting.

The idea the supervisors will consider Aug. 23 is to move $100,000 out of the highway department’s reserve account to reconfigure the island at the intersection to prevent motorists from turning left/north onto the highway from Gordon Road. Instead, those motorists would be routed south to the Egg Harbor Road rotary to head back north. 

Access to Gordon Road from the highway would still be allowed.

The supervisors will consider a resolution that will ask WisDOT and the governor to include that improvement, using the county funds, when the state resurfaces next year.

“It’s something very reasonable to ask and simple to do in my mind,” Pabich said.

The intersection was the primary topic of conversation during the Aug. 4 Door County Highway Safety Commission meeting. Local representatives said it was an area of high congestion, danger and complaints. WisDOT officials said they could try to get money for a long-term fix – a roundabout was the option put forward – but the intersection didn’t rate as highly as others on the state’s danger metric. 

Even in Door County, seven intersections are considered more dangerous, including two in Southern Door that have been funded for safety improvements and are entering the design phase.