County Executive Parisi, Fitchburg Mayor Richardson Announce Partnership to Improve Public Safety on Highway MM

November 05, 2019
Ariana Vruwink, (608) 267-8823
County Executive

Today, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi joined City of Fitchburg Mayor Aaron Richardson near Highway MM to announce the city and county’s partnership to install traffic signals at two different intersections for increased public safety. The traffic signals will be installed at the Highway MM intersections of McCoy and Lacy Roads to make it easier for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists to safely cross.

“Investing in our roads makes them safer for our loved ones to travel on and enhances our community’s infrastructure,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “These new signals on Highway MM will improve public safety and help direct cars and bicycles in a very busy part of the county.”

The intersection of Highway MM and McCoy is where the Cap City Trail crosses Highway MM, and is known by many in the community to be a fairly busy and dangerous crossing. This investment by the city and county will provide signals for a popular section of the Cap City Trail, which sees over 125,000 users each year.

“The City of Fitchburg is excited to partner with Dane County to install these much needed traffic signals at key intersections along the CTH MM corridor as a way to increase safety on our roads,” said Fitchburg Mayor Aaron Richardson. “With the development of Terravessa and Uptown in Fitchburg, and the regional traffic on CTH MM, we appreciate Dane County’s commitment to safety. This investment enhances our infrastructure now and for future generations.”

Just this year, a motorcyclist lost his life due to an accident at the intersection of Highway MM and McCoy Road. The city and county hope these new public safety features cut down on accidents by improving driver, cyclist, and pedestrian awareness.

County Executive Parisi included a total of $530,000 in his 2020 budget to cover the cost of these projects. For the intersection of Highway MM and McCoy Road, the county will cover two thirds of the cost, with the city covering the other third. For the intersection of Highway MM and Lacy Road, the city and county will split the cost evenly.

The city anticipates that the signals at Highway MM and Lacy Road will be in operation by August 1, 2020 and the signals at Highway MM and McCoy Road will be in operation by October 31, 2020.