$50,000 In Safety Upgrades Planned Outside Oak Creek High School

OAK CREEK, WI — After two Oak Creek High School students were seriously injured in a car accident on Puetz Road, school and city officials are working to approve a $50,000 plan to revamp traffic patterns in the area to make the area outside Oak Creek High School safer for all.

According to Oak Creek-Franklin school officials, since news of the accident, the city has been evaluating and vetting potential updates to Puetz Road that would enhance the safety of all pedestrians crossing North to South or South to North along Puetz Road.

A meeting of city, police, and county officials with Board President Frank Carini and Superintendent Tim Culver took place in early February to go over changes.

Here are the proposed changes:

• Elimination of crosswalks on the west side of two intersections - Knights Place and S. Oak Park Drive.
• Reconstruction of crosswalks on the east side of two intersections – S. Mayhew
• Drive and S. Oak Park Drive.
• Creation of high-visibility crosswalk pavement markings on crosswalks at three intersections: Knights Place, S. Mayhew Drive and S. Oak Park Drive.
• Installation of LED School Crossing lights at three intersections - Knights Place, S. Mayhew Drive and S. Oak Park Drive that includes nine assembly poles, nine solar panels and batteries, nine wireless communications at three locations, three time clocks and twelve school crossing signs with LED lights.
• Changes to the School Zone signsto now read “WHEN FLASHING” vs. “WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT” at four locations.
• “SCHOOL” pavement markings at six locations.

The City and School District say they plant to agree to a cost-share agreement for funding the costs of the work. The school district would reimburse the city $50,000 of the actual costs incurred by the City to complete the work.

School officials will consider the plan during a March 25 board meeting, according to school district documents.

In late September, two Oak Creek High School students were struck by a car before school and transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

"Our school is in pain today, as are the affected students and families--please join with us in spirit to help us all hold together," Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District Assistant Superintendent said in a letter to families after the accident.

According to a release from the Oak Creek Police Department, the students were in the area of Puetz Road and South Mayhew Drive at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday when the driver of a vehicle struck them. The intersection is directly south from the high school's parking lot.

Police say the driver of the vehicle, who was a member of the Oak Creek High School staff, remained at the scene of the accident and cooperated with authorities at the scene.