02/12/2019- While those involved in last Friday’s crash at the Country Meadows intersection along Highway 41 escaped with non-life-threatening injuries, the incident brings to mind several preceding accidents where the outcomes weren’t as favorable. The intersection has been tagged as problematic by both drivers and law enforcement for a number of years. It has been the scene of well more than a dozen accidents in the past decade, including at least three involving trains. Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve is frustrated by the frequency of these crashes, saying many of them could have been avoided.
The Wisconsin DOT performed a study on the intersection as part of a larger analysis of the Highway 41 corridor outside of Marinette several years ago and presented potential design changes at a town hall meeting in 2016, however, that conversation has since gone by the wayside. At that time, the total project was estimated to cost more than $10-million and a final design or funding for the work has yet to be identified.