WDOT and the HNTB Corporation created a traffic forecast for HWY 131

Year Total Count Truck Count	Average Daily Traffic
	No Build		Preferred Alternative
	North of CTH F	South of CTH F	North of CTH F	South of CTH F
Present
Current Count	470	310
Total Trucks	30	20
Total Semi Trucks	3	2
Future
2011 Count	600	400	1080	880
Total Trucks	38	26	132	107
Total Semi Trucks	4	3	75	61

The WDOT statistics indicate that during the five year period from 1994 to 1998, 262 accidents occurred on HWY 131 between Tomah and Readstown. Of these, 29 occurred between Ontario and Rockton, the area which is to be re-built. From the above numbers; the number of vehicles, trucks, and semis are projected to increase by 450(80%), 89(385%), and 64(1943%) per day between Ontario and Rockton in the year 2011 depending on whether or not the preferred WDOT project is completed. Since most of this extra traffic is through traffic, it will be added to the existing traffic flow between Tomah and Readstown. If, for instance, 83% of all this extra traffic were added to the other sections of HWY 131 between Tomah and Readstown, the 233 accidents which occurred on these sections would be expected to increase at least proportionately. An extra 450 vehicles/day x .83= 374 vehicles per day. At present, the average daily traffic count on these other sections of HWY 131 is 889 vehicles/day. An extra 374 vehicles/day would increase the traffic count by 42%. It follows that the 233 accidents would increase by at least 42% to 331 accidents. Assume that the deer will no longer go near the highway between Rockton and Ontario once that section of highway is re-built so that the accident rate will decrease by two-thirds per vehicle mile, a WDOT prediction, and that the traffic volume will go up there by 80% as noted above (29 accidents x 2/3 predicted reduction x 1.8 times more vehicles = 17 accidents)

Conclusion: By reconstructing HWY 131 between Ontario and Rockton, the number of accidents occurring along that stretch will perhaps decrease from 29 to 17 over a five year period. The extra traffic that this "improvement" will introduce onto other sections of HWY 131 between Tomah and Readstown might be expected to increase the number of accidents along those sections from 223 to 331 accidents over the same five year period. Taken together, this highway project would prevent 12 accidents in one area while increasing accidents by 108 in other areas for a net projected increase of 98 accidents over five years.

A WDOT spokesman, at a 1998 Ontario, Wisconsin hearing, stated that if there was a large enough increase of accidents along other sections of HWY 131, then, maybe, some improvements could be made on those sections of highway also. Sounds like a formula for more highway contracts.