The Wisconsin Highway 81 Corridor was the subject of a series of public hearings in Beloit last week.

Traffic Engineer Lee Gibbs says the a lot of the discussions at the meetings revolved around traffic safety on the corridor, particularly how vehicles travel along 81 and how that impacts drivers or pedestrians trying to cross or enter 81.

Gibb says the next step is to take the data they’ve collected and identify and deficiencies, concerns, or opportunities along 81 that need to be addressed and that there will be future opportunities for the public to get involved.

According to data shared at the meetings, the west side of Beloit had a total of 235 traffic accidents from May of 2017 to May of 2022, including one fatal crash.