In southwest Wisconsin, area officials are celebrating recent road safety accomplishments. Lafayette County had no traffic fatalities in 2024, though Sheriff Reg Gill said this was mostly a combination of good luck and the county’s relatively low population. Areas with more crashes in the county include Wisconsin 81 and Wisconsin 11, but Gill said that is generally in line with traffic volume. Recent safety initiatives in the county include the addition of rumble strips and flashing lights at the intersection of County W and County O. Also in the mix was outreach to the Amish community. In the past, some fatalities in Lafayette County were the result of vehicles colliding with buggies.
Grant County had six road fatalities in 2024, per Wisconsin DOT data. Crashes with serious injuries and fatalities on a hilly stretch of U.S. 151 between Dickeyville and Platteville generally happen at a higher volume than other portions of that road within the county — including five serious injury crashes at U.S. 151’s intersection with Hill Climb Road since 2021. Jon Knautz, Grant County highway commissioner, said the county Highway Committee was not aware of any public safety concerns about that stretch of road. Knautz also said the state constructed a roundabout two years ago at one crash-heavy intersection — Highway 61 and 81 south of Lancaster. However, crashes still were occurring until additional signage and flashing lights were added.
