“Enough is enough:” Wood Co. Board asks for safety measures at deadly intersection

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (WSAW) - The Wood County Board of Supervisors is urging the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to improve safety measures at the intersection of Highway 10 and State Highway 186, a location with a history of crashes.

The board recently passed a resolution calling for action, asking for an overpass at the intersection. As part of the state highway system, the county lacks the authority to make changes on its own.

“Enough is enough. We need to see something done,” Jake Hahn, a board member said.

The intersection was the site of an accident last month that killed 17-year-old Kasey Ramthun. Her grandmother, Wendy Bendickson, described Kasey as a compassionate young woman.

“Kasey was an inspiration to everybody. She would take the kid that didn’t have friends and become friends with them,” Bendickson said.

Bendickson highlighted the intersection’s safety issues, pointing to inadequate lighting, hard-to-see stop signs, and an overabundance of signage that confuses drivers.

Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker has also raised concerns.

“There’s been over 25 crashes there, some involving serious injuries, and in recent years, we’ve had issues with wrong-way drivers,” Becker said.

Becker increased patrols in the area but said enforcement alone isn’t enough.

“We’ve been paying attention to this intersection but we also know we can’t enforce this away,” he said. ”We can’t post a deputy there 24/7 watching the intersection. We’re doing the best that we can."

The board is advocating for the overpass as a long-term solution but said even smaller measures—such as flashing stop signs or additional lighting—could make a difference. Safety is especially important in this area because Auburndale Elementary School is only a three-minute drive from the intersection.

“Anytime you have a school bus full of kids crossing that road, it’s a danger to every kid on the bus,” Hahn said. “On foggy afternoons or snowy mornings, that intersection is always on my mind.”

Bendickson emphasized safety improvements, though possibly expensive, are about protecting all families.

“Money should not be an issue when lives have been lost,” she said. “How many more lives have to be lost before the price is okay?”

Bendickson urged people living in or around Wood Co. to contact lawmakers and the DOT to push for action.