Stop signs on Egg Harbor Road, at Georgia Street & 8th Avenue will be removed as a result of action taken by the Sturgeon Bay City Council Tuesday evening. The final vote was four to two, with Aldermen Danny Wiegand & Bob Schlicht objecting & council member Stu Fett excused. The reasoning behind the change was a desire to keep traffic moving on the busy street, especially with next year’s closure of the Bayview Bridge for several months. It was also noted that if the Department of Transportation designated the area as a detour route, the stop signs would have to go. The DOT is expected to discuss its detour plans during a meeting on August 14th at City Hall. Prior to council action, three residents expressed their opposition to the proposal for safety reasons, the inability to cross at Georgia Street & concerns for bicyclists & pedestrians. First District Alderman Danny Wiegand said pulling the stop signs was a bad idea, repeating concerns raised about safety & access brought up earlier. Wiegand asked that action on the matter be postponed until the next council meeting. During voting, Mayor Thad Birmingham broke a three to three council deadlock & the discussion continued. Those in support of removing the stop signs included Aldermen Joe Stutting & John Lodl who said the only way to determine if the idea will work is to pull the stop signs. Mayor Birmingham also pointed out that the intersection was designed without stop signs in mind. An attempt to put off the changeover until 60 days before the Bayview Bridge project in 2013 was defeated on a four to two vote, the same tally that prevailed in voting on the original resolution to pull the stop signs. The resolution also indicated that the signs would not go down until there was a period of public education on the changes. Mayor Birmingham suggested that a two week period might meet the requirement, along with the installation of signs related to the movement of traffic.
