Sheboygan's first roundabout is 30 years old
The controversial roundabout was part of a $1.6 million project
SHEBOYGAN — It’s been 30 years since the first roundabout was constructed in Sheboygan County.
In 1994, city officials first proposed constructing the $1.7 million rotary intersection to replace stop-and-go lights. The driving force behind the roundabout was a planned $40 million aquarium that was to be built on the South Pier District. Construction began in early 1995 and the roundabout opened to vehicles in September that year.
Back then, city officials saw the unique intersection as the gateway to the Harbor Centre and Downtown Sheboygan. It opened during a time when the city was revitalizing the Riverfront and eight years before Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center was constructed. According to a traffic study in 1994, as many as 17,000 vehicles were traveling through the intersection before the roundabout was constructed. A traffic engineer hired by the city expected 33,000 vehicles per day to be traveling through the roundabout and over the 8th Street Bridge by 2020.
Those predictions fell well short of actual traffic counts in recent years. In 2005, there was an average of 16,100 vehicles per day using the 8th Street Bridge according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. By 2021, that number dropped to 11,200 per day. The state has not released any traffic counts since then.
When the roundabout first opened in 1995, it had two traffic lanes and could hold as many as 25 vehicles when the 8th Street Bridge opens for boat traffic. In 2003, the city wanted to spend half a million dollars to redesign the roundabout but ultimately, no changes were made. In 2015, a traffic lane was eliminated for west and southbound traffic and additional signage was added.
So, whatever happened to the main reason for the 8th Street Roundabout? After thousands of dollars and multiple studies, the proposal was put on “hold” in 1997. Two years later, the Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Tribe proposed a riverboat casino and hotel and that too, went nowhere. It wasn’t until 2003 when construction began on the South Pier District and Blue Harbor opened for business in June 2005.
Encompass
In the center of the roundabout is the 25-foot-tall Encompass sculpture. It weights about 66,000 ponds, or 33 tons, and came from the Pastore Federal Building in Providence, Rhode Island. The price tag was $48,000 with private funds raised to have it installed in 2003. Some residents criticized the city for allowing a piece of abstract artwork to be placed in the roundabout in the first place.
In June 1996, a husband and wife from the Town of Wilson loaned a steel sculpture called “Paradisidae” by Narendra Patel to the City of Sheboygan for the cost of installation. The piece was removed that October when it was sold. The 17-foot tall sculpture is now located at Riverside Park in West Bend. In 1998, they proposed another sculpture which would have costed the city as much as $30,000 but the proposal was rejected. The city had planned to install replicas of the city's logo but it was dropped because they could not get a federal loan to cover the $60,000 cost.
The city also had planned to put a neon-lit Harbor Centre logo in the center of the roundabout but also lacked the funds to make it happen. The landscaping in the center of the roundabout and around the sculpture is done by volunteers from the Sheboygan Early Bird Rotary Club. In 2026, the city plans to spend $66,000 for landscaping and another $185,000 in 2028 according to the city's 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program.
Roundabouts in Sheboygan County
A list of built Sheboygan County roundabouts:
South 8th Street & Indiana Avenue
City of Sheboygan
Opened in 1995 (proposed in 1994)Highway 28 & Highway 32
Town of Sheboygan Falls
Opened in 2006, Rebuilt in 2008North 40th Street & Superior Avenue
Town of Sheboygan
Opened in 2007 (proposed in 2004)Highway 42 & Interstate 43
Town of Sheboygan
Opened in 2007Highway 42 & Vanguard Drive
Town of Sheboygan
Opened in 2007Highway 42 & Playbird Road
Town of Sheboygan
Opened in 2007Highway 42 & County Road Y
Town of Mosel
Opened in 2009Highway 42 & Garton Road
Town of Mosel
Opened in 2009South Business Drive & Weeden Creek Road
City of Sheboygan
Opened in 2011Highway 32 & Happy Lane
City of Sheboygan Falls
Opened in 2016County Road PP & County Road A
Village of Kohler
Opened in 2018Highland Drive & Lower Falls Road
Village of Kohler
Opened in 2018Highway 28 & Broadway Street
Town of Sheboygan Falls
Opened in 2021
Proposed Sheboygan County roundabouts but never built:
Washington Avenue & Greenwing Drive
City of SheboyganSouth Taylor Drive & Washington Avenue
City of SheboyganHighway 28 & County Road A
Village of KohlerSouth 12th Street & County Road V
City of Sheboygan/Town of Wilson
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