349.07 Authority to designate through highways.

(1) The department may, when it deems it necessary for the public safety, by order declare any state trunk highway or connecting highway or portion thereof to be a through highway.

(2) Every county highway committee may, when it deems necessary for the public safety, by order declare any county trunk highway or portion thereof to be a through highway, except that where a state trunk highway intersects a county trunk highway the department shall designate the through highway.

(3) Every local authority may, when it deems it necessary for the public safety, by ordinance or resolution declare any highway or portion thereof under its exclusive jurisdiction to be a through highway.

(4) No order, ordinance or resolution declaring any highway to be a through highway is effective until official stop signs or traffic control signals have been installed at the entrances thereto from other highways.

(5) Through highway declarations under this section shall not apply to any paralleling service roads.

(6)

(a) Nothing in this section shall prohibit local authorities from placing additional stop signs on the roadway or temporary school zoning warning signs or temporary stop signs in the roadway at school crossings during periods of daylight when school children are using such crossings if such signs do not physically obstruct traffic.

(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit local authorities from placing temporary stop signs in the roadway at intersections or crosswalks for limited periods of time if the local authorities deem it necessary for the public safety and if the signs do not physically obstruct traffic.

(7)

(a) The department may, when it deems necessary for the public safety, by order provide for the installation of yield signs on state trunk highways and connecting highways, and the governing body of any city, or county, may by ordinance or resolution provide, when it deems it necessary for the public safety, for the installation of yield signs on any through highway which has been so declared under sub. (3) and under its exclusive jurisdiction to regulate merging traffic movements and conflicting movements occurring within the intersection of 2 or more highways. Yield signs shall not be used in lieu of stop signs where a highway directly crosses a through 2-way highway.

(b) The governing body of any town, city, village or county may by ordinance or resolution provide for the installation of yield signs at any intersection over which it has exclusive jurisdiction, but if the intersection is part of a through highway such yield signs can be installed at such intersections only as provided in par. (a).

(8) The governing body of any town, city, village or county may by ordinance or resolution provide for the installation of stop signs and traffic signals at intersections on highways over which it has exclusive jurisdiction.

History: 1975 c. 192; 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (3), (8) (a); 1977 c. 116 ss. 7, 8, 9; 1977 c. 272; 1979 c. 34.

Legislative Council Note, 1977: Section 349.08 (6) (a), relating to the placement of yield signs, is renumbered s. 349.07 (7) (a) and amended to prohibit the use of yield signs in lieu of stop signs where a highway directly crosses a through 2-way highway; the present prohibition against the use of yield signs in lieu of stop signs is overly broad in that it is not restricted to highways which directly cross through highways. By definition, the entrances to a “through highway" from intersecting highways must be controlled by traffic control signals or stop signs; “through highway" is defined in s. 340.01 (67). [Bill 465-A]