Students’ Return Could Bring More Traffic Woes Amid Flooding, Street Closures

Traffic in Madison is already heavier than usual because some streets are closed due to flooding in parts of Dane County, but the congestion could get a little worse this week as University of Wisconsin-Madison students move in.

Students and their parents started swarming into Madison on Sunday, almost a week after torrential rains fell. The rainfall caused extensive flooding, major roadways to close and swept one man to his death.

The lakes are high and water still lingers in the city and throughout parts of the county. Highway 14 west of Madison had been closed, which meant a bit of a detour for Jennifer Brumm and her two college-age sons, all of whom were tired from a long trip.

“We actually had flown home from Europe yesterday so we’re running on jet lag,” she said with a laugh Sunday.

The family came from La Crosse and they had to go an alternate route to get to school.

“Roads were fine on the interstate, Highway 90 and then went through Baraboo on Highway 12 to University Avenue, where we got detoured by the Good Neighbor Festival through Middleton. Then, down to Old University Avenue. So, little bit of a different route than we normally take,” she said.

County and city officials have road closures posted, and campus officials say they expect all move-in activities to continue as scheduled and are monitoring the flooding situation.

For more information about students moving in, visit this website.