The Buc-ee’s proposal for Oak Creek isn’t just a large-scale development—it’s a major traffic burden that threatens road infrastructure, local businesses, and overall safety. What’s most concerning? City officials have failed to conduct an independent, comprehensive traffic study and instead relied on Buc-ee’s own self-reported data—data that has been inaccurate in multiple other cities.
TL;DR
- Estimated 13,000 daily cars will choke local roads, blocking access to nearby businesses
- Traffic impact study was conducted by Buc-ee’s, not independently reviewed by Oak Creek or the DOT
- Only 27th Street & Elm Road were analyzed—Oakwood Road & other critical areas ignored
- Buc-ee’s has a history of underreporting traffic projections in multiple U.S. cities
- Buc-ee’s inconsistent reporting of local vs. non-local traffic raises serious concerns
Unreliable Traffic Projections
Our community has repeatedly reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) and Oak Creek officials, urging them to conduct a thorough traffic impact analysis—specifically for Oakwood Road, which will see a massive increase in congestion.
Instead, the developer commissioned its own study—a study that only analyzed 27th Street and Elm Road, ignoring critical areas that will bear the brunt of traffic impacts. Worse still, the DOT’s revisions are based entirely on Buc-ee’s own reporting, rather than independent analysis.
This isn’t the first time Buc-ee’s has underreported traffic projections to push through developments:
- Corinth, Texas: City officials conducted their own study and found Buc-ee’s estimates were off by several thousand cars per day, which led to the proposal being denied due to extreme congestion concerns.
- Baldwin County, Alabama: Officials trusted Buc-ee’s estimates, only to find themselves in a political standoff trying to retroactively fix the severe traffic issues caused by the development.
Flawed Data & Misleading Comparisons
Buc-ee’s is submitting traffic projections based on Springfield, MO—a rural area with no major residential zones nearby. In contrast, Oak Creek sits in a high-density metro region, surrounded by Racine and Kenosha counties, with Chicago’s metro population only 60 miles away.
Let’s compare population figures:
- Springfield Metro: 475,000 residents
- Milwaukee County alone: 910,000 residents—almost double Springfield
- Chicago Metro Area: 9.2 million residents—creating significantly more traffic flow
Even using conservative estimates, Oak Creek’s traffic volume will far exceed Springfield’s, making Buc-ee’s projections grossly inaccurate.
Failure to Account for Local Traffic Patterns
At the Plan Commission meeting on January 28, Buc-ee’s claimed only 10% of traffic would come from local residents—an estimate that fails to account for regional commuting patterns.
Moreover, officials haven’t conducted a Traffic Impact Analysis for Oakwood Road, despite significant changes since 2022, including:
- Increased use of the Elm Road on/off ramp as drivers avoid congestion near Amazon’s distribution center.
- The Saputo Factory opening in 2023, adding hundreds of daily trips—which will rise to 600 employees when fully operational.
Oak Creek must conduct an updated traffic analysis to reflect realistic, current data.
Impact on Local Businesses
Along the stretch of 27th street near the proposed location are several businesses that will be essentially blocked by the estimated 13,000 daily cars that we can likely expect.
These businesses all rely on the Elm Road I94 exit for quick access. With the amount of cars this Buc-ees can expect, it is extremely likely that exit will be congested out of use for the trucks trying to access it.
Saputo USA and XPO especially need this access to facilitate deliveries and shipments. Peak AM trips average 500 cars per hour in and out of a Buc-ees. Peak PM hours average 720 cars in and out per hour. Peak total average estimate shows over 2,000 cars per hour.
Keep in mind, these are figures for established locations. The novelty of this thing will drive those numbers way up and force delivery trucks to use the Ryan Road exit. For one trip, that isn’t huge, but for all trips over several months, that really adds up.
See Exhibit B Chart of trips per hour for source on traffic estimate.