If Mr. Brandt considers country road traffic too fast, he may want to consider moving to town, instead of asking area taxpayers to spend thousands to either close or change a road.

Janesvillean, I am sorry that I believe that 2000 dollars worth of stop signs will do just as good as a 250,000 dollar roundabout. But, hey carry on, it's not your money.

It is a bit silly to talk of Hackbarth as a "shortcut" when it's the original alignment. The road was straightened sometime around the 1940s or 1950s, probably because Cty E was designated as Business U.S. 14, leading traffic downtown. Now, though, the roads serve as access to the 14/26 retail hub, and most of the west side of Janesville wants to go that way.
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I'm not sure I agree with inconveniencing 2000 vehicles a day to please three homeowners, who are part of rural sprawl but obviously don't like the effects of rural sprawl on themselves. For example, there's a fourth option that would be creating a broader shoulder or pull-offs for the mailboxes, though I'm uncertain what the USPS/WisDOT rules are on that. There are of course engineering options ranging from speed humps to flashing yellow lights that might have an effect on driving speed.
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A 4-way-stop on Cty E would need approval by the County Board, of course. Both that and a roundabout would psychologically slow drivers somewhat, but in this case the roundabout doesn't actually solve a traffic conflict, so it's not a place I would recommend one. (Although, jcommon, I like recommending them just to annoy you and the other roundabout-haters. You make it so tempting!) But putting more stop signs in is the last thing planners want, because the more you have, the less attention people pay to them (it's proven by research, unfortunately).
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Of course, the real problem here is just plain traffic volume. You have a tiny residential section following a rural-speed highway section and getting people to slow down for that is a problem. The long-term solution is another river crossing north of Memorial, although traffic volume doesn't seem to be a problem on the bridge itself, and a lot of people would object to, say, extending Black Bridge Road across to Washington St. But that's just pie in the sky anyway.
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So let's say the traffic is forced to go around the triangle. The intersection of E and 14 is an acute one, even though it has a wide shoulder, and putting 2000 cars on that corner is probably going to cause problems THERE in terms of visibility. It's probably OK in terms of being an existing intersection, but any actual changes would make it fall under current guidelines and I'm not sure that a US Highway would allow such an acute intersection to be built today for safety reasons.
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So let me propose yet another solution. Give northbound vehicles a right-turn-lane. Put a median barrier in Hackbarth so people can't get into it without negotiating a narrow lane with a sharper turn. (Think of the setup at N. Franklin and N. Washington, where Riverview Clinic used to be.) This will have minimal effect on the delivery traffic from the storage facility and directly affect the traffic that is causing the most problems for these residents.

Town of Janesville Board
Chairman Edward Marshall 608-752-4219
Supervisor Robert Mielke 608-754-0641
Supervisor Bruce Schneider 608-752-1106
Supervisor David Rebout 608-752-8253
Supervisor Gary Fox 608-752-5144

Oh boy,
Stubby you understand that if you propose a 4 way stop, in a couple years, it will turn into a round-a-bout.

Simple solution: Make the intersection with E and Hackbarth a 4-way stop. Cost of 2 new signs and installation - probably around $500. Problem solved.

I don't know how flexible the PO is...there are people who have to cross Hwy 51 north of the jail to get their mail, which I think is just ridiculous because the traffic is heavy and always going at least 60. I know I would not buy a home with a mailbox located across the street, no matter what a good deal the property is. People use that Hackbarth shortcut because turning east onto 14 from the E intersection is a very tight corner and not easy if there is a lot of traffic.

The Janesville Postmaster would have to approve the mailbox move, which would require a route change, which would have to meet policy requirements, which would require approval from higher above. But, it might work. Mr Brandt, or Mr Marshall, should probably ask the Postmaster to consider the option. It is not unusual to change routes, when it benefits postal carriers' safety and efficiency. Terminating the road would require a route change anyway.

Gopper beat me to the simple solution. put the mailboxes on the east side of the road. While i simpathize with the three homeowners, Dozens if not hundreds of people use that road everyday. I lived that way for many years, and my parents still do. To my knowledge i have never seen an accident on that stretch.

Life in the country consists of higher speed roads, hills, corners, and mailboxes. If town government attempt to "fix" every unsafe mailbox crossing, future road changes will cover hundreds of mailboxes and a large amount of country roads.

two really smart suggestions. (So of course they won't be considered?)

or move his mailbox to the other side of the road

Simple solution for you. Make Hackbarth road curve more to the north to limit the high speed turn and it also creates better vision for the cars turning onto county E.