Traffic Calming, Street Makeovers and New Bicycle Infrastructure are in the Works Throughout the 4th District

Traffic Calming, Street Makeovers and New Bicycle Infrastructure are in the Works Throughout the 4th District.

We are all aware of the scourge of reckless driving that is plaguing Milwaukee and many residents have been urging the city to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. The Common Council has previously adopted a Complete Streets Plan and Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. We are now moving forward with implementing aspects of these plans along with specific engineering projects to deter reckless driving thanks to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.

In 2021 the Common Council allocated $3.8m from the city’s ARPA share to conduct engineering and construction of several traffic calming projects throughout the city similar to the very successful traffic calming project on 27th Street from Wisconsin Avenue to State St. in the 4th District which has significantly slowed traffic and virtually eliminated right hand passing not to mention driving on the sidewalk which was also occurring. We have also appropriated city capital funds, additional federal transportation funds and incremental revenue from tax incremental districts to fund traffic calming. 

An added benefit of these traffic calming projects is the additional protected bicycle lanes and improved pedestrian infrastructure which are being incorporated into all the projects. City wide, approximately 50 projects are scheduled for completion in 2024 at a total cost of about $87m. 

Another aspect of traffic calming is the city’s long standing traffic calming program authored by Alderman Bauman in 2006 (the Traffic Calming Ordinance, file # 060658). This program enables neighborhood residents to request traffic calming installations on their residential street such as speed humps, bump outs, and traffic circles. These installations have a cost share component whereby abutting property owners are assessed 90% of the cost of the installation through assessments based on the front feet of their property. In 2021, using ARPA funds, the city reduced the assessment from 90% to 33% which resulted in a dramatic spike in speed hump requests. In 2023 the city installed about 84 speed humps. Since the inception of the program in 2007 a total of 1,064 speed humps have been installed throughout the city. The first speed hump pilot project was installed on McKinley Blvd. from 27th to 35th in the 4th District.

The 4th District will see a significant portion of these traffic calming projects:

•  Highland Blvd from 35th to 20th St. This project will include narrowing the roadway to one travel lane in each direction, the installation of protected bicycle lanes and curb bump outs while retaining street parking.

• Wells St. from Broadway to van Buren St. This project will include narrowing the travel lanes, adding protected bicycle lanes, wider sidewalks and landscaping.

• Van Buren St. from Wisconsin Ave. to Brady St. This project will include converting the current one way portions of the street to two-way operation, narrowing the roadway, reconfiguring the dangerous intersection at Kilbourn Ave., constructing protected bicycle lanes and landscaping. 

• Michigan St. from 8th St. to Water St. This project will include reducing travel lanes to one in each direction and adding protected bicycle lanes.

• Prospect Ave. from Knapp St. to North Ave. This project will include curb bump outs and raised cross walks as a prelude to a much larger reconstruction project planned for the near future.

• Kilbourn Ave from Jackson St. to Prospect Ave. This project includes reducing travel lanes to one in each direction and adding protected bicycle lanes. DPW is working to retain angle parking.

• Michigan St. from Lincoln Memorial Dr. to Cass St. This project includes reconstruction, pedestrian improvements and bicycle infrastructure adjacent to the Couture development. 

The city will also be undertaking engineering work in 2024 on several additional traffic calming and street improvement projects that will be built in 2025:

• Kilbourn Ave. from Water St. to 6th Street.

• Water St. from Pleasant St. to Kilbourn Ave.

• Market St. from Wells St. to Kilbourn Ave.

• MLK Dr. from Wisconsin Ave. to Juneau Ave.

• Highland Plaza (stub end from MLK Dr. to Milwaukee River).

• Highland Ave. from 6th Street to 20th St. 

The city is also completing design work to create a bicycle corridor on Jefferson Street from Kilbourn Ave to Erie Street. Motor vehicle traffic will still be allowed but significant bicycle infrastructure will be added to create a safer bicycle connection between downtown and the Historic Third Ward.    

Finally the city is in the final stages of rolling out a plan to reduce speed limits on residential streets (generally to 20 mph) and on arterial streets (generally to 25 or 30 mph). This plan has been met with some skepticism due to the belief that there are drivers who disregard current speed limits and traffic control devices so why would they adhere to lower speed limits. There is some truth to this skepticism but the Department of Public Works deserve credit for trying all possible legal solutions to reckless driving that has become a serious danger to motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Safer roadways for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians has been and is one of my top priorities. I wish the city could act more quickly but the engineering and construction process takes time. I am proud that 2024 will see significant progress.