Bicycle-Walking Trail Would Run From S. 105th St. To Lakefront

The City of Milwaukee is inching forward on a big, regional vision to build an east-west, paved trail from Interstate 41 to Lake Michigan and connect it with multiple other area trails.

The first phase of the Powerline Trail is already funded and is being built in a We Energies-owned corridor from the Oak Leaf Trail at S. 105th St. and W. Cold Spring Rd. east to S. 60th St. The corridor roughly parallels W. Plainfield Ave. That leg is expected to open this fall.

The second phase, for which funding for planning work was secured, would run from S. 60th St. to Pondview Park, just east of S. 33rd St. in the City of Greenfield.

Now the City of Milwaukee is pursuing funding, with two suburban partners, to complete a planning study of extensions from both ends of the trail.

The trail would be extended east from S. 33rd St. to Lake Michigan through Milwaukee and the City of St. Francis. It would also be extended north, primarily through the City of West Allis, from Interstate 41/894 and W. Plainfield Ave. to the Hank Aaron State Trail near the Zoo Interchange.

Both corridors are largely open space, up to 200 feet wide, that were originally developed for interurban rail infrastructure but now house high-voltage power lines. The proposed paved trail is to be 10 feet wide, accommodating cyclists, walkers, runners and more.

On Wednesday, the Public Works Committee unanimously endorsed applying for a $168,000 grant from the state-managed Federal Transportation Alternatives Program. The three municipalities would need to provide $42,000 in matching funds to access what would be a $210,000 grant.

“So this is relatively small scale,” said Alderman Robert Bauman. “That’s pocket change in the transportation world.”

And dollars wise, it is small. But its impact on non-motorized transportation could be large.

“It’s about nine miles in total,” said Department of Public Works transportation planner Marissa Meyer.

The trail is the first new section of the Route of the Badger, a 700-mile regional trail network, to be constructed.

The proposal calls for augmenting existing trails, like the Oak Leaf Trail, by adding new sections and connections. Proposals include a 30th Street Corridor Trail, a northside powerline trail paralleling N. 20th St., a western extension of the Kinnickinnic River Trail and a number of new suburban trails.

When complete, the Route of the Badger would connect Sheboygan to Kenosha and Milwaukee to Dousman.

A study, completed by the Wisconsin Bike Fed for the City of Milwaukee approximately a decade ago, identifies potential route issues and options for the Powerline Trail (on page 11) and other corridors.