County Seeks Better Safety for Bikers, Pedestrians

Root River Parkway. File photo taken October 9, 2021 by Dave Reid.

The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is planning to conduct a study of approximately 20 bike and pedestrian crossings this year.

The goal is to improve safety at these crossings, thus making them more usable. The study, once completed, will give MCDOT a “prioritized list of locations” for the county to use as it seeks funding in the future, according to a document describing the project prepared by MCDOT. The study will record data on crashes, sightlines and visibility, traffic counts and also outline potential safety improvements, with cost estimates.

The project is funded through a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant. The TAP program is administered by the Federal Highway Administration and funds typically go toward small-scale, non-motorized transportation projects. In 2022, MCDOT accepted a $107,000 grant for the project, which requires a 20% match or $26,800.

MCDOT already reviews bike and pedestrian crossings that are within the area of infrastructure projects, and it periodically reviews them when the department receives complaints about safety at a particular crossing. But this project will look specifically at 20 crossings, “that have not been recently reviewed that are well used, have concerns with safety or have received concerns from the public in the past,” according to a 2022 report. MCDOT has already identified 14, and the other six will be selected during the study.

The 16 locations already identified for study include:

• Intersection of W. Good Hope Road and N. Pierron Road
• The Oak Leaf Trail, crossing near the intersection of W. Mill Road and N. Sidney Place
• Root River Parkway, crossing at S. 76th Street
• A crossing in front of the Pick N Save in Glendale at 6969 N. Port Washington Road
• Oak Leaf Trail, crossing across W. Good Hope Road near the intersection with N. Teutonia Avenue
• 8600 block of W. Oklahoma Avenue
• Intersection of S. 76th St. and W. Wedgewood Avenue
• Intersection of N. Port Washington Rd. and W. Indian Creek Parkway
• A crossing on Layton Avenue near the intersection with S. 51st Street
• Intersection of S. 72nd Street and W. Layton Avenue
• Intersection of S. 103rd Street and W. Oklahoma Avenue
• Intersection of N. Port Washington Road and W. Fairy Chasm Road
• Intersection of N. 80th Street and Mill Road

Feds Funding Transportation Safety Projects

Milwaukee County is also planning to undertake a reckless driving study as well as a “safety action plan” in the coming years, both federally funded.

The safety action plan is the key to making the county eligible for a cascade of federal funds unleashed by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. The plan is required under a new program, called the Safe Streets and Roads For All grant program. Once complete, the county and all 19 municipalities will be eligible for federal funding to develop new transportation safety and infrastructure projects identified through the planning process.