Milwaukee, Suburbs Partnering On Cross-County Trail

Powerline Trail east of S. 76th Street. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A quickly-expanding trail could soon link Milwaukee’s South Side and southern suburbs with Lake Michigan.

The City of Milwaukee and three suburban cities are moving forward on a study of expanding the Powerline Trail. The completed trail would roughly parallel Howard Avenue from S. 104th St. all the way east to Lake Michigan. A northern leg would parallel Interstate 894, running north to the Zoo Interchange and Hank Aaron State Trail.

The central portion of the 10-foot-wide paved trail was recently completed and a second segment is expected to join it later this year.

In 2022, the City of Greenfield opened the $1.5 million first phase between the intersection of S. 99th Street and W. Cold Spring Road and the intersection of S. 60th Street and W. Plainfield Avenue. An on-street segment on W. Cold Spring Road links the three-mile trail with the Oak Leaf Trail just west of S. 104th Street.

A $1.2 million second phase, slated for construction in 2024, will extend the trail east into the city of Milwaukee. The trail will be extended east from S. 60th Street to S. 35th Street, Pondview Park and Zablocki Park. State-administered federal grants are covering most of the construction costs of the first two segments.

A $250,000 study is now about to begin to design a trail extension east of Pondview Park to Lake Michigan and north from the trail’s western terminus toward the Hank Aaron State Trail. Additional efforts could see the trail extended southwest.

The trail is being developed on a We Energies-owned rail corridor that was formerly used to shuttle coal to a power plant in St. Francis. The tracks are long gone, but the wide, grassy corridor remains occupied by high-voltage transmission lines.

A federally-funded, state-administered Transportation Alternatives Program grant is providing $200,000 for the latest study. A funding agreement pending before the Milwaukee Common Council would have the City of Milwaukee lead the study effort and contribute $28,500. The City of St. Francis, the future site of the eastern terminus, would contribute $10,000, the City of West Allis is to contribute $7,500 and Greenfield $4,000. The study is to be completed in 2025.

The trail is being developed as part of the 700-mile Route of the Badger proposal. The envisioned trail network would yield a connected trail system for biking, walking and running across the Milwaukee area. The Powerline Trail would link a series of existing trails. At its western edge, the Powerline Trail connects with the Oak Leaf Trail’s Root River Line. The northern terminus would connect with the Hank Aaron State Trail and could include a connection with the New Berlin Trail. The eastern terminus would connect with the Oak Leaf Trail’s South Shore Line that parallels Lake Michigan. Other Route of the Badger 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.

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

Photos and Trail Map

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Related Legislation: File 231705