A quick update on two transportation projects that stand to impact South Milwaukee and the entire South Shore …
First, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has released a study its done into adding bike and pedestrian access to the Hoan Bridge. What did it find? Well, it would cost a lot … and may require reducing the number of traffic lanes from three to two.
Check out The Business Journal story here. And here is the actual report.
Also on Thursday, regional planners recommended spending $12.7 million in federal funding on four new express bus route lines in Milwaukee County — including one that would connect Mitchell International Airport to Bayshore.
With this new line will come some changes to the existing Route 15 footprint, as some of it (including the portion running through the 4th District) is replaced with a new Route 52.
Here is the Journal Sentinel story on the express bus funding. And click here for the a Milwaukee County Transit system map that shows what would happen to the 15 if the express routes become reality.
I’m interested to know what you think about both issues. Post your comments below!
South Milwaukee Blog 
Another wonderful idea, reduce the lanes for bikes and pedestrians at a huge cost. Have any of these bikers ever been on the Hoan on a windy day? A cold day? A foggy day? A rainy day? A snowy day? For the 2 and one half months we enjoy a summer, ridiculous.
There actually is a very large group of cyclists that ride year round, both as a commute to work and for fitness/recreation. I admit that I am not one who rides in the snow, but cold weather is no problem. The Hoan can be windy, but we have had the opportunity recently to experience it on bicycle and on foot, and the results were surprising. What appears to be an overwhelming climb is actually extremely manageable, and the wind was no worse than riding the streets or bike paths in the south shore or veterans park.
I certainly appreciate that folks have opinions one way or another, but I just want to point out that there is an ever growing number of people out walking/jogging/riding year round that would benefit from this link. We all pay taxes and we all have different views and priorities as to what we believe our tax money should fund… some would go all-in for mass transit, some want more driving lanes, and others want a safe route for their commute via bicycle, rollerblades or on foot. I personally have dealt with the round-about, hair-raising, on-street bike route through Bay View that links the trail system north of the bridge to the trail system south of the bridge… it is both dangerous and out of the way.
I think the addition of a bike/pedestrian route across the Port of Milwaukee is a good thing and will be an asset to the community. I disagree, however, with eliminating a traffic lane for this path and I look forward to being part of the upcoming discussions.
Thanks for keeping us all in the loop, Erik.
I am against eliminating a traffic lane. As long as they are re-decking the bridge, they could add the pedestrian/bike lane.
Rick – I’m not sure that what you propose is an option. I think the issue is the width of the bridge, which would not change during the redecking. They would still need some type of emergency lane for cars and then they want some type of protective barrier for the bikes / pedestrians, which is why they would need to steal a lane. For anybody who has driven over the Hoan recently during the construction, it is clear that 2 lanes would be a mess, especially if the economy improves and there are more jobs downtown. (Of course there is a school of thought that says it is good to make traffic a mess because that forces people to consider trains, mass transit and other “greeny” type transportation – but that’s another topic all together).
Regardless of that, does anybody see the irony in even considering the costs for a bike lane? A year or so ago there was a big idea to destroy the Hoan and return to all surface streets because fixing it was too expensive. Now, they art talking about adding $9M to $95M for a walk way.
They widened I-94 bridge. Yes, they added more steel. Hoan needs three traffic lanes and no less. Oherwise nix the bike/pedestrian lanes.
But 75 to 95 million dollars!!! We all need our heads examined.