Milwaukee isn’t a city best known for its roads, but the new construction on North Avenue aims to change that. The City of Milwaukee is in the process of revamping North Avenue on the Upper East Side to turn the high traffic area into a pedestrian friendly and ADA compliant zone.
“We’re building on the work we completed last year, we’re trying to make the street more safe and pleasant to walk around,” said city engineer Kevin Muhs.
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The area is home to over a dozen businesses that serve hundreds of people every day and night, making this part of North Avenue a high foot traffic area as people go out to the many restaurants or bars that dot the street.
“We are replacing the curb ramps on the corners to meet the latest ADA regulations; we’re also adding a crossing on the west side of Commerce and North, alongside shortening the crossing distances for all users,” said Muhs. “More space is being allocated to get on and off at the route 21 bus [stop].”
After a settlement with the Department of Justice in 2016, the city agreed to ensure civic access for all people with disabilities, influencing projects in high traffic areas such as this one. The city is trying to rebuild these roads in a way that benefits all of Milwaukee.
“I think the key benefit for people with disabilities is a reduced crossing distance. It’s less exposure to potential hazards, it makes it easier to cross the street safely and more people will yield to pedestrians,” said Muhs.
As disruptive as construction can be, it will occur in different phases, so as to not block the entire road. Construction started on the south side of the street as phase one. Phase two, which was completed recently, was on the north side of the street. The next phase, which began the week of Nov. 4, is a four day paving project throughout the corridor. After paving, they will place concrete barriers marking permanent bike lanes. The project is still on track to be completed by Thanksgiving.
