Milwaukee’s reckless driving problems are well documented, and the downtown area is no exception. When the City proposed a roadway project on Wells Street between N. Broadway and N. Van Buren Street, stakeholders and residents called for safety improvements, more interconnectivity between multiple modes of transportation, and a public right-of-way that they could be proud of. Tasked with these objectives, the City turned to raSmith to bring these ideas to fruition.
Prior to the project’s commencement, the Wells Street corridor was effectively a three-lane roadway with on-street bicycle lanes, parking on both sides of every block, and narrow commercial sidewalks. The surrounding land use in this small four-block area covered just about everything — commercial, residential, institutional, and recreational facilities. Restaurants within the corridor would frequently employ the parking lanes for overflow seating, and Cathedral Square Park’s numerous events would spill onto the sidewalks and roadway. Combined with the recent addition of Milwaukee’s streetcar (aka The Hop); the presence of nearby bikeshare stations; dispersed, but ever-present, scooters; and Milwaukee County Transit bus routes; this Wells Street corridor has become less of a roadway and more of a destination.
The First in Wisconsin
With the project completed in spring 2025, Wells Street is now one of the few roadways in the state of Wisconsin to utilize raised, separated bicycle facilities, and this roadway is the first in the state to incorporate them on a connecting state highway. By moving the bicycle lanes up to sidewalk level and out of the street, the roadway could be narrowed to two lanes. And by narrowing the roadway and incorporating curb extensions, more space was allocated for pedestrians, restaurant seating, and landscaping.
These simple actions lowered vehicle travel speeds, improved safety, provided higher utilization of the public right-of-way, and encouraged multiple modes of transportation. In fact, one business owner in the project area saw an opportunity to expand and improve his restaurant capabilities, and he approached raSmith to design the restaurant’s patio areas abutting the roadway.
Overcoming Challenges
Of course, the project was not without its challenges. A tight schedule, heavy utility coordination, various special events, and the nature of roadway design in a downtown commercial district required numerous trips to the proverbial drawing board. raSmith worked diligently and closely with We Energies to reach agreements on the design of the storm sewer and city underground conduit systems.
In addition to the usual nearby events, such as Bastille Days and Jazz in the Park, the project’s construction schedule had to contend with the Republican National Convention, which required a mid-summer project shutdown. Notwithstanding these factors, the roadway design required meticulous attention to detail and non-conventional modeling methods to achieve the City’s goal of minimizing temporary easements.
Learn more about raSmith’s services on this project.
raSmith is Available to Assist
With the success of the Wells Street project, the City of Milwaukee and other governmental agencies are turning to raSmith to address the growing desires and needs for multi-modal transportation infrastructure. Contact us today to discover how we can provide you with creativity beyond engineering.
