Project Overview
The City of Milwaukee faced several challenges with the existing E. Wells Street roadway, including heavily deteriorated pavement, a lack of safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and obsolete traffic signal and street lighting equipment. raSmith was retained for this connecting highway project to prepare a design that accommodates projected vehicular traffic volumes while greatly improving the pedestrian and bicyclist experience in this urban setting, which is home to many restaurants, businesses, condominiums, and festivals. The “road diet” approach to the project reduced the number of travel lanes while providing increased public space for enjoyment of the many destinations along the corridor, including the expansion of outdoor seating and dining areas.
Integrated into the holistic design of the public space is a raised cycle track, which is a separated bicycle lane in the terrace area between the curb & gutter and sidewalk to provide maximum safety benefits to bicycle users. The implementation of the raised cycle track is one of the first few in the state of Wisconsin and demonstrates the City of Milwaukee’s cutting-edge vision for promoting safe multi-modal transportation for all users. The project will employ green bicycle pavement markings and bike boxes to delineate safe zones for cyclists.
A detailed construction staging and pedestrian accommodation plan was prepared to maximize safe access during construction. The plan included a construction schedule that allowed for the full roadway opening during the Republican National Convention and the popular Bastille Days festival in mid-summer in which thousands of people descend upon the Cathedral Square Park area adjacent to the project.
raSmith’s traffic services on the E. Wells Street project included traffic analysis, a transportation management plan (TMP), and traffic signal design.
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