Construction is expected to begin later this month on a redesign of West Michigan Street in downtown Milwaukee aimed at improving safety for all users, enhancing the street’s appearance and providing better connections to the surrounding area.
The project will transform Michigan Street between Water Street and North 10th Street. The stretch runs past several corporate offices including Regal Rexnord, WEC Energy Group, Fiserv, Enerpac Tool Group and Milwaukee Tool, as well as Zeidler Union Square.
The City of Milwaukee began preliminary design work for the project in 2023 and announced this week that construction is expected to start in mid-July and wrap up later this year. While the road will remain open throughout construction, the city expects temporary lane closures and parking restrictions.
Currently, Michigan Street is designed with two lanes for car traffic in both directions, street parking on both sides of the street and sidewalks.
The redesigned street would reduce the number of lanes dedicated to cars to one lane in each direction, with turning lanes at intersections. A traffic study found that Michigan Street is only used by 4,500 to 7,700 vehicles per day, but is designed to accommodate upwards of 15,000 vehicles per day.
A key part of the redesign is the addition of bike lanes, protected by a concrete barrier at most parts, on both sides of the road and reducing the amount of on-street parking. Currently, there are 112 on-street parking spaces, which will be reduced to 23, according to project plans. Current street parking is less than 65% full, even at busy times, according to a July 2023 parking study. There are also 5,700 off-street parking spaces directly on Michigan Street, 5,000 of which are public, according to city documents.
The project, supported by the Downtown Business Improvement District, will also improve the streetscape by adding landscaped medians and more street trees, in addition to improving the bus stops along the stretch.
Project leaders have said the Michigan Street project is necessary to improve safety on the stretch of road that’s seen more than 116 crashes in the last five years — 32 of which have resulted in injuries — as well as beautify its part of downtown.
