Second phase of downtown Milwaukee streetscape project to begin

Second phase of downtown Milwaukee streetscape project to begin
By Mark Kass, for SBT

The second phase of the $7.5 million Wisconsin Avenue streetscape project will get under way in April, aimed at making the main downtown Milwaukee thoroughfare more accessible to pedestrians and to benefit the redevelopment of The Shops of Grand Avenue.
Milwaukee city engineer Jeff Polenske said the work will be on the southern portion of West Wisconsin Avenue between North 2nd and North 4th streets. The northern portion of that same stretch was completed last fall, he said.
Polenske said the Downtown Master Plan, developed in the late 1990s, recommended the development of primary walking corridors between major downtown activity centers, and to promote walking as an attractive means of transportation in the downtown area.
The work is a Federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality Improvement Project, funded through Wisconsin Department of Transportation to develop three primary walking corridors in the downtown area. Those include an east-west corridor on Wisconsin Avenue, a north-south corridor on Water Street, and the improvement of Kilbourn Avenue.
The plans include walkway improvements, enhancements to the walking environment, and the definition of pedestrian space. The streetscape components include:
" Textured sidewalk and other walkway elements;
" Distinctive corner and crosswalk treatments;
" Trees and other landscape features;
" Street lighting improvements;
" Street furnishings and public art;
" And development of a pedestrian way finding system.
"The idea is to allow people that park in a parking structure or come downtown on the bus to be able to walk around the downtown," Polenske said. "We don’t want people who drive their cars to have to park one place, get out to do their shopping and then get back into their cars and drive two or three blocks to get to their next place. We want them to be able to walk in downtown."
Polenske said a second $7.5 million grant will be used for further streetscape improvements on Wisconsin Avenue and North Water Street later in 2003.
City officials said the project is vitally important to the redevelopment of The Shops of Grand Avenue, since the downtown shopping center is undergoing a renovation project to have stores have access from Wisconsin Avenue.
"I think everyone is going to be amazed at how much it will change the appearance of the retail district and enhance the shopping experience," said Julie Penman, commissioner of the Milwaukee Department of City Development.
Joe Weirick, who handles leasing for the Grand Avenue, said the streetscape project would help make access to the mall easier.
"We know we need to open up the mall to the street because it will increase our traffic," he said. "Having blacked out windows facing the street is not an inviting environment. We need to ensure that we are presenting an image of welcoming for anyone that wants to shop at the Grand Avenue."

March 7, 2003 Small Business Times, Milwaukee

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