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DOT plans to extend Hank Aaron State Trail in summer

Posted by Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel on March 29, 2011

cycling, trails

The unfinished portion of the Hank Aaron State Trail, from S. 94th Pl. to the Underwood Creek Parkway, will be graded and covered with gravel for use by cyclists and pedestrians in the fall, according to information shared Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Last year, the state opened an extension of the Hank Aaron from Miller Park to S. 94th Pl., leaving the segment to the county line and the Oak Leaf Trail unfinished, pending the reconstruction of the Zoo Interchange.

With that work tentatively scheduled to begin in 2015, the DOT and the Department of Natural Resources worked out a plan to provide a gravel path to the Oak Leaf Trail connection, until the demolition work starts.

The cost will be about $200,000, according to the DOT. A federal grant through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program is expected to cover 80%, and money from the DNR budget will be used for the remainder.

The gravel project will begin after July 4, according to Emlynn Grisar, a spokeswoman for the DOT.

When finished, the extension will provide bicyclists a complete, ridable, off-street (mostly) pathway linking the Milwaukee Lakefront to Miller Park, State Fair Park, the Oak Leaf Trail, Greenfield Park, the New Berlin Recreation Trail and the Glacial Drumlin Trail to Cottage Grove.

That connection point in the Underwood Creek Parkway, immediately south of W. Blue Mound Rd., also would make the Hank Aaron Trail much more accessible for commuters looking to ride to jobs in Milwaukee from New Berlin, Greenfield and Wauwatosa.

The section in blue on the map below depicts the section to be packed with gravel this summer.

22 Comments for "DOT plans to extend Hank Aaron State Trail in summer"

  1. Well it's not completely off road from the lake front to Canal street, there's a lot of riding on city streets in that stretch.

    Frylock Mar 29, 2011 11:16 AM

  2. Should be private funds IMO

    roadamerica Mar 29, 2011 12:05 PM

  3. Good point, Frylock. I'm going to modify the piece to reflect that.

    T. Held Mar 29, 2011 12:23 PM

  4. one of the arguments against paving it all the way from 94th to Underwood
    right away was the Zoo interchange reconstruction. However, even with
    reconstruction only a small portion (if any) of the trail would have to be re-
    done: it seems most of the interchange reconstruction plans include the
    bike path and leave southern part of the interchange in the vicinity of the
    trail fairly the same. In the meantime we can get good 4 years of use out of
    it before it is shutdown for reconstruction. I know I will..

    blathmac Mar 29, 2011 12:32 PM

  5. This is some good news for a change. I use this trail regularly, although, in the winter, I often choose alternate routes due to trail conditions.

    milwpov Mar 29, 2011 12:33 PM

  6. this is wonderful news! as I see it, i think the only stretch that needs
    improvement would be to establish a better connection from the lake front
    to Canal. perhaps through the third ward, a bridge over the Menomonee to
    the HD museum...just a thought

    ellarson Mar 29, 2011 12:43 PM

  7. Very good news. I agree there needs to be at a minimum better signage along the Canal St area and east to the Lake - something more visible to not only trail users but also motorists.

    IMO, this is a great example of what public state trail funds should be used for - a regional trail the connects by my count at least 4 Milwaukee County communities (Milw, West Milw, West Allis, Greenfield), the Waukesha trail network, and then the state Drumlin trail through the communities all the way to Madison. This is a great way to promote people and families not just getting out and enjoying healthy activities, but also to help connect our many communities in the region that for our own sake need to get along better.

    SSide Mar 29, 2011 12:59 PM

  8. Is this extension scheduled to be paved after the Zoo Interchange reconstruction? Also, there is still a section of this extension that is not paved, from the new bridge crossing the river east of Miller Park at about 38th street and 1000' or so heading west. Is there a reason for this?

    rivwst Mar 29, 2011 1:11 PM

  9. I couldn't agree more with your comment ellarson. I've long wished the
    City connected, even if only through a pedestrian bridge, through Canal
    to Walkers Point. The HD Museum took great care to provide nice
    walking/biking paths around the site. It's a pity they (and the museum)
    are so disconnected.

    The barge comes through this area, so I suspect any bridge would have
    to be tall enough to allow clear passage.

    PANTHERfan Mar 29, 2011 1:17 PM

  10. That's the problem with the lakefront/Canal Street path. It would have to involve a pretty major bridge just east of the HD museum and would cross quite a bit of private land, which I assume would be difficult to get access to for a reasonable amount of money. Since S 2nd street was redone, the lakefront to Canal Street stretch is definitely improved bicycle-wise, but is still the weakest link in the system.

    rivwst Mar 29, 2011 1:21 PM

  11. good points rivwst and PANTHERfan. it seems like river traffic is the
    significant barrier. you'd think that HD would lobby to get another point of
    access to the museum from downtown. maybe Buffalo St. where it dead
    ends at the river.
    i'm not complaining though, we have the Hank Aaron trail and bike racks on
    the buses...Milwaukee is coming around!

    ellarson Mar 29, 2011 1:37 PM

  12. People being laid off, State Workers having their benefits reduced and the State of Wisconsin is talking about extending a trail? You have got to be kidding me. Do the Koch's have a gas line running nearby?

    Let's get our priorities straight, quit buying land and turning into state parks and trails and pay off the debt.

    lukelaw Mar 29, 2011 1:48 PM

  13. lukelaw--fine, as long as we stop the unnecessary road and freeway reconstruction. You want to save money? That would be a good place to start.

    rivwst Mar 29, 2011 2:08 PM

  14. rivwst - that unpaved section of the new Hank Aaron Trail at the 37th Street bridge is because of work the DNR is doing east of there to connect the trail to the Mitchell Domes and create a natural area. All of that is scheduled to be done (and paved) by the end of 2012. They need to move heavy equipment on that gravel section of trail and didn't want to ruin new pavement.

    http://www.midwestroads.com/craigholl/bike/hankaaron.html

    http://renewthevalley.org/documents/28-hank-aaron-state-trail-natural-area

    Vandelay Industries Mar 29, 2011 2:41 PM

  15. To Lukelaw, I always love intelligent well thought out posts. If you post one I will congratulate you for it. In the meantime, do you know that a big reason they are extending the bikepath is because of the repaving project on I-94. This will encourage people to commute to work or school by bicycle through that area. Contrary to what people like you may think, many people will do this and it will help the congestion for those that are on the freeway. Interesting how investing in bike paths actually helps the freeways. Funny how that works.

    MU82 Mar 29, 2011 4:44 PM

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