DOT staff, area reps host meeting on Hoan Bridge bike lane
Prospects for a bike and pedestrian lane on the Hoan Bridge have shifted from no to maybe, and residents have been invited to share their views at a neighborhood meeting in Bay View on Aug. 23.
The session will start at 5 p.m. in the Beulah Brinton Community Center, 2555 S. Bay St.
State Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) says planners from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be on hand to gather input; part of their consideration of a bike lane in the upcoming bridge reconstruction.
Ten years ago, the DOT rejected a proposal to dedicate one of the six lanes on the bridge to non-motorized traffic, but are taking another look at it now.
Richards is among the local leaders saying yes to the idea. He'll be one of the meeting hosts, along with State Sen. Chris Larson and Rep. Chris Sinicki.
"It's something we talked about 10 years ago, and at that time, the DOT decided to go in anther direction," Richards said. "Ten years later, that other option is not complete."
Richards refers to the Bay View to Downtown bike route, which remains in its initial phase.
"The Miller Lite Ride for the Arts showed there's a strong interst in riding over the Hoan," Richards said. "It's accessible and will provide a spectacular view of Milwaukee. It's also the quickest way to get from the north side of town to the south side on your bike."
Bikers cross the Hoan in the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts in June.
In 2002, cost and safety were the problems cited by the DOT when it chose the on-street connector route.
Cycling advocates have worked for nearly a decade to show the road planners they were wrong.
A review of the bike lane is expected to be completed by fall. For more details on the reconstruction project, check out this page on the DOT website.
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