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Harbor Commission endorses bike traffic on Hoan Bridge

Posted by Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel on Oct. 14, 2011

Hoan Bridge, cycling

The Milwaukee Board of Harbor Commissioners sided with cycling advocates on Thursday and endorsed bike and pedestrian traffic on the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge.

The unanimous vote in favor of a supportive resolution came just a week after Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke called a bike lane on the Hoan "the dumbest idea I ever heard." Clarke made his comments while discussing the death of Bobby E. Jiles, 39, who was hit by a car while tending to his disabled vehicle in a southbound traffic lane. The collision knocked Jiles off the bridge.

Since then, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and local law enforcement worked to improve safety for traffic on the bridge, which has limited room for vehicles due to ongoing repair work.

The Harbor Commission oversees the Port of Milwaukee, directly under the Hoan, and serves as the landlord for the city's property extending from the Coast Guard station in Bay View to the Henry Maier Festival Grounds and Veteran's Park.

The resolution in support of a bike accommodation includes a caveat: that the access for bikers and pedestrians can be provided safely.

Whether that can be accomplished is being studied the consulting firm Graef-USA, under a $100,000 contract with the DOT. The engineering firm was hired to analyze alternative approaches to accommodating bike and pedestrians on the bridge, and to determine the safety and cost.

The study is part of a larger engineering project leading to the reconstruction of the bridge in 2013. That project is estimated to cost $275 million to $350 million.

The report on the bike lane feasibility is expected to be released later this year, after a review by department staff.

Bikers ride over the Hoan during the UPAF Miller Lite Ride for the Arts.

Commissioner Craig Mastantuono, a local attorney, moved for approval of the resolution.

"Commercial transit like that generated around Port activity and commuter and recreational transit like that on a bike/ped way need not be in competition with each other," Mastantuono said. "The Port of Milwaukee supports WisDOT's study on how to move this issue forward, and create a safe, non-motorized traffic alternative over the inner Harbor tract."

"We support studying ideas before criticizing or ruling them out, particularly when complex engineering issues are involved."

Dozens of cyclists argued in favor of a bike and pedestrian lane at a public hearing in August, continuing a drive that started shortly after the iconic bridge opened in the late 1970s. Bicyclists and pedestrians have been prohibited from traversing the bridge for decades, and the DOT and state officials have been firm in their opposition to opening it to non-motorized vehicles.

The push for a bike lane gained momentum earlier this year, when the DOT agreed to allow the UPAF Ride for the Arts and the Summerfest Rock 'n Sole runs to utilize the span.

On Wednesday, Kevin Hardman, the executive director of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, published a commentary calling the bridge a vital link connecting a 163-mile path for cyclists along Lake Michigan.

"The impact of a nearly continuous trail system between Chicago to Door County would be huge," Hardman wrote. "Wisconsin is already leaps and bounds ahead of Pure Michigan in terms of trails that connect the communities along the lake."

44 Comments for "Harbor Commission endorses bike traffic on Hoan Bridge"

  1. Great development. I look forward to riding over the bridge on my bike once the bike lane is complete.

    Padraig Oct 14, 2011 12:19 PM

  2. Me Too !!!

    boverboard Oct 14, 2011 12:43 PM

  3. Ok, I just don't get it. There are a ton of different options for a bike route along this bridge: Segregated bike lane, semi-segregated bike lane, on-street bike lane, bike/bus lane, etc. that there must be SOMETHING that will satisfy the "omfg, people are going to be killed out there" crowd. This what they have on the 59th bridge in NYC:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9laUiweAo4

    Fully separated with steel beams from the rest of traffic, and it's popular enough that thousands of people take it every day. There has to be *some* type of bike route that satisfies the safety crowd...

    kumicho Oct 14, 2011 1:27 PM

  4. You see deaths ahead because you are posting on something you know nothing about. The way the bike path would be designed would not make it dangerous for bikers and would certainly make it safer than biking along 1st or 2nd street instead.

    MU82 Oct 14, 2011 1:46 PM

  5. This has got to be a joke. The thousands of people please how about the hundred of thousand vehicles that use this 12 months out of the year. How much would it cost? How often would it be used a couple months out of the year? Its a death trapwaiting to happen. You know how windy it is on that bridge wake up 1/2 ton vehicles are affected by the wind. Try driving a motorcycle over it on a windy day you bike freaks. Go ahead build it it will weed out the bike population death or serious injury is the likely result.

    kurkman Oct 14, 2011 3:41 PM

  6. liberalism is a mental disorder

    kurkman Oct 14, 2011 3:48 PM

  7. Just biked the GG in San Francisco this morning. Granted today is a rare weather day on the Bay as sunny, warm (but breezy). Businesses have popped up supporting the pedestrian/bike walkway as promoted as a half day (or full day) excursion. Bike one way and take ferry back is one of the options. Not suggesting that Milwaukee and the Hoan has quite the same draw as this national icon but you work with what you have. Do this trail right and segregate completely from traffic by hanging off side. No jersey barriers or you will create something out of a gulag. The Hoan is a gap tooth in a beautiful smile that is Milwaukee's lakefront. Build this trail. Promote this trail. The return will be well worth the investment.

    buitternut Oct 14, 2011 4:08 PM

  8. According to an article in the Bay View Compass, a bike lane is now being built connecting Bay View to downtown, at a cost of over a million dollars, using existing city streets:

    http://bayviewcompass.com/archives/8781

    How does this affect the Hoan's getting a bike lane?

    I'm confused and hope someone can explain why there is this apparent duplication of efforts.

    BVGino Oct 14, 2011 5:06 PM

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