Milwaukee DPW beginning design process to improve several city streets

MILWAUKEE — It’s lower than every week into the New 12 months and the Metropolis of Milwaukee Division of Public Works (DPW) is already getting began on tasks that received’t break floor till 2027.

On Thursday the Milwaukee Public Works Committee met for the primary time this yr. Members shared a usually optimistic tone about the place the town is headed in the direction of combatting reckless driving, although there have been issues about how a lot could be executed with out a shift in mindset by the state.

“There does appear to be a conflict of philosophy between [The Department of Transportation] and the town,” Ald. Bob Bauman stated. “It’s a rising level of rivalry.”

Bauman is the chair of the Public Works Committee. He raised many questions at Thursday’s assembly about what could be executed to influence state-run roadways.

Whereas most streets in Milwaukee are maintained by the town, there are numerous others that aren’t.

As the primary title asserts, county trunk highways are maintained by the county and state trunk highways are owned, maintained, and operated by the county and state respectively. There are additionally connecting highways which, in line with DPW, are owned and maintained by the town.

“After we do tasks, work on connecting freeway tasks, we work with the state,” David Tapia, Main Tasks Supervisor for DPW stated.

There have been 12 resolutions introduced earlier than the Committee Thursday, which embrace $4,782,000 in funding. The town could be liable for 20 % of that funding, or $976,000. The opposite funding could be met by the state with assist from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Invoice. A further $65,000 will apparently be dealt with by the Metropolis of Wauwatosa.

DPW says these places have been initiated by the state so cash could be programmed for them. This is step one within the mission growth course of, so the earliest projected date for building is 2027.

Within the design course of for these areas and intersections, DPW says they may search for potential site visitors calming measures within the course of. Nevertheless, Bauman raised issues that the town and state can get on the identical web page.

“[DOT] actually [does] perceive the place we’re with the town with the problems we’ve,” Tapia stated.

“Are we positive about that?” Bauman stated. “That they perceive that?”

“I do,” Tapia stated. “They do perceive it and are working with us to the perfect of their potential and we’ll proceed to push that envelope as a lot as we will to get what we imagine is the perfect, most secure system we will on the market.”

Under are 33 tasks DPW has accomplished or is within the means of finishing since final yr.

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Bauman doubled down about how the philosophy from DOT wants to vary to ensure that Milwaukee to see actual change. He’s steadfast in supporting the town’s Imaginative and prescient Zero efforts, seeking to get zero deaths and nil extreme accidents from site visitors crashes.

“[DOT] has to get off this method of ‘let’s transfer vehicles and vans as quick and effectively as we will,’” Bauman stated. “There’s a value to that and that price is within the type of crashes and fatalities.”

Bauman’s issues are backed up by knowledge. From 2020 to 2022, 290 individuals have been killed in crashes in Milwaukee County. Within the prior three years, from 2017-2019, there have been 228 deaths; a 27.2 % improve.

Two of the most important drawback areas are roads like Capitol Drive and Fond du Lac Avenue; roads which are thought-about state trunk highways underneath DOT management.

“I simply assume we have to take a brand new method, particularly among the many engineers and specialists,” Bauman stated. “It’s actually a coverage query after which, from that coverage choice, the engineers execute the tasks to attain that coverage objective. There’s some progress being made, sure. Apparently. We’ll see.”

The I-Workforce reached out to the DOT for a response to Bauman’s feedback but it surely didn’t reply by our deadline.

Relating to Bauman’s issues about philosophical variations between DOT and the Metropolis of Milwaukee, State Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson instructed the I-Workforce in November he supported Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s imaginative and prescient round combatting reckless driving.

“We’ve bought to ensure and do our due diligence however philosophically, very supportive of what the mayor is doing,” Thompson stated.

In December, Gov. Tony Evers reiterated supporting Milwaukee’s efforts at combatting reckless driving by the finances.

“A number of the cash that through the pandemic we supplied to the Metropolis of Milwaukee to make these sorts of infrastructure adjustments on varied streets, they’re working,” Evers stated. “So we are going to proceed to fund that in our transportation finances.”

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