Construction complete on 87th Street going through Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa

 

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Construction is now complete on the half-mile stretch of 87th Street that runs through the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) in Wauwatosa. 

A ribbon cutting was held for the street on Thursday, Sept. 23. City leaders and hospital staff were there to see it and emphasize the importance of the new "complete street" in the area.

A complete street is different from a traditional, car-centric roadway. It prioritize the safety and mobility of all users. In this case it includes separated bike lanes, sidewalks for pedestrians, and lanes for cars and transit vehicles that make it safer for emergency vehicles too.  

"With the expansion of the Medical College growing, Children's Hospital, Froedtert all growing, you need to have a road that was safe," said Eric Conley, the president of Froedtert and MRMC board member. "Adding additions to this street were absolutely a no-brainer." 

The former two lane street with a simple traffic light, now has four lanes. It also has bike lanes and updated traffic lights for heavy pedestrian traffic. 

"If we are to be a successful region the MRMC must be successful," said Wauwatosa's mayor, Dennis McBride. "People are saying 'why are so many people moving to Wauwatosa? Why do they want so many darn apartments?' Well you can blame these folks right here. Because they're providing hundreds of thousands of family-supporting jobs every day and the growth continues." 

Design and construction of the new street began in 2018. 

It's part of the city's goal to update the infrastructure of the growing MRMC campus.