DPW debuts plans for Van Buren Street transformation project

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) released its plans to transform Van Buren Avenue into a safer multimodal road.

The locally funded project targets Van Buren Avenue between Brady Street and Wisconsin Avenue, a section with a high number of pedestrian injuries and deaths.

"Really looking to implement a lot of safety improvements, but also just trying to make the street a little bit more enjoyable," DPW Multimodal Transportation Manager Mike Amsden said. 

The project aims to reduce car speeds and crashes, while improving pedestrian and biking accommodations.

"We want Van Buren to be a place for all ages and all abilities, so we need to think about how to use the built infrastructure to do that," Ald. Jonathan Brostoff said.

This project comes as Milwaukee ties for the fourth worst-maintained roads in any urban area in the United States, according to a study from Teletrac Navman. 

"A lot of it has to do with our climate," Amsden said.

The study found that road conditions are costing Milwaukee car owners an additional $944 on average each year.

City leaders point to a lack of investment from the state as a contributing cause.

"No, it doesn't surprise me because I'm aware of the circumstances that led us to it. Shared revenue is probably the biggest one," Brostoff said.

Brostoff said the shared revenue bill making its way through the Senate could help turn the trend around.

"There would be an opportunity for growth each, where it would be able to keep up as opposed to being frozen in place where it's at now," Brostoff said.

The city anticipates starting construction on the Van Buren project as soon as spring 2024.