Wisconsin to receive $25 million for National Ave. reconstruction
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- One of the busiest streets in Wisconsin's biggest city will soon be rebuilt. Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced Thursday the federal government will pay for most of the costs.
Baldwin's office said in a release Wisconsin will receive $25 million to reconstruct the stretch of National Avenue between 1st Street and 39th Street.
Trevor Fannon, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), said in an email the estimated total cost of the project is $39.6 million.
Alejandra Perez, co-owner of the Mr. Churro bakery on the corner of 24th and National, said she was thrilled to learn National Ave. will get a major facelift. She said the potholes that line the major south side artery have cost her company in the past.
"It happened where I have to brake, and all of a sudden, all the trays come sliding up front or toward the back," she said. "And yeah, I've had to return back to the bakery and had to get them redone."
Perez also understands first-hand there's a need to make the street safer. A CBS 58 review of crash data compiled through the University of Wisconsin Community Maps database found 24 crashes since the start of 2020 that caused either fatal or serious injuries along the 39-block stretch of National Ave.
That number does not include the terrifying crash that happened outside Mr. Churro last summer. The bakery's surveillance cameras showed a speeding driver collide with another driver attempting to turn onto 24th Street.
The speeding car flipped, hit a telephone pole and slammed into two pedestrians who were walking nearby. Miraculously, nobody was seriously injured.
"It flipped right here and landing upside down with wheels up on my parking lot," Perez said while standing at the spot where the pole previously stood.
Once reconstructed, much of National Avenue will be narrowed to two traffic lanes with new medians separating vehicles from a bike lane.
The reconstruction project will include narrowing most of the stretch from four traffic lanes to two. Renderings show new medians where strips of greenspace separate the traffic lanes from bike lanes.
The rebuilt street will also feature raised crosswalks and intersections, along with improved lighting and traffic signals. Baldwin's office said the newly announced federal grant is funded by the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Joe Biden signed in 2021.
According to a page for the National Ave. project on WisDOT's website, construction is tentatively set to begin in 2026. A page about the project on the City of Milwaukee's website estimated the project's cost would be $20-25 million. It was not immediately clear why the project cost has nearly doubled.
Perez said while she looked forward to having a repaved National Ave. next to her bakery, she also expressed concern construction closures or delays could keep some traffic away from the business.
"The only thing is, when they do the construction," she said. "Hopefully they don't take too long."