MILWAUKEE — Making one of the city's scariest streets for pedestrians… safer for everyone.
That is the goal of the city's proposal to fix a 1.5-mile stretch of Oklahoma Avenue.
The avenue is one of the city's Pedestrian High-Injury Networks which means it has one of the highest rates of deaths and injuries for people walking.
Patrick Muncell, a decade-long resident in the area who walks and uses the bus regularly. Says crossing the street for people on foot or bike can be stressful.
“I’ve had to run for my life, practically, crossing the street,” Muncell said. “I’ve seen car crashes right in front of me.”
He says something needs to be done to make it safer for drivers and others using the road.
Milwaukee's Department of Public Works (DPW) is trying to do just that. After months of planning and public input, DPW shared a final draft of safety changes for the busy street.
The final proposal implements road diets, protected bike lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, concrete bump-outs, as well as bus boarding islands. These changes will impact different parts of the stretch of Oklahoma between the 6th and 26th streets.
Residents at Tuesday's meeting shared their concerns and support for the proposal.
“I can see this being so congested people are just going to be sitting there and waiting just to get out into traffic,” said one resident.
Another saying, “There's a lot of other people who use the roads, not just motorists.”
Jeff Arp lives in the area and cycles often, even taking his bike in the rain to Tuesday's meeting. He was in full support of the changes suggested to the thoroughfare.
“I think it’s a great idea because the roads are dangerous,” Arp told TMJ4. “I tend to avoid Oklahoma when I can, but I can't always do that.”
Once DPW receives final approval for the design construction will begin in the summer of 2024.
You can find more information on the project here.
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