MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee has just been awarded a $25,000 grant as part of something called the Asphalt Art Initiative— which supports projects that use art to improve street safety.
"We'll be shutting down right turn slip lanes and adding art to it," explained DPW's Kate Riordan when asked to describe how the grant money will be used.
A slip lane is an additional lane that branches to the right and allows drivers to turn, in some cases, without coming to a complete stop.
"Oftentimes, people will just be looking for other vehicles to make sure that it's safe for them to turn without really looking to see if there's people walking," continued Riordan.
Milwaukee is one of 25 winning cities selected by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
DPW says the grant award and the eventual projects are made possible through partnerships with LUNA LLC, Near West Side Partners and Sixteenth Street Community Health Center.
The Department of Public Works says the grant money will create safer spaces for pedestrians and people on bikes in two places in the city — at 27th and Highland and at 16th and Lapham.
The slip lanes will be blocked with plastic delineators, or posts, and the area will be brightly painted by local high school students. You can expect to see that begin in the spring of 2024.
"I think the art really helps people to see the street and the sidewalks as their own community spaces," added Riordan.
The change will force drivers to turn right from the remaining driving lane as they do on many other streets.
DPW says it plans to slowly phase out slip lanes across the city, as future road projects come up in areas where they currently exist.
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