MILWAUKEE — It's nearly Summer and more and more bicyclists and pedestrians are out and about. For people who live on the north side of the City of Milwaukee, safe places to ride are few and far between.
For at least 20-years, there have been conversations about adding a bike trail along the 30th Street corridor, alongside existing railways. Some of the people who are working to bring that vision to life say there's more momentum than ever right now to bring the plan to life.
Willie Karidis with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy said The 30th Street Corridor would be essential to re-connecting Milwaukee neighborhoods, he calls the area, which is located between the Hank Aaron State Trail to the south and Havenwoods State Forest to the north, a "trail desert."
He said a 2017 study showed when surveying people on the north side of Milwaukee and in parts of the south side of Milwaukee, only 8% lived within 2 miles of a bike trail.
"If you add the 30th Street Corridor and you add additions to the KK River Trail, that number jumps to 66%," said Karidis.
The 30th Street Corridor trail would be just over 7 miles long.
"It not only provides healthy options for exercise and recreation for your family, but it also provides a transportation option," said Karidis.
Funding, engineering studies, and community meetings have all been underway, as advocates say building this trail would mean equity for Milwaukee's north-side residents.
"There's still a lot of trails in this whole Milwaukee county, but as far as the north side, there's not much here," said Karidis. "Everybody deserves a safe place to recreate and transport themselves."
Now, trail use is up 50% since the pandemic, he said, and support for the trail is building.
"The City of Milwaukee, MMSD, We Energies — they're all behind this now. It's really just allocating funds and making this happen," he said.
The trail would serve 19 of Milwaukee's neighborhoods and Karidis thinks the vision could become reality in the next 5-to-7 years.
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