Three Wisconsin communities will share $9.2 Million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Program. The funds awarded to Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse will be used to make improvements in street safety to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.
By Lisa M. Hale
WISCONSIN – (WGBW & WISS) – Three Wisconsin communities will share $9.2 Million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Program. The funds awarded to Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse will be used to make improvements in street safety to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced distribution last week. “Whether traveling by car, foot, or bike, the streets in our communities should be designed to keep our community members safe,” said Senator Baldwin in a press release. “Sadly, we’ve seen the sometimes-deadly consequences of outdated infrastructure and it’s high time to address it. I am proud to bring home this funding and give our local communities the tools they need to make our streets safer for anyone traveling.”
Oshkosh will receive the lion’s share of the funding – over 8 million dollars – to design and construct a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over I-41 to keep non-motorized traffic out of the roundabouts.
Green Bay will use $916,000 to create a street safety action plan for bicyclists. The city plans bicycle and pedestrian risk assessments, street lighting assessments, and bike share feasibility studies.
La Crosse will receive $280,000 to develop a safety plan to reduce and eliminate serious crashes for all roadway users. The city will use the funding to create a safety action plan with a goal of reducing fatal crashes. La Crosse recently approved a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plan for the city that highlighted problem areas, most frequently at intersections of major roadways.
Baldwin Delivers $9.2 Million to Improve Street Safety in Wisconsin
Baldwin-backed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to help protect bikers and walkers, slow down cars, and minimize accidents
WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced Wisconsin communities will receive $9.2 million in federal funding to make needed road safety improvements. The funding, from the Baldwin-backed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, has been awarded to Green Bay, Oshkosh, and La Crosse and will be used to plan, design, and implement proven safety interventions, such as the construction of bicycle and pedestrian bridges in Oshkosh and speed management tools in Green Bay, to help reduce roadway incidents and make our streets safer for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers.
“Whether traveling by car, foot, or bike, the streets in our communities should be designed to keep our community members safe,” said Senator Baldwin. “Sadly, we’ve seen the sometimes-deadly consequences of outdated infrastructure and it’s high time to address it. I am proud to bring home this funding and give our local communities the tools they need to make our streets safer for anyone traveling.”
The federal funding, from the Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program, has been awarded to the following Wisconsin communities:
City of Oshkosh: $8,061,592 to design and construct a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 41 to divert non-motorized users from the roundabouts. The roundabouts have accounted for 17 bike injuries and four pedestrian injuries and the overpass closest to the proposed bridge experienced two fatal and 11 suspected serious-injury crashes from 2018 to 2022. The funding will improve multimodal connectivity and safety, enhance economic activity, and provide operational benefits for all modes in the area by connecting the bicycle and pedestrian network through a crossing separate from motor vehicle travel.
City of Green Bay: $916,000 to develop a comprehensive safety action plan and conduct supplemental planning and demonstration activities. The supplemental planning activities will consist of a bicycle and pedestrian risk assessment, street lighting assessment, bike share feasibility study, a speed management plan, and more. The demonstration activities will include education strategies, traffic calming strategies, deploying real-time speed management devices, and identifying specific targeted enforcement strategies.
City of La Crosse: $280,000 for the La Crosse Area Planning Committee to develop a comprehensive safety action plan aimed at reducing and eliminating serious-injury and fatal crashes for all roadway users. The comprehensive safety action plan will use data analysis to identify and assess roadway safety problems. By focusing on the most significant safety risks, the City of La Crosse in collaboration with surrounding towns, villages, and cities will be able to strengthen the community’s approach through targeted projects and strategies.
