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The
East Washington Avenue |
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The City of
Madison, Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation are
reconstructing East Washington Avenue (USH 151). The project employs
context sensitive design in an urban corridor. The project involves the
reconstruction of a 4.5 mile section of East Washington Avenue from
Blair Street to Thierer Road. The plan is to transform East Washington
Avenue into a gateway type street. The existing pavement is being
replaced and bike lanes are being added. Many of the existing trees are
being maintained. Additional landscaping is supplementing the existing
landscaping and special light fixtures are designed to bring a
consistent theme to the entire length of the project. Neighborhoods are
benefiting by improved pedestrian crossings. The project is
being completed in phases and the first phase (Segment 1), constructed
in 2004, completed the portion from Blair Street to Dickinson Street.
The section from STH 30 to Thierer Road (Segment 5) was constructed in
2005. 2006 marked the
third year of construction on East Washington Avenue. The project
reconstructed East Washington Avenue from Dickinson Street to Third
Street and First Street from Winnebago Street to East Johnson Street
(Segment 2). A lot of excitement surrounded the construction because it
included the replacement of the Yahara River Bridge and the construction
of pedestrian / bike paths along the Yahara River. 2007 is the fourth
year of construction on East Washington Avenue.
East Washington Avenue from Third Street to STH 30 (Segment 3) is
being reconstructed with the 2007 construction. This work also includes
the realignment of the Milwaukee Street intersection. Special features
are being designed into this section consistent with prior work on East
Washington Avenue. Colored cross walks and decorative paving in the
medians along with additional landscaping will enhance the aesthetics of
the corridor. A better bus loading area will be provided in front of
East High School. A new decorative fence will be constructed in the
median adjacent to East High School replacing the chain link fence that
exists today. Another component
of the 2007 construction is a portion of the Starkweather Creek Bike
Path. This pathway will eventually connect the existing Starkweather
Creek Bike Path that runs to MATC with the existing Capital City Trail
which connects the east side with downtown Madison. The portion of the
Starkweather Path that will be built with the East Washington Avenue
project is the segment from Darbo Drive to Commercial Avenue. This
includes a pedestrian bridge over East Washington Avenue near Marquette
Street. Planning on the STH 30 interchange (Segment 4), scheduled for 2009, is now underway. Segment 4 will include the reconstruction of East Washington Avenue from Marquette Street to Melvin Court and the reconstruction of STH 30 from East Washington Avenue to Fair Oaks Avenue. It is also hoped that the portion of the Starkweather Creek Path from Commercial Avenue to the existing Starkweather Path just south of Aberg Avenue can be completed with the Segment 4 work. This section of pathway will include a pedestrian / bike bridge over Aberg Avenue near the Starkweather Creek. The Starkweather Path is dependent on obtaining funding. |
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Construction:
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| Last Updated 05/08/08 | ||
