Capitol Drive overhaul still waiting for a start date
DOT will not work on three big east-west routes at once
March 10, 2010 | 0 comments
Some significant changes are slated for Capitol Drive in Brookfield and Wauwatosa, but the state Department of Transportation isn't yet quite sure when those changes will take place.
The DOT is launching a large-scale rehabilitation on Capitol Drive, also known as Highway 190, on a nearly nine-mile stretch between Highway 74 in Pewaukee and Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa, but the timeline for the project depends on when work commences on two other projects, DOT spokesman Dennis Shook said.
In the next two years, the DOT is planning to resurface Interstate 94 from Highway 164 in Waukesha to 32nd Street in Milwaukee and Bluemound Road from the east side of Waukesha to the Brookfield/Elm Grove/Wauwatosa border.
The state is still waiting to hear whether federal funding is available for the I-94 project, and the DOT doesn't want three major east-west routes torn up at the same time, Shook said.
Turn lanes, sidewalks planned
In the Capitol Drive project, the entire roadway will be resurfaced and several safety improvements - including adding turn lanes, replacing traffic signals and closing some medians - will be made.
Sidewalks will be built on both sides of Capitol from 124th Street to Brookfield Road, save for a small segment in front of Wisconsin Memorial Park. The state and city will share the cost, with the state paying 80 percent of the construction costs and the city chipping in 20 percent.
The city is responsible for purchasing right-of-way interests and easements for the project and has set aside $750,000 for that purpose in the 2010 capital budget.
In conjunction with the project, the city and state also will make improvements at the Capitol and Calhoun intersection, including adding turn lanes and creating a fourth through lane for 1,000 feet along Capitol on either side of Calhoun. The city has set aside $200,000 for right-of-way acquisition this year.
Brookfield Public Works Director Tom Grisa said despite the fluid timeline for the Capitol Drive rehabilitation, the city still plans to borrow $400,000 for the sidewalk construction and $500,000 for Calhoun intersection improvements in 2011.
The city also plans to spend $450,000 to improve the intersection at Beaufort Drive. Grisa said the improvements will make the intersection signal-ready, but no decision has been made about installing traffic signals.
Work in Wauwatosa is limited
Aside from the resurfacing work and improvements to the 124th and Capitol intersection, Wauwatosa residents won't see big changes on Capitol Drive. The westbound bridge over the Menomonee River Parkway will be redecked, and the eastbound left-turn lane onto 110th Street near Columbia West Clinic will be lengthened to 150 feet.
Capitol Drive will stay open throughout the project, though some lanes will be closed at times to accommodate traffic, said Steve Huberty of Graef, the firm providing engineering consulting.
Final plans for the project are expected by November.
COMMENTS
Comments on the Highway 190 project can be sent to: Project Engineer Christine Rawson, WisDOT, P.O. Box 798, Waukesha, WI 53187.
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