Moorland Road lane addition will curb two bottlenecks

The Waukesha County Department of Public Works and engineering firm raSmith will host a public information meeting for a 1.2-mile road project on Moorland Road in New Berlin.

Crews will add two extra lanes in each direction on Moorland Road between College Avenue and Grange Avenue to match four lane roads that are to the north and south of the project, said Ed Hinrichs, project manager and engineer at Waukesha County. The project will also reconstruct two existing lanes, and is planned for the southern edge of New Berlin on its border with Muskego.

“There is sort of a bottleneck there with four lanes going each way, that narrows down from four to two. The pavement is in bad condition also,” Hinrichs said. The project will also target sight and safety improvements for a hill south of Grange Avenue, he added.

The roadway will stay in its current alignment and crews will repave the two existing lanes. The county will post bidding information in November 2025 and construction is expected to start spring of 2026, Hinrichs noted.

The public can view exhibits on Thursday, Feb. 29 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the New Berlin City Hall Council Chambers, 3805 S. Casper Drive. Representatives from Waukesha County, raSmith and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be there.

The county will also update the project page with the displays on Monday.

Moorland Road reconstruction included in county capital program

According to project plans, crews could perform multiple improvements on Moorland Road, including replacing the existing asphalt and concrete pavement, replacing traffic signals and making improvements to the stormwater system.

Funding for reconstruction is part of Waukesha County’s capital program and is supported by the Surface Transportation Program (STP), according to officials. The program uses federal funding for transportation projects, including roads that aren’t on the State Trunk Highway system. The Federal Highway Administration, WisDOT and Waukesha County all have funds committed to the project, officials added.

The county will seek additional funding, Hinrichs said. The projected cost of the plan – including design, land acquisition and construction – is currently expected to be around $15 million.

The county and New Berlin officials are also assessing the feasibility of adding sidewalks. If the city decides on moving forward on the project, it will help fund sidewalk construction.