Sixth Street roundabout in Milwaukee could be reworked

By TOM DAYKIN

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A Walker’s Point roundabout which has seen a lot of car crashes could be replaced by a traditional intersection as part of a new proposal pending at City Hall.

The same plan also calls for removing nearby railroad tracks that run across part of West Canal Street and create a hazard for people riding bikes.

Both projects would be financed through property tax revenue generated by Reed Street Yards, a Walker’s Point business park anchored by Rite-Hite Holding Corp.’s headquarters.

The proposal, from Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s administration, calls for spending $17.2 million from the Reed Street Yards tax incremental financing district on street work and other projects within or near Walker’s Point.

It needs Common Council approval, with the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee to review the proposal on July 28.

The financing plan would provide up to $8.95 million for public infrastructure improvements; $2.5 million for commercial corridor programs; $2.5 million for property acquisition and related site work, and $1 million for housing programs.

The infrastructure work would include an estimated $1.8 million to redesign and improve the Sixth Street Roundabout at West Florida Street. That’s among the plan’s largest public improvement projects.

The roundabout saw 58 crashes from 2020 through 2023, an average of nearly 15 per year, according to the city Department of Public Works.

Much of that was tied to drivers drag racing south on Sixth Street, seeing the traffic light for the West Virginia Street intersection just south of the roundabout, and hopping the curb and driving on the grass near Great Lakes Distillery, 616 W. Virginia St., said City Engineer Kevin Muhs.

A 2023 crash tied to the roundabout damaged Thelma Carol Wine Merchants, 605 W. Virginia St.

The department installed barriers on Sixth Street, between Canal and Virginia streets, that reduced the traffic lanes from four to two, Muhs said. That cut crashes to five in 2024 and seven in 2025, according to department data.

Now, department officials want to consider other measures, including a possible smaller roundabout, Muhs said, or perhaps replacing the roundabout with a conventional traffic light intersection.

The Sixth Street Roundabout opened around 20 years ago when the street’s viaduct was replaced.

Since then, U.S. cities have been adding smaller roundabouts which are simpler to navigate, Muhs said. That includes a new roundabout at West Lisbon Avenue and North 92nd Street, and another under construction at Lisbon Avenue and 84th Street, he said.

The roundabout study will include gathering public feedback, Muhs said.

Railroad track bike hazard to be removed

Other infrastructure projects within the tax financing proposal include removing unused railroad tracks that run diagonally across Canal Street, near Interstate 43/94’s High Rise Bridge. That carries a $500,000 estimated cost.

Those tracks are hazardous for cyclists, said Kirsten Finn, Wisconsin Bike Fed executive director.

They “are particularly bad there because of the angle of the tracks across the roadway and the treacherously deep grooves on either side of the rail,” Finn said. “The situation only gets worse when they are at all wet.”

Her husband, Bill Finn, crashed on the tracks around 15 years ago after his rear tire slid on a slick rail. He was knocked unconscious for about a minute.

“I remember waking up on the ground,” he said. “Now, I’m extra careful.”

That stretch of Canal Street includes a wide sidewalk that’s part of the Hank Aaron State Trail.

But many cyclists prefer the street in part because numerous business driveways which intersect with the trail create a hazard, the Finns said. Also, the tracks cross the trail.

Other larger public works projects include repaving South Second Street, between West Florida and West Oregon streets, and reconstructing the sidewalks and abutments on that block – which is traversed by a railroad bridge.

That’s to cost approximately $1.9 million.

It would complement a $3.2 million plan to upgrade South Second Street between downtown and West Maple Street. That’s to include a two-way protected bike lane, high-visibility crosswalks, and other changes to make the street safer.

Pedestrian underpass improvements planned

Also, there are plans to improve the West Seeboth Street pedestrian underpass, between South First and South Second streets, with new pavement, lighting, signs, and public art. That’s a $350,000 project.

“We want to make that connection continues to exist,” Muhs said. “We want to make sure it feels comfortable and safe.”

The underpass is near newer commercial developments, including Cream City Lofts, 170 S. Second St.

That block also features some redevelopment candidates, such as the former Just Art’s Saloon and its adjoining lots, at 181, 183 and 185-187 S. Second St., and the Lindsay Brothers and Walsh buildings, at 126 and 160 S. Second St.