Village of Menomonee Falls seeks input on multiuse trail

Menomonee Falls - The village is seeking public input on a 10-foot-wide multiuse trail that will run along Fond du Lac Avenue in Rotary Park and connect underneath the 124th street interchange in Milwaukee County.

The project can be completed as early as fall, but not before the village gauges opinions from residents who live along Fond du Lac Avenue and subdivisions in the area at a public information meeting slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Village Hall, N8480 Pilgrim Road. The multiuse trail will run along the north side of Fond du Lac Avenue from 124th Street to Rotary Park.

Once constructed, bikers, pedestrians and joggers can use the trial from Rotary Park to Dretzka Park in Milwaukee.

Trail design

Three design options were presented to the board a few months ago. They were narrowed down to a design that creates an off-street path away from the road, as that seemed to be the preferred option, Director of Engineering Services Tom Hoffman said during a Village Board meeting Monday. Some of the path will have to be on street due to ditches and trees along Fond du Lac Avenue.

The preferred design will be presented to the public at the meeting on a large-scale, 30-foot-long arial display. Residents will be given a packet at the meeting that includes a space for written comment that will be taken into consideration as the design is finalized, Hoffman said.

"More people feel safer when they are biking or running and with kids further away from the roadway," he said.

Project history

The multiuse trail project came up for discussion in 2000, when the village and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation created a project agreement to reconstruct and widen Fond du Lac Avenue from Lilly Road to 124th Street. Before tackling the project, the Transportation Committee requested a residential survey, which found the majority of residents opposed to the widening of the roadway. However, many residents were not opposed to a pedestrian pathway.

In August 2000, the roadway was resurfaced. In November 2004, several property owners returned to the village and asked for the installation of an asphalt path, which brought the path project back to the drawing board.

When this project was first discussed, Village Trustee Michael McDonald said residential opposition was overwhelming and the project was put on hold, with funding diverted to the expansion of Pilgrim Road from Highway 145 to Highway Q. July 2009, the project was moved into Tax Incremental Financing District 5 and in the beginning of 2012 it was placed into the capital improvement budget.

"We all know that road surface is very narrow and extremely difficult for any type of pedestrian or biking activity, very difficult for officers to pull people over for violations and things of that nature," McDonald said, "so anything we can do now would be appreciated not only by all the people who want to utilize that area but also police who might want to be able to do their jobs more safely along that stretch of road surface."

NEXT STEP

WHAT: Multiuse trail information meeting

WHEN: 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Village Hall, N8480 Pilgrim Road