Sounds like a good project for Stimulus money. Cities are putting together
their projects for Stim funds now, and this would be eligible for both
Enhancements and general STP-U funding. Fitchburg would need to put it on their
list to WisDOT (for Enhancements) and/or the MPO (for STP-U).
________________________________
From: "Meiers, Steve" <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2009 10:26:11 AM
Subject: [Bikies] FW: FW: Badger Trail Delayed
________________________________
From: Troy Thiel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 10:00 AM
To: Schimpff, Jeff
A - DNR; Huber, Thomas - DOT
Cc: Meiers, Steve; Solomon, Brian; Clear,
Mark; Webber, Robbie; Brian Conger; [email protected]; Michael D.
Barrett;
Daniels, Marilyn - DOT; Duffe, John - DOT; 'Samantha Herheim'; White-Quam, Dana
M - DNR
Subject: RE: FW: [Bikies] Badger Trail
Delayed
Tom,
Thanks so much for your informational update...much appreciated. And thanks
for your efforts statewide. Patience is a virtue as they say. Keep up the
good work.
Best, Troy Thiel
--- On Thu, 4/2/09, Huber, Thomas - DOT <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Huber, Thomas - DOT <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: FW: [Bikies] Badger Trail Delayed
To: "'[email protected]'" <[email protected]>, "Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR"
<[email protected]>
Cc: "Steve Meiers" <[email protected]>, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]>, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]>, "Robbie Webber" <[email protected]>,
"Brian Conger" <[email protected]>, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]>, "Michael D. Barrett" <[email protected]>,
"Daniels, Marilyn - DOT" <[email protected]>, "Duffe, John - DOT"
<[email protected]>, "'Samantha Herheim'"
<[email protected]>, "White-Quam, Dana M - DNR"
<[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2009, 9:34 AM
Hi Troy and Jeff. We have over a hundred of these types of projects in the
works, so I had to pull the application for this project to refresh my memory.
This project was just approved last Fall. The City of Fitchburg applied to a
program where funds for construction are not available until fiscal year 2010.
However, these same funds are available for the engineering of projects in
fiscal year 2009 if the project is authorized in that year. The City did state
in the application that construction would be in 2009 but that was very, very
hopeful. They were reminded by us in that application that construction could
only begin in 2010; quote from application form: "due to previous year project
commitments, major new funds are only available in state Fiscal Year 2010."
That is what Paul Woodward must be referring to when he indicated, as noted by
Larry Nelson below, that WisDOT did not have sufficient funding.
Here is the status of the project and the next steps. Before a project is
authorized it has to have an approved project agreement. I understand there is
no project agreement for this project yet. Once it is authorized, then the
city can incur costs related to engineering and can be reimbursed for those
expenses ($50,000 is included for engineering work). I imagine that a fair
amount of the engineering work will be for the intersection designs (about 10
street crossings). Even if the city moves quickly with the engineering work,
this is at best a 2010 construction project. Even though this appears to be a
straight-forward, relatively easy project, it must follow the same procedures
and rules as a federally-aided highway project. Unfortunately, this adds
significantly to the time it takes to deliver the project. Add to that the
fact that construction funds are not available until fiscal year 2010. A more
complicated project in Fitchburg - the
Fish Hatch trail overpass - was approved in 2004 and I think will be
constructed this summer. That gives you an idea of how long these projects
take to deliver. Anytime you can get a federally-funded project built and open
in a 2 year time frame from the date of project approval, that places that
project in the upper 5 to 10% of all projects based on timeline performance.
Sorry to break the bad news to you. I know there was lots of fanfare when this
project's approval was first announced, but the timeline was probably not very
realistic given the issues above.
Troy, regarding asphalt vs. crushed stone. I am absolutely certain both
Fitchburg and the DNR thoroughly analyzed the pros and cons of both before
they decided on the chosen surfacing type. It is not uncommon to have the
surfacing type change once a state trail nears a metro area. Other examples
include the Fox River Trail in Green Bay, the Glacial Drumlin Trail in
Waukesha, and the Chippewa River Trail in Eau Claire.
-----Original Message-----
From: Troy Thiel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 10:10 AM
To: Huber, Thomas - DOT; Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR
Cc: Steve Meiers; [email protected]; [email protected];
Robbie Webber; Brian Conger; [email protected]; Michael D. Barrett
Subject: Re: FW: [Bikies] Badger Trail Delayed
Jeff and Tom, (I've copied in other bike advocates to this note)
I completely agree with Jeff's note below...also see the note I sent earlier
this am to Larry Nelson and Paul Woodard....this decision needs to be
revisited...
Larry and Tom,
Thanks for the update..unfortunate though that it is...this issue of paving
the 6 miles from PD to Paoli connect is sorta silly....its crushed gravel the
entire way south, like most rails to trails..which this literally is...and if
someone who is commuting wants to be ride on pavement...there's road parallel
basically...the commuter count from that direction is at best probably less
than 10 people....meanwhile the user count would be in the hundreds
weekly...including allied drive programs for kids and cycling tourists...and
the base is already in place from the old rail line so literally a good
bulldozer and fill and stamp would go a long way to finishing this trail to
the major urban area that it resides on and would be a LOT cheaper-it would be
nice to save a lot of that money for other purposes....and consistent in theme
that the route already has. Why this has to be engineered to the level
proposed is beyond me and does not jive with
how these routes have been handled.
Best, Troy
--- On Wed, 4/1/09, Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: [Bikies] Badger Trail Delayed
To: "Huber, Thomas - DOT" <[email protected]>
Cc: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 9:45 AM
Hello, Tom,
The latest news about the year delay in completing the Fitchburg Badger Trail
segment seems entirely contrary to the announcement at the end of last summer,
that funding was appropriated and the project was an unqualified "GO" for the
end of this summer, 2009.
What has really happened to the funds that were committed many months ago to
complete this project this year?
This connection would create a non-highway link to the first U.S. non-highway
coast-to-coast trail, the American Discovery Trail. Giving a half million
residents of southern Wisconsin an opportunity to pedal down to Rockford, then
head West or East to the Rockies or Appalachians, would provide an
opportunity for a low-cost, invigorating vacation of a lifetime. Facilitating
an economy-stimulating travel opportunity with near-zero climate change
emissions is an ideal way to roll into the coming new, sustainable global
economy. It should have the highest priority among all transportation
projects in the state!
This segment should be build this year as originally announced!
Jeff Schimpff
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Madison, WI
608-267-7853
"Bus, Bike, Carpool to Work for Clean Air for Kids"
________________________________
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nelson, Larry
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 9:25 AM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Bikies] Badger Trail Delayed
I talked to Paul Woodard, DPW of Fitchburg. He informed me that the WIDOT did
not have sufficient Enhancement Funds to proceed with this project in 2009.
Fitchburg is in the process of retaining a consultant to design the work in
Mid-May and Fitcburg has submitted the paving of the Badger Trail as a
Stimulus Project (ARRA.)
Without Stimulus Enhancement funding, the WIDOT could bid the work after July
2010. With Stimulus funding and the completion the plans, the work could
begin in Spring 2010.
________________________________
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Troy Thiel
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 3:07 PM
To: [email protected]; Meiers, Steve
Subject: Re: [Bikies] Badger Trail Delayed
I was really bummed to read this....why is "paving" required? When Jeff
Schimpff and I rode this last summer, it's pretty clear that there's a base
already there that just needs to be improved south of Whalen...the path is
crushed gravel at its completed spots....and south of PD it just needs to be
cleared as well with a few crossings improved or created (across Seminole
south of Lacy)....the north of PD area could initially be rerouted to the bike
lanes along Seminole...that crossing site north is where the biggest work
is...but south of PD its in easy to get done condition....I hope they revisit
that delay
Troy Thiel
=
--- On Mon, 3/30/09, Meiers, Steve <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Meiers, Steve <[email protected]>
Subject: [Bikies] Badger Trail Delayed
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Date: Monday, March 30, 2009, 2:28 PM
From today's State Journal
Completion of the Badger State Trail in southern Dane County has been delayed
until next year.
Fitchburg engineer Ahnaray Bizjak said the city had hoped to begin paving the
last segment of the 33-mile bicycle trail that runs from Illinois to Madison.
When completed, riders will be able to go as far south as Freeport, Ill.
But not this year. A $1.1 million federal grant will come too late, she said.
• Badger Trail site
"There’s no way it can be built this year," Bizjak said, adding that paving
will start next spring.
The project began more than six years ago when the state Department of
Natural Resources started leasing an abandoned rail line from the state
Department of Transportation, DNR property manager Steve Johnston said. In
July 2007, the southern segment, which is surfaced with finely crushed
limestone, opened between Illinois and Purcell Road in Fitchburg.
Paving the last 6.1-mile segment between Purcell Road and Madison’s Southwest
Path will allow it to be used by bike commuters, Bizjak said.
The DNR estimates the trail had 176,000 users last year. Johnston said the
count includes about 8,000 snowmobilers who use the portion from Paoli south.
The number also includes some who use the trail every day.
"It’s had an incredible amount of use," he said.
For information, see www.badger-trail.com.
— Dee J. Hall
Got a question? We'll find the answer. Send them all to [email protected]
Just Ask Us, PO Box 8058, Madison, WI, 53708.
Steve Meiers
Safety educator
(608) 267-1102
[email protected]
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