I checked in the status of the paving of the final section of the Badger Trail from the intersection of the SW Trail/Capital City Trail south towards Paoli. This is a WDNR project using Federal Enhancement Funding, administered through WDOT. The City of Fitchburg is leading the project on behalf of WDNR.
Project Engineer: Anna Bizak, City of Fitchburg Transportation Engineer Consultant: SAA Project Owner: WDNR, Dana White-Quam The project will be a "local let", meaning the contract will be advertized and let by the City of Fitchburg. The preliminary PSE (Plans, Specifications, and Estimates of Cost) will be submitted by Fitchburg to the WDOT Consultant Project Administration, KJohnson Engineers, at the end of the month. Bizak anticipates bidding in December of 2009 with construction starting in the Spring with paving scheduled as soon as the asphalt plants are open. As with most transportation projects, there are "design exceptions". One of the most significant is that posed by steep railroad embankments, which are on the order of a century old. An exception is required to avoid installing a railing along the trail. The City of Madison had the same issue on the SW Bike Trail - the same railroad corridor - and did not install a railing. The conclusion during design was that the railing would pose more risk than the embankment, which of course has been borne out in usage. I am looking forward to completion of this link of the Badger for a couple of good reasons: I want to bike on it and I want to get it out of the queue for funding because it was always a tough competitor. Larry D. Nelson, P.E.
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