I have reviewed the status of major bike path investment projects with the respective project managers and provide the following summary.
Badger Trail. The project begins at the terminus of the SW Trail and extends to Purcell Road, which is about 1.8 miles northeast of 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: Ahnaray Bizjak, 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) were submitted by Fitchburg to the WDOT Consultant Project Administration, KJohnson Engineers, in October with bidding anticipated in December or January. At this point in time, the bidding documents are prepared and ready to go. The City of Fitchburg awaits a decision between WIDOT, WDNR, and FHWA regarding the authorization to proceed with this project. FHWA has recently modified the authorization process. There is discussion from FHWA regarding the level of environmental documentation that was prepared for this project relative to the new process. I remain concerned that this project will not be completed in 2010. Sherman Flyer/Huxley Cutoff. On February 11, 2010, Oscar Mayer & Co informed the City Engineer of their support for the installation of a bikepath around the company's parking lot subject to the City working with other property owners. Oscar Mayer's support will allow this project to proceed to property acquisition and final design in 2010, with construction anticipated in 2011. The City reauthorized $250,000 from the 2009 Capital Budget for this project. Project Engineer: Tony Fernandez, City of Madison Engineering Division Project Owner: City of Madison Lower Yahara Parkway. The project would provide a separate path from the Village of McFarland along the north shore of Lake Waubesa to Lake Farm County Park and then by a separate trail through the park to connect to the Capital City Trail. A bridge over the Yahara River adjacent to the existing rail bridge and a raised structure along the shoreline requires some $3,886,000 for construction. Dane County staff have been working with various stakeholders, including WDNR , WIDOT and the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Company. Permitting issues are largely resolved but for the width of the path on raised structure - 12' preferred by WDNR versus 14' as recommended by bike standards. Dane County is in the process of executing a Memorandum of Understanding with WSOR and WIDOT as an initial step toward securing a shared use agreement that will allow construction of the trail on WIDOT owned/WSOR leased lands. This project is properly classified as a "transportation project" versus a "recreational trail". The County will request enhancement funds for this project and the WIDOT have assigned a project number for this project, a necessary and important step. This project has the potential of rivaling the John Nolen Bike Path for stunning vistas for the user. Project Manager: Chris James, Dane County Land and Water Resources Department Consultant: Kevin Hagen, GRAEF Project Owner: Dane County John Nolen Drive Bike Path Bridge Approaches. The John Nolen Drive Causeway continues to settle and the fill that was installed for the bike path most recently, in the early 1970s. In June, the path will be taken out of service to enable the filling and repaving of the approaches and the installation of the shoreline protection structure. The estimated cost is $367,500. The construction contract includes incentives and disincentives to minimize the time that the path is out of service, currently scheduled to begin on March 29 and continue until around June 1. Path users will be directed to a marked detour around the west shore of Monona Bay. Project Engineer: Tony Fernandez, City of Madison Engineering Division Project Owner: City of Madison Cannon Ball Trail. Construction is scheduled to begin in June for the first phase of the project, which will pave the rail bed from Beltline Highway to the Capital City Trail. The estimated cost is $830,000. This project will enable children attending the Leopold School from Fitchburg neighborhoods south of the Nine Springs E-Way to bike or walk this safe route to school. The City has selected SEH to prepare the plans for the bridge over the Beltline Highway with a goal of submitting the PSE (Plans Specifications and Estimates of Cost) to the WDOT by March 1, 2011. $800,000 of federal funds are anticipated to be transferred from the Starkweather/Aberg Avenue Bridge Project. City continues to seek additional federal funds for this project. Project Engineer: Tony Fernandez, City of Madison Engineering Division Project Owner: City of Madison Good Neighbor Path. This project, which would connect the Shorewood Bike Path to the City of Middleton along the WSOR (formerly Soo Line) rail corridor has been the subject of meetings between the staff of Middleton and Madison. The long-range goal is to extend this path to Mazomanie. The Good Neighbor Trail Committee is currently working on a master plan for the trail, and additional information is available on their website: <http://groups.google.com/group/corridor-14-trails?lnk=iggc> http://groups.google.com/group/corridor-14-trails?lnk=iggc It is a project that has long been entwined with the commuter rail initiative. A construction timeline has not been established. Capital City/Glacial Drumlin Trail. The project would complete the WDNR Glacial Drumlin Trail, which terminates in the Village of Cottage Grove, to its connection to the Capital City Trail. WDNR, in cooperation with the Village and the City of Madison, have acquired the right of way from the Village to CTH AB (Buckeye Road.) As the WDNR is prohibited to condemn property, they have not been able to complete the acquisition from CTH AB to I39 and have suggested to City staff that CTH AB should be the trail, at least on an interim basis. According to Dana White-Quam, WDNR has acquired two of the four parcels west of CTH AB and is in negotiations for the other two. White-Quam states "We are still very committed to completing this segment of trail and connecting to the Madison trail system under I39." City of Madison has begun discussions with property owners to complete the remaining City segment of the trail from Buckeye Road to I 39. A construction timeline has not been established. Bike Standards. In December of 2009, I sent the Secretaries of Transportation and Natural Resources a letter recommending that all bike paths be designed using the accepted standards for bike paths. Transportation uses the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities and the Wisconsin Bicycle Facilities Design Handbook - "the Bike Standards": WDNR does not. I believe that we will be unable to enjoy the necessary federal funding of these bike paths without using the design standards from day one and I believe that the delays experienced on the Badger Trail are largely a result of the lack of design standards, including the generally accepted environmental surveys. In summary, if we are to expand the bike path system to connect urbanized areas for the purpose of people powered transportation, we need to design bike paths using accepted standards so that we can get federal funding and get these projects built within a 5-year span of time that is typical with major street projects. Larry D. Nelson, P.E. 1506 Cameron Drive Madison, WI 53711 608 630 6532 (C)
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