Milwaukee's newest bike trail opened to the public earlier this month providing another route for bicyclists and pedestrians to travel from the city's Near South Side to Downtown.
The Kinnickinnic River Trail is a two and half mile partially off-street, paved mixed use trail, running from South 6th Street and Rosedale Ave., to Maple Ave in Walker's Point. A new pedestrian and bicycle bridge has been added over South Chase Avenue. Most of the off-street portion of the trail runs along a revitalized rail corridor.
The new trail connects to the existing bike system, including the "Bay View to Downtown" trail, complete with raised bike lanes on Bay Street and South KK, according to a city news release.
About two-thirds of the funding for the $3 million dollar project came from federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality funds. The remaining $983,000 was paid for by the City of Milwaukee.
Further redevelopment is planned for 2014 to make Bay View and Walker's Point more bike-friendly. The city plans to repave portions of S. Water Street between Washington St. and the Broadway Bridge, according to a release.
Click the podcast player to hear an interview with Kristin Bennett, Bike and Pedestrian Transportation Coordinator for the City of Milwaukee.