Milwaukee County Awarded Federal Funding to Make Streets Safer Across Five Municipalities

MILWAUKEE – County Executive David Crowley is announcing that Milwaukee County has received more than $219,000 in new federal funding

 to deploy street safety improvements in Greendale, Shorewood, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and West Allis. These new federal dollars, awarded to Milwau

kee County through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, will allow the five municipalities to implement swift solutions to combat reckless driving, calm traffic, and create safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, and bus riders. 

“Enhancing the safety of our roads for all who use them is one of the most important issues facing the health and well-being of our community. Receiving funding for these street improvements is critical to ensuring our roads are safer and more accessible throughout Milwaukee County,” said County Executive David Crowley. “Thank you to all the changemakers at the Department of Transportation for their dedication to securing this funding. I am equally grateful for champions like Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Gwen Moore for continuing to advocate for Milwaukee County at the federal level. Together, we are working to combat reckless driving, create safer streets, and ensure Milwaukee County is a healthy, accessible place for all.”

Since 2021, nearly $2 million in federal funding has been awarded to Milwaukee County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Back in July, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $400,000 for Milwaukee County to fund a feasibility study of multimodal enhancements and traffic calming on 35th Street between Vliet Street and National Avenue.

“After meeting regularly with multiple municipalities over the last year discussing how we all can work together on implementing quick-build, sh

ort-term street safety improvements, we are thrilled to be selected as a 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All Demonstration Activities grant award recipient,” said Donna Brown-Martin, Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation. “These dollars will target streets and intersections where speeding, reckless driving, and numerous near-miss crashes have occurred for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists. This effort will demonstrate how permanent street infrastructure improvements can lead to slower speeds for all roadway users to reduce crashes, prevent serious injuries and fatalities, and create safer streets in Milwaukee County.”

Below are the projects in Milwaukee County that will receive this federal funding. These proposed efforts are the result of feedback received at safe streets public engagement meetings during 2023. The five municipalities are also providing funds to make these projects a reality.

Village of Greendale: The Village of Greendale will monitor traffic counts, collect new speed data, and install portable speed bumps and Speed Trailers in two different locations throughout the Village. These materials will then be used elsewhere throughout the Village to continue providing more traffic data and draw more attention to its busiest intersections and crossings.

Village of Shorewood: The Village of Shorewood will install two temporary traffic circles, one set of curb extensions, and one speed table at previously identified high-speed intersections and streets, although the exact number will be confirmed based on actual costs.

City of South Milwaukee: The City of South Milwaukee will temporarily narrow Chicago Avenue (Highway 32) at the intersection of Oak Street. The project team intends to use multiple pieces of quick-build materials to calm traffic and collect vehicle counts and speed data. Two Speed Trailers will be used at Chicago & Oak in various positions, and then the City of South Milwaukee will place them at other locations known for high speeds, high occurrences of crashes or other traffic safety issues. This funding will also allow the City of South Milwaukee to purchase enough traffic barrels, cones, and lighted signage to provide much higher visibility to this uncontrolled intersection and forewarn motorists about the presence of potential pedestrian crossings.

City of Wauwatosa: The City of Wauwatosa is receiving funding for two projects:

To purchase bollards, flexible rubber stops, planters, plants, soil, and signage, as well as fund the various types of labor needed to deploy temporary traffic circles at various neighborhood intersections throughout the municipality; and

To purchase two new camera systems and the necessary equipment for power and connectivity. The funding will also pay for a consultant to analyze the traffic safety data from the camera systems and the City Engineering department personnel to work with the consultant’s findings and help deploy and relocate the systems as needed.

City of West Allis: The City of West Allis will purchase four 10-foot portable speed humps to be placed at various locations throughout the municipality. The funding will also advance the purchase of necessary signage, evaluation of speed study data, City of West Allis Department of Public Works labor, and promotional letters to residents.