Hopkins Street redesign, Milwaukee residents weigh in on project

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Department of Public Works held a public meeting on Saturday for residents to weigh in on the Hopkins Protected Bike Lane project.

What they're saying:

The effort to redesign Hopkins Street runs from its intersection with Locust Street north to Capitol Drive. It aims to calm traffic and make Hopkins safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians by adding protected bike lanes, among other features, to the corridor.

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"For the most part, what we hear is that people want safer driving on Hopkins Street," said Danya Littlefield, Milwaukee DPW senior transportation planner. "We know that between 75% and 80% of the people driving on Hopkins now are speeding. So what the residents and business owners are seeing is also reflected in the data we collect prior to the project."

When it comes to slowing traffic, Littlefield said there are a number of tools the design team considers to help slow down traffic – narrowing streets, adding visual marks and raising crosswalks, for example.

"There are so many different tools we can use, and we really need to use a mix of different things in order to accomplish a project like this," she said.

Big picture view:

The Hopkins Street project is part of the city's initiative to have 50 miles of protected bike lanes in the works by 2026. The goal is to have a network of bike lanes that allow people to navigate the city safely on two wheels.

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Two other projects, Walnut-Lisbon and Oklahoma Avenue, are part of the city's timeline.

What's next:

According to the city's website, another round of community engagement sessions for the Hopkins Street project is planned for later this year. Construction is estimated to begin in 2026.