Milwaukee pothole problem, city to develop plan to address
MILWAUKEE - Even on Valentine's Day, there is one thing nobody loves: potholes.
That includes some members of Milwaukee's Common Council, who have tasked the city to develop a plan to address the problem.
"It feels like your vehicle's going to fall apart when you hit them," said Ald. Lamont Westmoreland.
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The recent warmup means potholes are rearing their concave heads earlier than expected. Lisbon Avenue is showing its wear and is due to be resurfaced next year. It has been patched up in places, but was covered in potholes just two weeks ago – leaving drivers rattled.
"It's not just a bumpy ride. A bumpy ride lasts a little bit," Joseph Jones told FOX6 News in January. "This is a bumpy nightmare."
Potholes in Milwaukee
The city had about 120 laborers about seven or eight years ago, which allowed the city's pothole response time to get down to under three days on average. But a decrease in budget for employees, along with a higher vacancy rate, means it takes longer – about a week right now – to get a pothole filled.
"Pothole season, we're going to have a blitzkrieg to deal with potholes," said Ald. Robert Bauman.
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Well, not really. The city said it received 450 pothole requests in January and anticipates that total will be higher for February. In a normal year, the city receives around 10,000 requests.
Another factor for increased response times is reckless driving, officials said. One job may take six to eight workers just to keep the crew safe.
"That is a change, and it makes us less efficient, but the safety of our employees are our top priority," said city engineer Kevin Muhs.
Potholes in Milwaukee
A priority now for public works is to put together a road maintenance plan for the Common Council to try to address potholes before a complaint comes in.
"I'm not pointing fingers, but there's always an opportunity to improve," said Westmoreland. "I think addressing potholes is one of those things we can improve on."
Residents can report problem potholes through the city's website, on its mobile app or by calling 414-286-CITY. Muhs said issues will be addressed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Pedestrian safety projects
The Common Council's Public Works Committee on Wednesday also approved two new traffic safety projects meant to reduce speeding and increase pedestrian and motorist safety in Milwaukee’s 14th Aldermanic District.
The first project will re-pave Austin Street from Clarence Street to Deer Place with new asphalt and lay a new concrete curb, gutter and sidewalk. The second project will install new traffic-calming speed tables on Howell Avenue between Schiller and Homer streets.
The Milwaukee Department of Public Works, as well as city leaders and community organizations, unveiled more than 40 projects last month.
Specifically, leaders highlighted a corridor of Highland Boulevard from Vliet Street to 35th Street that received a high-impact paving treatment with traffic-calming components in 2023, including parking-protected bike lanes in both directions. In 2024, the parking-protected bike lanes will be extended from 35th Street to 20th Street.
In total, the city said the bike lanes on Highland will span three aldermanic districts and safely connect people biking to downtown, in addition to slowing the speeds of people driving by reducing travel lanes.