President Biden visits Milwaukee, 6th Street project funding announced

MILWAUKEE - In Milwaukee, President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced $36 million in grant funding for city infrastructure projects aimed at reconnecting communities.

What will that money look like? Roughly $14 million per mile will go to redesigning the 6th Street Corridor from North Avenue to National Avenue – widening sidewalks, adding landscaping and installing dedicated bike and bus lanes.

"Infrastructure investments and connectivity always help with growing the city," Biden said Wednesday, speaking at a Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee location on 6th Street.

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The 6th Street project is one of nine so-called "catalyst" projects in the "Connec+ing MKE – Downtown Plan 2040," which aims to grow the city's population by 2040.

"While the purpose of transportation is to connect, in too many communities past infrastructure decisions have served instead to divide. Now the Biden-Harris administration is acting to fix that," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. 

Sixth Street is one of the main north-south thoroughfares in Milwaukee. It was widened in the 1960s to accommodate interstate traffic. The interstate itself destroyed and disconnected neighborhoods. Both the interstate – and 6th Street – run through Ald. Milele Cogg's district.

"I think that the infrastructure – division you saw – was more a reflection of how segregated the city was at the time," she said.

Another million dollars will specifically address the 6th Street and National Avenue interchanges on Milwaukee's south side. 

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"We wanted to transform the way people live, work and travel," Biden said. "But instead of connecting communities, it divided them."

The construction tore down thousands of homes and businesses, one of them owned by Ray Hill’s grandfather.

"Because of racially charged urban renewal policies in the 1960s aimed at suppressing this community, his restaurant was demolished when Sixth Street was widened," she said.

The project would run alongside the soon-to-be-built Milwaukee Public Museum and past or near other downtown fixtures – including Fiserv Forum and the expanded Baird Center. The plan said it will make the area a more accessible destination and spur private development.

The city said the design process will begin this fall with construction expected to begin in 2027 and completed in 2029.

"These are life-changing improvements," Biden said. "They're also going to make for historically Black communities in the north and Latino communities in the south to access jobs, school and entertainment."

Milwaukee is just one community across 40 states the Biden Administration is helping to the tune of more than $3 billion in infrastructure grants. Wednesday's stop marked Biden’s ninth visit to Wisconsin as president and his fifth to Milwaukee. 

Watch Biden in Milwaukee

Funding details

In this round of funding for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity program, Wisconsin received three grants. A news release says awarded projects include:

• $36.5M for Connecting North to South: A Complete 6th Street in Milwaukee: The Project transforms 2.6 miles (North Avenue to National Avenue) of 6th Street. The construction of I-94/I-43 in the 1960’s not only tore through the heart of many of Milwaukee’s diverse communities, but also spurred the expansion of adjacent streets to accommodate access ramps and their associated traffic. A transformed 6th Street will include safe, dedicated infrastructure for walking, biking, and transit as well as green infrastructure that will provide much needed tree canopy and green space while easing the load on the city’s combined sewer system.
• $2M for Reimagining the National Avenue Interchange in Milwaukee: The project focuses on the Walker’s Point neighborhood in the City of Milwaukee that is divided by the I-94/43 National Avenue Interchange. The project will identify and evaluate alternatives to reconnect the neighborhoods and address safety and mobility concerns. Through robust public engagement and technical analysis, the project will identify community concerns, create a collective vision, develop a range of improvement alternatives, and conduct a feasibility study that will investigate traffic, ramp geometries, street connections, shared use paths, and other potential improvements to reimagine the National Avenue interchange.
• $1M for Perry Street Overpass in Madison: The Perry Street Overpass project is a key component of the City’s strategy to revitalize South Madison’s neighborhoods and address longstanding mobility needs. The proposed project will reconnect Perry Street over the Beltline Highway (US Highways 12/14/18/151), which was split during construction almost 70 years ago. Today, fencing and the Beltline Highway cut Perry Street in half. The Perry Street Overpass will eliminate the need for circuitous and dangerous north-south routes around the Beltline Highway. By extending Perry Street, this planning project would introduce a new crossing to overcome the Beltline Highway "dividing facility," providing vehicles, buses, pedestrians, and cyclists with easier access to employment and other opportunities on the south side of the highway. The project will benefit the Burr Oaks and Bram’s Addition neighborhoods.

Reaction

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley:

"Joe Biden just proposed $7.3 trillion in wasteful spending and $4.9 trillion in tax hikes on the backs of Wisconsin families, so his attempt to save face for Bidenomics’ failures is laughable. President Trump built a strong economy that delivered relief for families across the country, and he’ll do it again."

WisGOP Chairman Brian Schimming:

"On Joe Biden’s watch, Wisconsin has lost 6,000 manufacturing jobs and 455 dairy farms in the last year. Instead of paying us a visit to brag about his abysmal record, the President should be offering working families an apology for Bidenomics."

U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisconsin):

"The reality of President Biden’s America is the opposite of what he wants you to believe. Since the Biden administration took office, more than seven million illegal immigrants have entered the United States – causing communities across the country to suffer under the weight of their open border policies. At the same time, Wisconsin families continue to be crushed by an unaffordable cost of living and a rising national debt that has resulted from the administration’s addiction to reckless spending. It’s time for President Biden to face reality. He says his policies are working, but the facts and the American people say otherwise."  

AFP-WI State Director Megan Novak:

"With yet another visit to the Badger State, Biden is spewing his latest lies to mask the reality of our current economy. But the truth is clear: ‘Bidenomics’ is failing Wisconsinites.

"AFP made it simple for Wisconsinites to learn the truth about ‘Bidenomics.’ Wisconsinites can visit Bidenomics.com to see for themselves the reality of ‘Bidenomics’ and the truth behind Biden’s rhetoric."

Joint statement from Common Council President José G. Pérez and Alds. Robert Bauman and Milele Coggs: 

We want to thank the President for recognizing this project that aims to connect neighboring communities and downtown resources through comfortable, affordable, safe, and sustainable modes of transportation, and a transformed street that enhances the character of the unique communities along the corridor.

The Complete Streets program integrates people and places by making it safe, enjoyable, and convenient to walk, bike, take transit, or simply experience our streets and public spaces – no matter one’s age or ability. The 6th Street project will include a variety of amenities such as enhanced pedestrian crossings, narrowed streets, physically separated bike lanes where feasible, tree-lined medians, an enhanced tree canopy, and more. Perhaps most importantly, this project will work to undo the decades of negative impacts from previous highway construction that prioritized car traffic over the experiences of people who live, walk, work, and shop along the corridor.

We look forward to the tremendous boost this project will provide to the 4th, 6th and 12th Aldermanic Districts, and to all of those who visit this portion of downtown and the surrounding areas as we continue to work to make our streets and neighborhoods more vibrant and accessible for everyone.