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2023 Wisconsin RAISE Grant Awards

Advocacy

Last week, the United States Department of Transportation announced which projects across the country received funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program (RAISE).

The Bike Fed is delighted to share the news that two cycling-forward projects in Wisconsin have been selected as recipients of RAISE funding: 

  1. “Re-imagining Villard Avenue”, $14,300,000; Milwaukee, WI
  2. “Kenosha County Bicycle Trail”, $5,580,000; Kenosha, WI

The Villard Avenue project will create a 1.5 mile “complete streets” stretch that will include: raised bike lanes, raised intersections, curb extensions, lighting and signal improvements, the creation of a pedestrian plaza, and other miscellaneous streetscape improvements. The Bike Fed is confident that these improvements will increase quality of life for all motorized vehicles, non-motorized vehicles, and pedestrians. Along with quality of life improvements, the Bike Fed expects the completion of this project will improve environmental sustainability and public health by encouraging non-motorized commuting and improving community connectivity. 

The Kenosha County Bicycle Trail project will design and construct an extension to the Kenosha County Bicycle Trail from 35th Street to 52nd Street including two bridges to cross arterial streets. The Bike Fed believes that this project will increase community connectivity, economic development, and improved safety features for cyclists and pedestrians. This new extension will also improve connectivity for students and staff of the Gateway Technical College and Edward Bain School of Art and Language, as well as providing expanded access to US Bicycle Route 73 and the regional trail network. 

Projects like these improve the well-being of cyclists, pedestrians, and even motorized vehicle users in the area. The Bike Fed is hoping to see more of these projects apply for grant opportunities such as the RAISE program in the future, so that even more projects can be funded, creating improved safety measures, environmental sustainability, and community connectivity around the state of Wisconsin. Be on the lookout for more updates on these projects as they get underway soon!