West Bend Receives Grant For Safety Study

Last month the City of West Bend applied for a grant to study safety issues facing pedestrians, bicyclists, and scooter users. Today the city announced that its application was approved and the study will move forward in 2023. It will be interesting to see the results of the study, and based on those results there may be infrastructure improvements in our future. Stay tuned.

Here is the full text of the city’s official announcement:

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has awarded the City of West Bend a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant worth $220,000 to fund a Safety Study for Pedestrians, Bicycles and Electric Scooters.

The City of West Bend actively seeks programs and grants that maximize the ability to accelerate and complete important infrastructure projects. Collaboratively, the Administration, Economic Development, Engineering and Police Departments developed the TAP grant application to fund a safety study that will examine crossings of state highways, main arterial roads, high-traffic roads, and the historic downtown. The City of West Bend will request proposals for a consult to conduct the study. This evaluation of existing roads and routes will help the city team prioritize infrastructure projects to offer safer pathways, crossings and intersections for multi-modal transportation. The study will identify areas in the city that could benefit from greater connectivity through future improvement projects. It will also facilitate economic development by increasing opportunities for bicycle, pedestrian, and electric scooter traffic throughout the City of West Bend—particularly in the historic downtown, Eisenbahn State Trail and Riverwalk.

“The City of West Bend is committed to the safety of motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and scooter riders,” said Police Chief Tim Dehring. “We look forward to conducting this study in 2023.”

A statewide selection committee competitively rated and ranked applications across three geographic population areas (0-5,000, 5,000-50,000, 50,000-200,000). Additionally, Transportation Management Areas (TMA) selected projects within their geographic boundaries. A full list of awarded Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) projects proposals can be found on the WisDOT TAP website (https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/doing-bus/local-gov/astnce-pgms/aid/tap.aspx).