Sept. 1: Part of Atwood Avenue to Open to Two-Way Traffic

(MADISON, Wis.)—Starting in the evening of Sept. 1, Atwood Avenue will be open to two-way traffic between Walter Street and Fair Oaks Avenue. Vehicles should use caution in the area and follow the posted routes as crews continue to work in the area. Access to side streets in the area also will be restored, with the exception of Oakridge Avenue.

“This traffic switch marks a significant milestone for the Atwood Avenue reconstruction project,” City of Madison Project Manager Andrew Zwieg said. “The project is currently on pace to be completed on schedule.”  

Traffic traveling inbound/toward downtown from Cottage Grove Road to Walter Street will continue to be restricted to a single lane on the lake side of the street. Dennett Drive, Margaret Street and Olbrich Avenue will remain inaccessible from Atwood Avenue while crews build new infrastructure at those intersections. Vehicles, bikes and pedestrians should continue to use Walter Street as the main local access point.

There is no outbound access on Atwood Avenue from Walter Street to Cottage Grove Road. Vehicles traveling away from downtown should plan to use the existing detour, which routes traffic from Atwood Avenue to Fair Oaks Avenue to Milwaukee Street to US 51/Stoughton Road to Cottage Grove Road and back to Atwood Avenue.

In addition, the multi-use path on the lake side of Atwood Avenue remains closed between Walter Street and Oakridge Avenue/Sugar Avenue as crews continue work on the pedestrian bridge at Starkweather Creek. Pedestrians traveling near the creek may cross Atwood Avenue at Walter Street to access open routes. There is also a crossing point at Olbrich Botanical Gardens for pedestrians wishing to access the lake near Welch Avenue.

Metro Transit users can view route information on their website: cityofmadison.com/metro.

The entire project is slated to be completed by November 1, 2023.

Contacts

• Hannah Mohelnitzky, City of Madison Engineering Division, hmohelnitzky@cityofmadison.com