Wisconsin Beltline Study Update

Draft PEL Study Recommendations

On Wednesday, November 19, I participated in a videoconference hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) on future plans for the Beltline (Link to presentation). The Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study recommends specific improvements, which will ultimately be studied more closely as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The PEL study looked at the entire Beltline from the University Avenue intersection in Middleton to its current terminus at Highway N near Cottage Grove.

The study considers the following possibilities:

• Adding lanes or flex lanes (the study does not recommend any additional lanes)
• Improving weaves, the way in which traffic merges at interchanges
• Improving or adding interchanges
• Adding overpasses and underpasses for better street connectivity
• Improving pedestrian and bike connectivity

The path from PEL recommendations to actual construction is lengthy. The PEL study will be finalized by March 2026. NEPA studies are not expected to begin before the mid-to-late 2020’s. While there may be some interim improvements, most work would not occur until the late 2020’s or early 2030’s.

District 19 Priority

The PEL study broke recommendations into three sections:

1. University Avenue to Whitney Way
2. Whitney Way to Verona Road
3. Verona Road to Cottage Grove

The segments were prioritized by accident frequency, pavement condition, and traffic levels. The highest priority was assigned to the University Avenue to Whitney Way segment, which provides a boundary for or slices through much of District 19. The required NEPA studies could begin soon or at least before 2030.

Recommendations for the District 19 Area

Image credit: Wisconsin Department of Transportation

• Extend flex lanes west from Verona Road (terminus not yet defined)
• Weave improvements at Whitney Way and Old Sauk Rd
• Reconfigure interchanges at Gammon Road and Whitney Way
• Add street overpass or underpass
  • Between Whitney Way and Gammon Road
  • Between Gammon Road and Mineral Point Road
• Add pedestrian-bike overpass or underpass or improved crossing
  • Somewhere between Whitney Way and Gammon (as noted in Southwest Area Plan)
  • At Old Sauk Road
• Improve or replace Struck Road pedestrian-bike underpass
• Extend pedestrian-bike path along beltline
  • East from Whitney Way to Midvale
  • West from Gammon to Mineral Point
• Improve the pedestrian-bike crossing at Whitney Way
• Add a Park & Ride area at University Avenue/US14