Construction on multi-use path to begin early July
The Safe Routes to School grant will allow for a 10-foot, asphalt, multi-use path to be constructed, beginning in July, on the north side of Wells Street, from 19th Street east to 22nd Street—near Bluff View Intermediate School. This will connect into other paths/sidewalks in the city of Prairie du Chien. (Photos by Correne Martin)
The Safe Routes to School path will also be constructed this summer on the south side of Campion Boulevard, from 18th Street west to 10th Street, near the Prairie Health chiropractic office. This will aso connect into other paths/sidewalks, which will ultimately provide a six-mile public trail around the city.
By Correne Martin
A 10-foot-wide, asphalt, multi-use path will be constructed this summer on parts of Wells Street and Campion Boulevard in Prairie du Chien, as part of a Safe Routes to School project that’s been more than a decade in the making. The city, Delta 3 Engineering and New Age Construction, the bid-winning company from Muscoda, are hosting a public information meeting on Tuesday, June 21, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., to discuss the proposed route and scope of work and answer questions from concerned residents. The meeting will take place in the community room at city hall.
“If anyone has questions about sod, trees, sprinkler system modifications, etc., they would want to voice their opinion,” City Administrator Aaron Kramer said.
New Age Construction plans to begin work on the biking/walking path right after July 4 and complete it by the end of August—before school starts. The route will be on the north side of Wells, from 19th Street east to 22nd Street, and on the south side of Campion, from 18th Street west to 10th Street.
“The work is part of a larger plan intended to provide a safer and more connected bicycle and walking trail system throughout the city,” Kramer explained, mentioning the city’s vision of a six-mile, public trail that is hoped to tie into the 2018 South Marquette Road improvements. “We plan to come back and connect the path to the high school at some point as well.”
Federal and state grant funds will pay for the project, he noted. The original grant, which the city applied for in 2004 and received in 2007, was for $230,431. Thanks to repeated hurdles the project encountered with federal paperwork and funding, the remaining budget is $159,000. The contract with New Age Construction is $144,000. No assessments will be made on property owners.
“Federal funding makes for a very inflexible, non-creative project,” Kramer stated. “At the end of the day, less than two-thirds of the (original) grant is being used to construct the path. The rest was eaten up by engineering, administration, oversight and review.”
Kramer joked that kids who were in kindergarten when the project began would now have their driver’s licenses.
“It was truly a painful process,” he added. “We probably would never apply for this again.”
Those unable to attend the June 21 meeting should contact the city administrator’s office at 326-6406 or akramer@prairieduchien-wi.gov with any questions or concerns.
