UPDATE: Midvale Boulevard Resurfacing Project: Public Information Meeting on January 30, 2025, at 6:30 PM

posted January 22, 2025 - 11:02pm

Preliminary Plans for Midvale Blvd 1-28-25

The City will host a public information meeting (PIM) on Jan. 30, 2025, at 6:30 pm to discuss the planned construction project. The hybrid meeting will be held via zoom with in-person participation with Alders Tishler and Vidaver at the Sequoya Library, 4340 Tokay Blvd. Registration prior to the meeting is required to attend the Zoom meeting. In-person is open to anyone.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND THE MEETING

Please note that, based on feedback from area residents, as of January 28, 2025, this project was renamed the 'Midvale Blvd Resurfacing & Safety Improvement Project.' Preliminary marking plans for the project are available to view ahead of the upcoming Public Information Meeting. Note that these plans are preliminary and subject to change as the city of Madison project team receives feedback and progresses through the design.

Download the 1/28/25 Preliminary Marking Plans

Excerpts from resident comments submitted regarding this resurfacing and safety improvement project.

1/23/25 11:19 AM, "I drive and walk on Midvale Blvd often. I don’t bike on Midvale because it is too dangerous. I would love to see any and all of the safety improvements proposed for Midvale. I support the buffered bike lanes and elimination of parking. If there are buffered bike lanes, I would bike on my trips to Hilldale. If there are only painted lines, I would not bike and likely drive instead -- Midvale is too dangerous, with drivers generally not looking for bikes or pedestrians and speeding, since the road is wide and oriented toward cars. People will survive with less parking on Midvale."

1/23/25 2:07 PM, "As stated in the "Project Overview," the scope of work includes more than just resurfacing. Specifically, it involves changes to intersections on Midvale Boulevard, upgrades to pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and adjustments to Mineral Point Road. However, the term "resurfacing" in the project title implies routine maintenance without any structural or functional changes. This could lead residents to overlook important details about the scope of work, as they may not read beyond the headline."

1/24/25 3:06 PM, "I was happy to hear that the plans include some narrowing of the median, which suggests the City is looking at shared parking/bike lanes for part of the corridor (like there are south of Mineral Point Rd). Although not ideal for "all ages and abilities", shared lanes are a great compromise and very appropriate for that corridor."

1/28/2025 2:25 PM, "As a daily user of the bike lane [...] and resident of property the proposed abandonment of the parking lane would effect, I have to object to the suggested plan. The parking that's abandoned is necessary for all the properties that have only one car parking which is the majority. and delivery vehicles can not be expected to cross the median but would have no alternative. No one could argue that the value of these properties would not be affected."

1/29/25 6:49 PM, "I am opposed to removing parking along Midvale Blvd. [...] Many of us living on Midvale especially on the east side of the boulevard have one car width driveways, and no options to expand. Also, there are few cross streets for additional parking.
There are viable alternatives such as Segoe Blvd or Owen Drive. Why does the safe streets committee refuse to acknowledge these. A published map of preferred bike routes on the city’s website would surely encourage more bike travel than forcing a bike lane on one of the busiest streets in the city, which anyone concerned about their safety would never use."

1/29/25 10:08 PM, "I would like to enter my strong support for the proposed intersection safety improvements, pedestrian crossing improvements, and bike lanes, even if it means a narrower median and reduced street parking.
Reasons why we need this:
1. Intersection safety improvements are vital, made very clear by recent incident of a pedestrian struck crossing Midvale in an intersection.
2. Streets are for moving through a city, not free storage of private automobiles.
3. People who use bicycles to move through the city also deserve to have access to direct routes fortravel through the city, just as cars do."

1/29/25 8:52 PM, "I reviewed the preliminary drawings dated 1/23/25 for the Midvale Blvd resurfacing. As a year round cyclist and parent who shuttles my kids around on a cargo bike, and father of kids who are learning to bike. I appreciate that the city is trying to improve bike infrastructure. However the painted bike lanes proposed for Midvale have some viability issues.

The northbound bike lane as drawn from 313 N. Midvale to University Avenue is a death trap. It is located entirely within the door zone of the parking area and has no separation from two lanes of dense traffic that will not be looking for bikes. Then it simply ends with a rapid merge into drivers veering into the right turn slip lane at University. If a lane cannot be added with a proper buffer zone it should not be added at all - especially on this street.

Beyond that, Midvale is simply not a desirable street to bike on due to the high volume of cars. There are other parallel bike routes that are good, and could be made much better with a few detail changes. Furthermore adding a bike lane on Midvale appears to be at odds with adding curb extensions into
Midvale that could aid in crossing Midvale. It appears that to accommodate parking along the section from 313 N. Midvale to University avenue, the curb line of the median is being modified to make Midvale wider. This is the wrong direction."

Original Blog Post on 1/22/25 at 11:03 PM

The City will host a public information meeting on Jan. 30, 2025 at 6:30 pm to discuss the planned construction project. The meeting will be held virtual via zoom with an in person viewing during the meeting hosted at the Sequoya Library, 4340 Tokay Blvd.

Registration prior to the meeting is required.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND THE MEETING

Project Overview

The City is planning construction on Midvale Boulevard from Mineral Point Road to University Avenue. The project includes intersection safety improvements, pedestrian crossing improvements, bike lanes, and partial replacement of asphalt pavement. Curb and gutter and sidewalk will be spot replaced as needed.

To accommodate driving, biking and continue to offer some street parking, the City is proposing to narrow a portion of the median and reduce street parking.

Project Limits

Midvale Boulevard - Mineral Point Road to University Avenue

Project Schedule

Design: Winter/Spring 2025

Bids Advertised: Spring 2025

Construction: Summer – Fall 2025

Public Involvement

There are a number of points of contact during this project where the public is encouraged to give feedback as part of public information meetings and public hearings. Dates, times and locations are indicated below:

Public Information Meetings

The City will host a public information meeting on Jan. 30, 2025 at 6:30 pm to discuss the planned construction project. The meeting will be held virtual via zoom. Registration prior to the meeting is required.

Jan. 30, 2025 Public Information Meeting Registration

A postcard will also be mailed out to residents and businesses informing them about the meeting and directing them to the website to register. Meeting topics include project limits, street design, utility installation, construction timeline, and street assessments. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Safe Streets Madison Midvale Boulevard Safety Improvement Meetings

In 2023, two public meetings were held to look at ways to improve mobility and traffic safety on Midvale Blvd. Improvements were put on hold until 2025 to incorporate the safety and pedestrian/bike improvements as part of this larger construction project.