WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — City Engineers held an open house Thursday to provide more information and solicit feedback on a proposed multi-use pedestrian trail along 72nd Avenue near the Wausau Business Campus.
Project Engineer TJ Niksich says there is a need for the infrastructure given the amount of large-vehicle traffic the area attracts. “We have a lot of truck traffic with narrow roads, so [the area] really isn’t pedestrian-friendly. So to incentivize different modes of travel we need to be able to provide an opportunity for [pedestrians] to travel in this area.”
The trail would be accessible to anyone on foot, bike, rollerblades, or any other form of non-motorized transportation. Niksich says there is also the potential to link the trail with another like it along Stewart Avenue, which could essentially create a pedestrian link between downtown Wausau and the business campus.
That trail would be part of a larger Stewart Avenue project that’s planned for 2024.
The DOT is funding some 80 percent of the project which did involve the city taking over a small amount of land from some residents in the area.
RELATED: Wausau City Council Approves 72nd Avenue Trail Project
He says it’s difficult to say what kind of use the trail will get until it opens, but he does see the need for better pedestrian infrastructure in the area.
Construction is currently planned for this summer. The trail could be open by year’s end.
