The city plans to rebuild Milwaukee Street between Starkweather Creek and West Corporate Drive, add a shared-use path and remove street parking. A median is planned between Starkweather Creek and Schenk Street, and aging sewer pipes will be replaced between Lansing Street and Schenk Street. The project is expected to go out for bids this winter, with construction planned to begin in the spring and finish by fall 2027.

The estimated project cost is just under $5.6 million. Madison would pay about 92%, while property owners would cover roughly $450,000 through assessments. The preliminary estimates sent to residential and commercial owners averaged about $12,500, but individual amounts varied widely: one residence was assessed $1,245, while one commercial property was estimated at more than $53,000, according to assistant city engineer Chris Petykowski. Larger commercial parcels can face higher assessments because of their size.

City engineer Jim Wolfe said preliminary estimates can exceed final bills. For example, city records may show more sewer connections on a property than actually exist. Owners can pay in a lump sum or spread payments over 15 years through their property taxes, at 4.5% interest.

The assessments will cover the street pavement and private storm drains. The city will pay for sidewalks, intersection pavement and most piping, while costs for driveway aprons, green terraces, streetlights and sanitary pipes will be shared.

The work will take place alongside redevelopment of the former Voit Farms property, which the city recently purchased for a mixed-use neighborhood that could include more than 1,000 homes. Some Milwaukee Street residents have connected their assessments to that development. Wolfe told the City Council on Sept. 22 that the street reconstruction was planned before the Voit Farms project; the connection, he said, is that the city is coordinating the construction so the newly rebuilt street is not immediately disrupted by development work.

Residents also object to the size of the bills. Joe Pajac, who has owned property on Milwaukee Street for more than a decade, said a preliminary assessment of more than $10,000 has led him to put planned home improvements on hold. He supports replacing the road but said the cost to residents is difficult to accept.

Ald. Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, whose district includes Milwaukee Street, said she supports the project and pointed to clay water mains installed in the 1950s that need replacement. At the same council meeting, she also acknowledged residents’ financial strain and concern about the assessments.