Madison Reporter

The City of Madison Engineering Division has announced the completion of major reconstruction projects along the Wilson Street corridor, culminating in a ribbon cutting event scheduled for August 20, 2025. The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Wilson Street, in the plaza space leading to Monona Terrace. The public is invited to attend.

City staff, elected officials, and stakeholders are expected to speak before the official ribbon cutting, which marks the end of nearly ten years of planning, design, and construction work on this key transportation route.

The reconstruction began with the first phase completed in 2018 between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Henry Street/Hamilton Street. Another segment was finished in 2019 from Franklin Street to Blair Street. Following these efforts, city officials initiated a comprehensive corridor planning process that concluded in 2021 after delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, additional improvements were made at the intersection of Wilson Street, Blair Street, Williamson Street, and John Nolen Drive. The City Engineering Division then undertook significant reconstruction from Henry Street/Hamilton Street to S. Bassett Street on Wilson Street. This phase included updates to previously completed sections as well as enhancements on Bassett and Broom Streets to improve bike network connectivity.

By 2024 and 2025, work wrapped up on the final portion of Wilson Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Franklin Street. Several large redevelopment projects along the corridor were coordinated with these street improvements.

“Wilson Street is such a critical transportation corridor to connect downtown with John Nolen Drive and the primary bike trails through the city, including the Capital City Trail and the Southwest Path,” City Engineer Jim Wolfe said. “Prior to these projects, access to downtown by bicycle could be challenging, with primarily just shared lanes on streets and on streets with steep hills.  Wilson Street now provides a good option for people of all ages and abilities, without sacrificing any of the other important uses of the street. It will now more broadly serve all of the residents, visitors, and businesses that use Wilson Street now and into the future.”

Over several years, investments have been made in various phases: $2.2 million for reconstruction near Wilson/Henry/Hamilton in 2018; $2.7 million for Wilson/Williamson in 2019; $1.3 million for MLK Blvd sidewalks in 2020; $3.4 million for Blair/JND/Wilson/Williamson intersection upgrades (including federal funding) in 2022; $4.1 million for work around Wilson/Broom/Bassett/Henry in 2023; and $4.5 million for improvements along Wilson/Doty during 2024–2025.

Media representatives are asked to confirm attendance with Hannah Mohelnitzky, Public Information Officer for the Engineering Division.