Milwaukee Traffic Safety Projects To Receive $8.5 Million in TIF Funds

Jeramey Jannene reports on the City of Milwaukee's efforts to eliminate reckless driving, which the acting mayor has called a public safety crisis.

A total of $8.5 million in property tax revenue from four tax incremental (TIF) districts would be allocated to fund traffic calming and safety improvements including protected bike lanes, curb bump-outs, narrower travel lanes, high-impact paving and new pedestrian infrastructure.

The proposal seeks to address rising traffic deaths and reduce dangerous driving behaviors through a variety of traffic calming and safety projects. "It would build on other new initiatives to tackle what is widely viewed as a reckless driving crisis. In 2021, the Common Council allocated $7.15 million from its federal American Rescue Plan Act grant towards projects on 16 corridors, making speed humps free for nearby property owners and lowering the default speed limit from 25 to 20 miles per hour," according to the article. "The proposed projects are located along N. Van Buren St. in Downtown, near the Midtown Center shopping mall on the city’s north side and in the the area around Stadium Business Park and Burnham Park on the city’s south side."

The article details other TIF-funded projects besides street improvements, including a portion of the riverwalk and dockwall and local debt relief.