The fate of one of the most charismatic streets in Wisconsin will be deliberated this evening when the State Street Design Project Oversight Committee convenes to discuss the possibility of limiting traffic on part of the thoroughfare.
The proposal would effectively eliminate all vehicular traffic on the 100 block of State Street, rendering that entire portion of the street inaccessible to service, delivery and public transportation vehicles.
Citing the pending opening of the Overture Center as a catalyst for the proposal, the commission plans to hold a meeting devoted to this topic tonight at 5 p.m. in room 303 of the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Downtown Coordinating Committee representative Ted of the Overture Center will be a \major stimulus in the downtown area near the Capitol,"" and will indeed warrant major changes to the topography of State Street.
""I think the idea of having a pedestrian mall from the Capitol down to the end of the 100 block, where you could move into the Overture building, would be a great enhancement for people moving either way [on the street],"" he said.
When asked if such a development will hinder the public busing business, Crabb said there exists a ""viable option to route the metro buses around the 100 block.""
Disagreeing with the committee's assumed expendability of the 100 block's traffic options is Julie Maryott-Walsh, marketing and customer services manager for Madison Metro. Maryott-Walsh said a mall terminating vehicular traffic flow from the 100 block would be a ""detriment to the transit service and its customers."" Not only would such a move hinder bus users, but it would also be an economic blow for the public busing system, she said.
Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison, Inc., said the majority of people do not want the 100 block closed off to traffic, and would rather have the whole street closed down than just a portion. DMI links the feedback between the residents and business owners on State Street and the city of Madison.
During correspondence with a business owner, she explained her position.
""[State Street] is an artery to the heart that is the capital. Why would you cut it off before you got to the heart?"" she said.
Lifetime area resident and UW-Madison freshman Zach Watters said that the prohibition of all vehicular traffic on State Street would radically alter the thoroughfare's image.
""[The mall] would definitely change the atmosphere of State Street,"" he said.
