Engineers from both the private and public sector presented three street design proposals for the Regent Street Reconstruction project during a public involvement meeting on Jan. 26, each vying for final board approval on Feb. 18.
During the meeting, planners outlined their vision for Regent Street to become a complete green street –– a roadway designed to support a variety of different transportation modes while also integrating green infrastructure, trees and vegetation to manage stormwater runoff.
“The vision for it is to become a destination, a vibrant shopping street with a strong sense of place,” KL Engineering Director of Infrastructure Services Aaron Steger said during the meeting. “These are the types of places people want to spend time, which makes them ideal for growing the local economy.”
The reconstruction will reimagine Regent from Park Street to Randall Avenue, which hosts local businesses, residential structures and a health care facility.
Currently, Regent Street is a two-lane urban roadway with parking and peak hour lanes.
The major difference between each of the three proposed designs is their lane count. The preferred plan envisions Regent Street as a three-lane street with a center lane that bisects each lane going in either direction.
Other presented options include a two or three-lane street with a bikeway and a four lane roadway without.
Wider sidewalk space and pedestrian-crossing safety improvements were also included, while each proposal removed space previously outlined for curbside parking during the day.
But while two of the design proposals featured bikeways, the project team favors a proposal that removes the bikeway entirely to better accommodate the street’s narrow profile.
Toole Design Office Director Sonia Haeckel said engineers don't believe trees or a cycling path will fit into the design and would rather reroute cyclists to the nearby Southwest Commuter Path.
“This is a really tight space that has a lot of people both moving along the corridor and across it,” Haeckel said during the meeting.
Previous project reports stressed the need for infrastructure that works for all modes of transportation, without favoring a single mode.
Steger described the impact increased safety and accessibility for all roadway users — cyclists, pedestrians and drivers — can have on a community.
“When designed thoughtfully, the street, and its community, can curate something truly unique – something that makes Madison, Madison,” Steger said.
The city will present each alternative and feedback received from the public during the Transportation Commission meeting on Feb. 18.
Madison District 8 Ald. MGR Govindarajan, who attended the meeting, shared an optimistic view for the future of Regent St.
He believes the street will become a location for all to enjoy, due to its proximity to campus and nearby activities. Govindarajan said Regent Street is currently for an older city, not for the city Madison has become.
“Allowing for better lighting, bus and bike lanes and businesses to grow around UW’s game days is exactly what will allow our economy and city to thrive," Govindarajan told The Daily Cardinal.
Govindarajan also said meetings like these are a “great” chance for anyone to engage with their city government.
“The most meaningful change you can make is at the local level, where it impacts you, your neighbors and friends,” Govindarajan said. “Regent Street is a vital corridor for students and our lifestyle, it’s just as vital for our input to be shared and taken seriously.”
Ted Hyngstrom is the Podcast Editor for The Daily Cardinal. Alongside directing all audio storytelling, Ted hosts the Cardinal Call, a weekly campus news feature segment airing on local radio station WORT 89.9 FM. He also covers current events for the campus news desk.
