by Scott Jentsch

Public Involvement Meeting (#3) for the Moorland Road Reconstruction - Beloit to National (2023) road reconstruction project was held May 9, 2023 at the New Berlin Public Library. It was well-attended by the public, even at 5pm on a Tuesday evening in good weather. While it featured quite a few officials representing the county, city staff and aldermen were less abundant than at the Moorland Road Reconstruction - National to Cleveland (2025) Mar 1, 2022 Public Information Meeting. Nevertheless, residents were asking questions and trying to get details on the materials that were available for viewing.

Several large panoramic views of the affected areas were available for public viewing and accompanied by knowledgeable people able and willing to answer questions. Given the major impact of this project on everyone traveling on Moorland Road or living along the route, this delivery of information was as necessary as it was welcomed.

If you have a chance to attend any of these types of meetings in the future, please do. They are a unique opportunity to speak with people that are directly involved, and can make changes based on the feedback that you provide.

Anyone that has traveled Moorland Road recently is well aware that work has been happening to prepare the area for this project. The preparations are ongoing and multiple representatives that I spoke with said that road closures will begin in 3-4 weeks. That schedule is subject to change based on weather and many other factors. As such, we can expect that they could begin at any time and should plan accordingly. Please see the County Information website for the latest updates, of course.

When the real work begins, Moorland Road northbound will be closed, and all northbound traffic will be routed to the southbound lanes. This means that there will be oncoming traffic reduced to one lane in each direction. Cross traffic will be limited, with many intersections reduced to right turns only and some intersections will be closed alternately with others.

You can view the materials that were on display by visiting the Moorland Rd - Project 3 on the Waukesha County website. Select the buttons labeled "PUBLIC INFO MATERIALS" to download (very large) PDF files containing maps and illustrations.

Observations/Comments

• This is going to be a major disruption to the busiest thoroughfare in the city; the scale of which we haven't seen since Moorland was last torn up to insert reinforcements into the concrete surface (which will now be uprooted and completely replaced).
• I plan on avoiding the area completely whenever possible during this construction project and encourage others to do the same. Traffic will be painful to endure, likely at all times. Fortunately, the businesses along this corridor can be accessed in other ways, but only locals are going to know how. I hope they can survive the impact.
• I'm disappointed that a walking path/bike trail was not included in the plans. While I knew that it was not going to happen (based on the previous planning sessions where the subject was raised. The idea I suggested at the first meeting in November 2020 was to extend the path from Target to Mayflower Drive on the northbound side, and then use signage to direct people along Adell Avenue until Mark Drive, and then back to Moorland Road up to Howard Avenue.
  
  On January 26, 2021, the Common Council considered a motion to install side paths, pedestrian lighting, and street lighting, and voted to deny the motion. Excluding this option shows the priority (or rather, lack thereof) placed on alternative transportation and reinforces the perception that New Berlin as a non-walkable city. Muskego has done this on all their major roads when they have been rebuilt, and New Berlin pales in comparison to our next door neighbor.

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2024 - Archived on Jun 9, 2023

Flyers

• Moorland Road Completion Announcement (Beloit to National)

  Announcement of the completion of the Moorland Road improvement project (Beloit to National Avenue)

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