MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Residents near downtown Milwaukee say sidewalk construction along Highland Boulevard has forced people with disabilities, seniors and veterans into the street for two weeks with no accessible detour in sight.
The construction, which spans between 27th and 35th Streets, has removed curb corners at multiple intersections simultaneously, leaving residents of the College Court Apartments with few options for navigating the block safely.
"It's a safety thing, you know, there should be more consideration taken when you want to do construction and take out every single corner on an entire street," Stacy Reams said.
Reams said she first noticed the scope of the problem when she realized nearly every corner along the stretch had been torn out at the same time.
"I just started noticing how every single corner was just completely torn out and where there is a corner available, it's like you don't have a way to get to those corners. So it's like you're kinda stuck," Reams explained.
For residents who need mobility assistance, like Reams and neighbor Shariz, the blocked sidewalks mean navigating alongside fast-moving traffic.
"This is dangerous for us," Shariz said. "It's been hard to get around. I gotta walk in the street."
When asked how that felt, Shariz said, "I don't like that."
Reams described the workarounds she has had to use just to travel down her own street.
"If I wanna go this way, I literally have to stay in the street until I get to this alley way, then I can tuck myself back in," Reams added.
City workers on site said the sidewalks have been in this condition for two weeks. A construction worker said Thursday that crews are set to begin pouring concrete Friday.
A spokesperson with the city's Department of Public Works said the work is being done to improve curbs and sidewalks and make them more accessible. The spokesperson said the work is happening all at once because it is the least disruptive approach, and acknowledged the project has been delayed due to wildfire smoke and rain.
In regards to accessibility, the spokesperson said: "Maintaining sidewalk access to the maximal extent possible would require doing each corner independently, one at a time. For a typical intersection, this would take a 10 working day construction process and extend it to 30-40 working days. On a project of this nature, that would extend construction disruption for all users by nearly two months, and would also significantly reduce the number of corner curb ramps that are brought into ADA compliance across the City each year."
Reams said the city should have done more to account for the needs of the people who live along the corridor before tearing out every corner at once.
"If you're going to take out all these corners at least have enough consideration to put some kind of make shift ramp or some kind of access," Reams said.
"Know the neighborhood that you're doing this construction in, have an idea of the population of the people who live in that community so that when you do do it, you can improvise or make things accessible," Reams said.
Reams said she wants the city to take a more thoughtful approach going forward.
"Do better with planning and be a little more considerate to the neighbors and the populations that you guys are dealing with and who it's affecting," Reams said.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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