Board favors alternative D for La Crosse Street reconstruction after debate on parking, bike lanes and accessibility

The La Crosse Board of Public Works voted 4–1 on June 23 to recommend Alternative D for reconstruction of La Crosse Street between Seventh and Eleventh streets, a corridor in the city's Majors Corridor program scheduled for construction in 2028.

The vote follows public comment, committee recommendations and a debate between prioritizing on-street parking and protected bicycle facilities. The board heard that all four design options include continuous ADA-compliant sidewalks; the alternatives vary in bicycle facility type, parking provision and whether a two-way left-turn lane is included.

City and Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff presented four finalists after an initial set of 13 concepts was narrowed to alternatives A through D. All four, staff said, meet state criteria for the connecting highway and include sidewalks that meet current ADA standards. The distinguishing elements are: Alternative A (two-way left-turn lane, no parking, bike lanes), Alternative B (parking both sides, bike lanes between parking and travel lane, no two-way left-turn lane), Alternative C (no parking, two travel lanes, raised bicycle facility), and Alternative D (parking one side, sidewalk-level bike lanes).

Business owners and nearby property owners largely urged retention of on-street parking. Brett Sawyer, who identified himself as the owner of buildings at 1031 and 1011 La Crosse Street, told the board, "I own the building at 1031 La Crosse Street . . . I just want to put my full support behind Alternative B" and said most businesses he contacted favored keeping parking. Jason Diliver said he also supports Alternative B and questioned whether data justify heavier emphasis on on-street bicycle facilities, describing a dramatic decline in actual bicycle use at racks outside his properties.

Board members cited competing goals. Director Gallagher said long-term corridor projects in the city have required difficult trade-offs and that he would not support Alternative B because on-street bike lanes adjacent to high-speed traffic are unlikely to be used: "If we build those bike lanes, we might as well not have them at all," he said. Director Treni (the planning committee representative) and other speakers said the Bike/Ped committee (BPAC) recommended Alternative D; the Citizens with Disabilities committee recommended Alternative B.

The board first considered and passed a motion to approve Alternative B by 3–2 (motion by Council President Dickinson, second by Director Gallagher). After further discussion, a motion to recommend Alternative D was made and seconded by Director Gallagher; that motion passed 4–1, making Alternative D the board's final recommendation at this meeting.

Several practical limits and next steps were noted. Staff said the corridor has roughly 64 feet of width to allocate and that designers reduced travel lane widths to the minimum standards to fit pedestrian, bicycle, parking and turn-lane elements without acquiring additional right-of-way. Final design will determine which side parking will be placed on for Alternative D; staff said that decision will be made during later design stages. Public involvement included a public information meeting and a comment form process that yielded 33 responses, staff said.

The board record shows the matter will move forward in the design schedule; the corridor remains part of the La Crosse Majors Corridor programming and is currently scheduled for construction in 2028.