Commission approves Davidson–Maher–Park–Gary street rebuild with one-sided sidewalks to preserve tree canopy

The Madison Transportation Commission on June 11 approved design plans for a full-street reconstruction covering Maher Avenue, Davidson Street, Park Court and Gary Street. The plan includes new curb and gutter, replacement of water and sanitary sewer, stormwater features and sidewalks; commissioners approved single-sided sidewalks on most blocks to preserve substantial existing tree canopy.

Why it matters: The project covers neighborhood streets near Cottage Grove and Atwood that currently lack continuous pedestrian facilities. Staff and residents both emphasized tree preservation: several older, large street trees cluster along Maher and Gary, and staff said removing curb and widening terraces to install sidewalks on both sides would require many tree removals.

Project scope and staff rationale

Jose Navarro, the project lead from the city’s transportation department, walked the commission through alternatives presented in public information meetings. Options included sidewalks on both sides (higher cost and large tree impact) or one-sided sidewalks that keep most trees and create narrower vehicle travelways (neighborhood-yield streets). Navarro showed maps and counts: where both-side sidewalks were modeled the design would trigger seven known tree removals and multiple potential impacts; the one-sided option reduced that substantially.

“We are trying to keep within the existing pavement edge to give these trees a better fighting chance,” Navarro said when describing the preferred alignment.

Public comments and tree preservation

Neighbors raised concerns, particularly for the Park Court / Gary Street cul-de-sac, with residents submitting petitions and speaking to commissioners. Ken Morrow, a Gary Street resident near the cul-de-sac, said new, young trees are establishing a sound-and-visual buffer near the highway and asked that the design avoid removing those saplings.

“There's a lot of nature that is around our neighborhood that we really value…if we could keep the circle to the pavement line and avoid all those saplings and things that are really starting to grow up well, that would be fantastic,” Morrow said.

Katia Marshall, speaking for households on the cul-de-sac, said petition signers were not against street and utility upgrades but opposed a sidewalk extension to the cul-de-sac. She raised maintenance concerns and asked what ADA guidelines require for dead-end residential streets. Jose and staff described ADA obligations and said the design team checked whether sidewalks were necessary on cul-de-sac segments; they also described options for limiting sidewalk extent to reduce tree impacts.

What the commission decided

After public comment and staff adjustments (Jose noted a revised alignment that preserved a notable hickory tree at the Maher–Davidson corner), Commissioner Bill Bremer moved to approve the proposed cross sections (one-sided sidewalks where shown); Alder William Okovich seconded. Commissioners approved the proposal; staff will finalize detail design and field-test tracking turning movements for the cul-de-sac bulb and similar tight locations.

Implementation and follow-up

Staff will preserve terrace space where feasible and will coordinate with Forestry on new plantings where appropriate. The plan also includes stormwater work in easements near the YMCA that will require removal of a small cluster of trees in the utility alignment; Metro and parks staff had consulted the YMCA and parks on those impacts. The commission asked staff to seek low-impact options where possible and to return with any significant changes that would expand tree removals.

Ending

The commission’s approval advances a multi-phase reconstruction program that the city expects to continue in future construction seasons; staff said the immediate next steps are final design, coordination on tree/forestry work, and scheduling for the fall 2025 / spring–summer 2026 construction window.