City staff and outside consultants briefed the Oshkosh Common Council Nov. 4 on a feasibility study and grant opportunity for a pedestrian and bicycle bridge spanning Interstate 41.

Matt Yance of Strand Associates reviewed the feasibility study, which evaluated alternatives between County C/44 and Highway 21 and identified a limited number of feasible ‘‘landing’’ locations where bridge approaches could be built and tied to existing pedestrian networks. The study identified the U‑Haul parking lot area on the east side of I‑41 and a Lynn Way area on the west side as among the most physically feasible landing zones. Strand’s presentation emphasized that bridges require appropriate landing zones and that available open land along the corridor constrains siting options.

Melissa Kramer Becky, executive director of the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (ECWRPC), described the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan adopted by the commission in 2024, which identified the I‑41 corridor as a pedestrian/bicycle safety concern and opened the city to apply for the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All discretionary grant (an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act program). Staff said the grant would fund roughly 80 percent of a $10 million project ($8 million awarded, $2 million local match), and that the project match can be phased across the multi‑year design and construction timeline.

Council concerns and staff responses

Council members raised several issues: land acquisition and the prospect of condemnation if voluntary sale is not possible; the risk that open landing areas will be developed and become unavailable over time; the challenge of site access and the potential need to construct a connecting roadway to serve future development; and whether alternative safety measures (for example, flashing beacons at roundabouts) should be prioritized instead. Staff replied that the federal grant is a unique funding opportunity and that typical project schedules mean design and environmental work will absorb early local match dollars long before the major construction outlays; Strand noted the project would likely take 4–6 years from design through construction.

Council action

After discussion the council polled and gave staff direction to include the I‑41 pedestrian and bicycle bridge in the 2026 and beyond Capital Improvement Plan, with staff instructed to continue negotiations on acquisition options and to explore potential local funding sources, including TID revenue where permissible. The recorded poll showed majority support with at least one recusal and one abstention recorded during the discussion. Staff emphasized the grant is reimbursable and that the city would pay eligible costs as the project advances and then seek reimbursement under the grant terms.

Ending

Staff will continue property and funding analysis and return refined CIP and funding scenarios to council as the grant terms are finalized and the environmental and NEPA requirements progress.