Calming downtown Milwaukee's streets and the Odd Duck is about to open again

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read

Downtown's Water and Van Buren streets will become more friendly for bikes and walkers — and less welcoming for reckless drivers

  • The rebuilt streets would include bike lanes separated from car lanes with trees and other barriers and the number of car lanes would be reduced.

  • The work would occur on Water Street, from Clybourn Street south to the Milwaukee River, and on Van Buren Street, between Brady Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The Van Buren project has already been moving forward.

  • That Water Street project wouldn't begin until the planned 333 N. Water apartment high-rise is completed at the corner of Water Street and St. Paul Avenue. Construction is to begin in August, with the building expected to take nearly two years to finish.

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The Fun Stuff

TOBY KEITH: Country star Toby Keith will headline the Main Stage at the Wisconsin State Fair's opening night, Aug. 4, the fair announced Monday.

MUSIC FESTIVAL: Summer Soulstice Music Festival is coming back to Milwaukee's east side for the first time since 2019. This year's event will be on June 18, and will be the 20th Summer Soulstice put on by the East Side Business Improvement District.

ODD DUCK: Ten years after it debuted in Bay View, Odd Duck restaurant is about to open again — on Thursday in its new, larger home, in Walker's Point.

The Games

BREWERS: Brice Turang was among the Milwaukee Brewers' latest roster cuts and Luis Urías will miss opening day against Cubs.

TRACK: Here are 39 high school girls track and field athletes to watch in Wisconsin this spring.

Around Wisconsin

NFL DRAFT: The NFL passed over Green Bay's bid to host the NFL draft in 2024, but the city and the team say they will continue their efforts to land the event. Detroit was picked to host in 2024.

FOND DU LAC: Allen Buechel, Fond du Lac County's, county executive since 1993, died unexpectedly Sunday. He was the longest-serving county executive in the state.

Today in Wisconsin History

A sudden spring thaw coupled with a string of violent thunderstorms from March 29-31 1960 triggered severe flooding all over Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties, forcing evacuations of neighborhoods, including along the Milwaukee River in Glendale, plant closings throughout the industrialized Menomonee Valley and flooding along the Menomonee River and Lincoln Creek. Lessons learned from the flooding led to the development of a watershed plan for the Milwaukee River basin — a plan that included the recommendation of a deep tunnel to reduce pollution caused by sewer overflows during severe rainstorms. - Chris Foran

Today's Weather

Not as bad as it looked earlier. Partly cloudy with a high of 39 and a slight chance of evening showers.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Calming downtown Milwaukee's streets and the Odd Duck is about to open