Keith Uhlig

Gannett Wisconsin Media

Bicycling advocates and state transportation officials are taking the first step to map, mark and promote the dozens of bike routes that crisscross Wisconsin.

The Department of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Bike Fed are seeking proposals from route planners and designers to create a network that will include routes already identified in a national network, connect urban areas and their biking systems and create cycling corridors linking the various regions of the state. The consultant will be asked to identify bike-friendly roads and trails, create maps of the system and develop signs marking various routes.

The work is expected to begin in November and be completed by November 2015. Costs of the program have not yet been determined, but the Wisconsin Bike Fed, a private-sector group that promotes cycling in the state, will fund a portion of the study, said Dave Schlabowske, the Bike Fed's deputy director.

"This is a part of a greater vision that Wisconsin Bike Fed has to make Wisconsin 'America's Best Ride,'" Schlabowske said. "We have a number of things that set up for this. We have the third highest mileage of off-road trails ... combined with our unique paved road system, thanks to our dairy industry and the progressive road movement of the early 1900s."

It's a statewide project that mirrors work already done in many communities, including Oshkosh, where completion of the river walk trail on the north shore of the Fox River connected downtown to the Wiouwash Trail and the new Tribal Heritage Crossing provides a route from the Wiouwash across Lake Butte des Morts to the city's west side.

Ben Krumenauer, a planner with the Oshkosh Community Development Department, said the Wiouwash provides a perfect, regional example of how coordination can produce a well-used, popular recreational trail.

"The Wiouwash heads through four counties. It's a great example of how cooperation can work," he said. "It's really important to have local, regional and statewide action plans to build up the area."

Krumenauer said existing trail networks like the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and regional planning efforts already underway should give the statewide effort a boost. He added that the city's internal bicycle and pedestrian plan fits in well, too. Krumenauer said the city aims to develop an internal network of paths and bike lanes that also ties into surrounding townships', villages' and counties' plans.

"We're building the pillars, the foundation that supports putting the trails in," Krumenauer said. "And the town of Algoma has a great plan, too, so any way we can facilitate those projects and connect up at the city limits is a good thing."

Schlabowski said encouraging the growth of cycling as an activity makes good sense for the state on several levels. Cycling businesses — such as Trek, Schwinn and other manufactures — are no small part of the state's economy. It also bolsters tourism and offers plenty of health and economic benefits for individuals, he said.

Krumenauer said Oshkosh stands ready to get involved should the statewide study move forward.

"In the event we get approached, we'll provide them documentation, show our recommended routes and hopefully work those routes into any regional plans," he said.

Keith Uhlig: (715) 715-845-0651. On Twitter: @UhligK.