Council approves multimillion dollar revamp of busy John Nolen intersection

Keely Arthur by Keely Arthur

Madison council members voted Tuesday to approve a multimillion dollar redesign of a busy downtown intersection.

The plan costs about $4 million with $1.9 million coming from the state and $1.8 million from the city. City engineers said it’s well worth the investment and will make the intersection much safer, cutting down on accidents.

The redesign focuses on the intersection of John Nolen, Williamson, Wilson and Blair streets. It includes plans to add multiple left turn lanes, and shift the driveway leading into Machinery Row closer to the Monona Terrace, further away from the intersection.

Project leader Chris Petykowski said the planners paid special attention to bikers and pedestrians by increasing the size of sidewalks and bike lanes. The plan also calls for rerouting the nearby bike path so cyclists can avoid crossing into traffic altogether.

Council will need to approve a budget this fall and construction will start in 2019.

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