The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works is leading a redesign for the full reconstruction of N. Water Street from E. Kilbourn Avenue to E. Pleasant Street. This project aims to reimagine the corridor as a vibrant, multimodal street that supports current and future transportation modes and land uses.

Located within the downtown entertainment district, N. Water Street has been identified as a catalytic project in the Connec+ing MKE Downtown Plan 2040 that should prioritize transit and pedestrian use with enhanced public spaces.

N. Water Street is a major transit corridor for Milwaukee County Transit Services (MCTS), with high ridership for four routes. The corridor is listed on the City of Milwaukee's bicyclist and pedestrian high injury networks due to the high number of past and predicted crashes.

DPW held its first public involvement meeting at MSOE Diercks Hall on November 14, 2024. More than 115 people attended the open house meeting to learn about the project and provide feedback on the three design alternatives. The project team heard from a broad representation of individuals who live, work and travel the corridor through engaging discussions at the meeting and more than 90 comment forms submitted. With your feedback and the completion of the alternative analysis, the project team is excited to share the preferred alternative at the next public involvement meeting in fall 2025.

Preliminary design is 100% locally funded through Tax Incremental Financing (TIF). The City is working to identify funding for the final design and construction.