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On Wednesday, March 13, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) was thrilled to welcome President Biden to its Hillside Family Resource Center to announce $36 million for the 6th Street Complete Streets Project. Speaking at the Resource Center’s Pieper-Hillside Boys & Girls Club, the president lauded the city’s plan to transform a 2.6-mile section of 6th Street, fostering an environment of safety, enjoyment, and accessibility for all – no matter one’s age or ability.
Just north of downtown, nestled along the western side of 6th Street, are HACM’s Hillside Terrace, Townhomes at Carver Park, and Lapham Park communities, home to nearly 800 households set to benefit from the safer, greener, and more welcoming infrastructure improvements. The project will integrate people and place into all phases, from planning and design through construction.
The initiative is made possible through the innovative Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
In the 1960s, the construction of I-94/I-43 in Milwaukee led to the demolition of roughly 17,000 homes and 1,000 businesses, as neighborhoods in the path of the highway were displaced and surrounding roads like 6th Street were widened to accommodate interstate traffic. This resulted in the creation of a street that prioritized fast-moving car traffic over the people who live, walk, work, and shop in these neighborhoods.
The 6th Street Complete Streets Project will reconnect communities along more than two and a half miles of the 6th Street corridor, providing wider sidewalks for children walking to school, safe bike lanes for residents and visitors, dedicated bus lanes for faster transit, new trees to provide shade, and green infrastructure to prevent sewage from flowing into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.
This project stands as a beacon of hope, signaling a transformative shift towards a more inclusive, sustainable, and vibrant urban landscape along the 6th Street corridor. HACM eagerly anticipates the transformative effects this project will bring to our cherished communities at Hillside Terrace, Townhomes at Carver Park, and Lapham Park, enriching the lives of residents and enhancing the experiences of all who reside, work, and engage along Sixth Street.
Learn more about the City of Milwaukee’s 6th Street Complete Streets Project and the Complete Streets Policy.
Check out more photos from President Biden's visit.
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