County-led Rimrock Road resurfacing plans include sidewalks, buffered bike lanes and ADA upgrades

City staff presented the County Trunk Highway/MC Rimrock Road resurfacing plan and answered questions about transit stops and multiuse path connections.

Chris Petakowski of City Engineering said Dane County is leading the project and that the work is a resurfacing (not full utility reconstruction) spanning McCoy Road to John Nolan Drive with two plan sets (north and south of the BeltLine). The resurfacing will replace crosswalks to meet ADA grades, add high-visibility continental crosswalk markings where requested, and provide buffered bike lanes in many sections.

Petakowski said the project includes filling missing sidewalk gaps on the east side of the road and constructing a multiuse path on the west side from the BeltLine to John Nolan Drive that will connect to planned John Nolan phase 3 work. Signal replacements are planned at the Badger Road intersection and the Moreland/Innovation Parkway intersection, and the Alliant Energy Center requested and will pay for driveway pavement replacement on its access drive.

Transit staff added that most bus stops serving Route 65 will receive upgrades and that two stops (Kent and Maloney) are proposed to be consolidated into a single pair near 89th Degree Street; staff expect to bring that consolidation to the commission for review in March.

Commissioners asked for clarification on how cyclists and pedestrians will access the new path across the BeltLine ramps and overpasses; staff said the design includes new ramps and pedestrian signal heads and that they will coordinate with Dane County to ensure connectivity. Commissioners also asked whether lane widths could be narrowed to add buffers; staff said they would discuss lane-width trade-offs with the county, noting heavy vehicle access to the Alliant Energy Center.

Staff said the resurfacing project is funded through the county’s federal application process and must be bid and let through WisDOT in WisDOT’s format; the city participates in design coordination though the county has primary authority. Petakowski thanked county partners and said many of the community requests were adopted in the plan set.

What’s next: staff will bring any bus‑stop consolidation proposals to the commission and will continue coordination with Dane County on ramp connections and ADA sidewalk details before the WisDOT letting and construction steps.