Massive project to rebuild John Nolen Drive begins, will be under construction for years

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – One of Madison’s busiest routes downtown is officially under construction, and will stay that way for two years. 

For years, city officials have been planning to rebuild John Nolen Drive. The street is over Lake Monona, and offers a scenic view of the Madison skyline. It’s also home to popular walking and biking paths. Every day, an estimated 48,000 cars drive on it. 

The causeway was rebuilt in the 90s, but the bridges are from the 60s and 70s. After years of planning, the city is rebuilding the road. 

“This project addresses three key needs for the John Nolen Drive corridor,” said Aaron Steger from KL Engineering. “The first one is aging infrastructure. The existing roadway and bridge structures are nearing the end of their service life, and require significant upgrades. The second one is safety concerns. The corridor experiences a high number of bicycle and pedestrian conflicts, resulting in a need for improved safety measures. And third, capacity and connectivity. Current bicycle and pedestrian facilities are over capacity, and do not meet modern expectations.” 

The first phase of the project is essentially the portion that goes over the water, from Olin Park to Broom Street. Work began on Monday, reducing traffic to one lane each direction for that part of the street. 

Here and there, all of John Nolen will be closed overnight so crews can install storm sewers. However, staff from the city’s Engineering Division said they’ll give everyone a heads up beforehand. 

Once all parts of John Nolen are rebuilt, the city can start on the Madison LakeWay project. That will add bump-outs with things like ice cream shops to the shoreline. 

The entire reconstruction is expected to cost about $48 million. About $33 million of that is being paid for by the federal government. 

Altogether, the reconstruction of John Nolen Drive is expected to be finished in 2029.