Grades are out. Road graders are in.
With commencement in the rearview mirror, construction gets even more active on and around the UW–Madison campus. The university’s Transportation Services office has a roundup of projects and resulting closures scheduled to begin as soon as the mortar boards landed.
Starting this week, construction will affect:
- The eastbound bike lane on University Avenue from North Park to North Frances streets
- North Charter Street from University Avenue to Linden Drive, which will be closed for one week for repaving
- Babcock Drive just north of University Avenue, where Madison is reworking the road to better accommodate Metro’s BRT service. That project will likely interrupt the usual bike and pedestrian flow at several crossings, included in this handy map made by Craig Weinhold.
While the Transportation Services site is a good place to find info about closures and detours, word in the Madison Bikes Community Facebook group Monday morning was that the bike path bridge over Walnut Street was closed and might stay that way for a week.
Summer e-bike rides are back
Speaking of Facebook, that’s where you will also find details on the kick-off of summer e-bike rides with Capital E-Bikes. The weekly group rides begin and end at Capital Brewery in Middleton. The ride on May 13 begins at 5:30 p.m. with an info session on the club, which has been around since 2009.
Bike Week countdown: 18 days
There are now 56 events on the Madison Bike Week calendar, including rides every day for nine days, as well as fun for kids, education and tune-up stops, tours and food — beets, brats, beer and more.
It’s time to start making your plan, and there’s room for more! Have a notion for a Bike Week event or promotion? Submit your idea here. Or throw in as a volunteer. We’re still looking for people to help with the Bike Week Party on June 5.
More fun this week:
- May 15, 7 to 8:15 a.m.: Bike to Work with the Mayor of Fitchburg, starting from McKee Farms Park, 2930 Chapel Valley Road
- May 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Free bike wash at Wheel & Sprocket, 6641 University Ave. in Middleton
- May 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Exploring the mountain bike trails and test-ride bikes at the Spring Open House at Blackhawk Ski Club, 10222 Blackhawk Road in Middleton
Speaking of fun …
I saw a kid in the park this week learning to pedal, and it reminded me of the unfiltered joy I got to experience first-hand while teaching my own. The giggles! Hope you can get this happy this week on two wheels.
As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.
Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!
