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Rendering of possible freeway for US
151-Verona Road
Verona Road/West Beltline Needs Assessment/EIS- WisDOT
– District 1
The Verona Road/West Beltline study identified needs
and developed alternatives for one of Wisconsin's most
important corridors. We led a multidisciplined study of
the West Beltline and Verona Road Corridors in Madison,
Wisconsin through the needs identification alternatives
analysis, and the preparation of an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). Verona Road is a
six-lane urban arterial feeding central Madison while the West Beltline is a limited access freeway that circles the perimeter
of Madison. With the rapid growth of Madison, both corridors have experienced dramatic traffic increases, leading to congestion
and safety concerns. We investigated a wide range of needs within the corridors. The needs assessment included extensive public
involvement, traffic operations modeling, infrastructure inventory, and pedestrian and bike needs identification. The public involvement
component included community workshops, business interviews, public involvement meetings, a technical advisory committee, and
a public advisory committee.
As part of the needs assessment, we constructed a CORSIM computer model of the West Beltline and US 151 corridors and the surrounding
streets to look at operational characteristics both now and the year 2020. The CORSIM model included 14 miles of freeway, 11 urban
interchanges, and 70 surrounding intersections. In the EIS phase, the model was calibrated and used to evaluate major system interchange
reconfigurations.
In the alternatives analysis phase of the study, we
studied multiple system interchange configurations to
determine which interchange type best met the needs of
the community and state.
The project is now in the EIS phase where alternatives have been
evaluated with a considerable amount of input. The adjacent
graphic shows an artist’s rendering of one alternative showing a depressed
freeway.
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