Ozaukee Interurban Trail
Encyclopedia
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
in Ozaukee, and Sheboygan Counties, in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. The south end of the trail is in Milwaukee County but only runs 1 mile through the county.
It uses an abandoned Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company interurban passenger railway line which ran from Sheboygan
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
to Milwaukee. The southern end of the trail is at Brown Deer Road in Brown Deer
Brown Deer, Wisconsin
Brown Deer is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is a suburb of Milwaukee. The population was 11,999 at the 2010 census...
, and its northern end is at DeMaster Road in the Village of Oostburg
Oostburg, Wisconsin
Oostburg is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population as of 2009 is 2,842. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:The Village of Oostburg was incorporated in 1909...
Sheboygan County. It runs through the communities of Brown Deer, Mequon
Mequon, Wisconsin
Mequon is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 21,823 at the 2000 census, and an estimated population of 23,739 in July 2009...
, Thiensville
Thiensville, Wisconsin
Thiensville is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,254 at the 2000 census. It was founded by its namesake, John Henry Thien....
, Cedarburg
Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States with Cedar Creek running through it. The city is bordered by the Village of Grafton to the east and the Town of Cedarburg elsewhere...
, Grafton
Grafton, Wisconsin
Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,312 at the 2000 census. The village is adjacent to the Town of Grafton and the City of Cedarburg.-History:...
, Port Washington
Port Washington, Wisconsin
Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is about 25 miles north of Milwaukee and 110 miles north of Chicago. In the 2000 census Port Washington had a population of 10,467...
, Belgium
Belgium, Wisconsin
Belgium is a village located in the Town of Belgium in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,678 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Cedar Grove
Cedar Grove, Wisconsin
Cedar Grove is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,887 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, and Oostburg
Oostburg, Wisconsin
Oostburg is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population as of 2009 is 2,842. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:The Village of Oostburg was incorporated in 1909...
.
The trail is open to non-motorized pastimes, such as bicycling, rollerblading, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
, jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
and birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
.
While most of the trail is on the railway right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
, some sections are diverted to city streets and country roads because of safety concerns or where the railroad sections are unusable.
Oversight of the trail in Ozaukee County is by the Ozaukee Interurban Trail Advisory Council. Subcommittees include Rules and Ordinance Development, Sustainability Committee, Trailside Facilities and Trail Promotions. Oversight of the portion of the Interurban Trail in Sheboygan County is under the Sheboygan County Planning and Resources Department and the Planning, Resources, Agriculture, and Extension Committee of the Sheboygan County Board of Supervisors.
History
The Milwaukee Electric Railway ran a passenger line between Milwaukee and Sheboygan from 1905 to 1948. The company became part of Wisconsin Electric (now We Energies), and the land was retained by that company after the railway ceased operation. Some segments of the right-of-way were turned into bike paths in 1975. In 1998, the county and several of its communities received state funding to build the trail. Much of the land for the trail is leased from the power company. Because much of the trail is on old railroad beds, little work needed to be done to convert the land to a bike trail. First, crushed limestone was laid. When enough money was raised, asphalt paving was begun. Some sections needed to be newly constructed, and two bridges needed to be built. A bridge over the Milwaukee RiverMilwaukee River
The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.- Description :The river begins in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin and flows south past Grafton to downtown Milwaukee, where it empties into Lake Michigan...
in Grafton was completed in March 2002. The official grand opening was on September 28, 2002.
A 415-foot bridge over Interstate 43
Interstate 43
Interstate 43 is a intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Wisconsin, connecting Interstate 39 and Interstate 90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 141 in Green Bay. I-43 is the 5th longest intrastate Interstate Highway of the Interstate...
and County Highway W in the Town of Grafton
Grafton (town), Wisconsin
Grafton is a town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,132 at the 2000 census. The Town of Grafton is located about twenty miles north of downtown Milwaukee on the shore of Lake Michigan. It is east of the Village of Grafton and Town of Cedarburg, south of the Town of...
was completed in late September 2009 at a cost of $1.76 million. Twenty percent was funded by private donations, while the remaining 80% was funded by the state. Though it was expected to be built in the summer of 2006, the state Department of Transportation
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, abbreviated as WisDOT, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's highways...
imposed design changes that boosted the cost of the bridge by $650,000. The changes were based on the DOT's decision that the bridge needed to be handicap accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
.
In Sheboygan County, the initial stretch of the Interurban Trail between the Ozaukee - Sheboygan County line to Cedar Grove was constructed in 2005. The next portion of the Trail between Cedar Grove and Oostburg was constructed in 2007. There are plans to further extend the Trail from the Village of Oostburg into the City of Sheboygan via Kohler Andrae State Park. When the Interuban Trail reaches the City of Sheboygan, it will intersect with an extensive urban bikeway network, and with the Old Plank Road Trail, which stretches west from the City of Sheboygan to the Village of Greenbush, a distance of about 17 miles. Longer term plans will extend the Interurban Trail from Sheboygan north about 65 miles to Green Bay and then to other points west and north via existing trails.