Large sandwich board signs peppered with store logos let passersby know that businesses are still open on West National Avenue, even with traffic snarling as the first phase of a major construction project gets underway.
The City of Milwaukee, which provided the Support for Business signs, is partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to rebuild 2.6 miles of West National Avenue, or state Highway 59, between South 39th and South 1st streets over the next three years.
In 2026, the project team will construct the eastbound lanes from South 39th Street to South 27th Street/Layton Boulevard, before switching to working on the westbound lanes around late August, according to information shared during a public project meeting in March. The block from South 40th to South 39th streets is also closed due to construction.
One lane of westbound traffic is currently open while the eastbound lanes are closed and street parking is limited in the construction area.
The project will replace West National Avenue’s pothole- filled pavement, curb and sidewalk, upgrade bus stops and add traffic-calming features like curb extensions.
The design also reduces the avenue’s four lanes to two lanes between South 33rd and South 27th streets, adds raised protected bike tracks, improves street lighting, updates traffic signals and will add almost 200 trees.
“This project is about infrastructure, yes, but it’s also about trust,” said JoAnna Bautch, executive director of VIA Community Development Corp., at a press conference on April 8 about the city’s traffic-calming projects. “It is about ensuring that investment in our neighborhoods benefits the people that are already here.”
How business owners feel
Rosalia Navarrete, owner of Rosie’s Beauty Salon, 3505 W. National Ave., on the south side of the street with the lane closure, relies on walk-in traffic to sustain her business between appointments.
She noticed a stark drop-off in walk-ins in the last few months and is concerned the construction underway won’t help.
She said she is keeping her options open for now, but is considering moving the salon to a different location if traffic does not pick up.
Thai Bar-B-Que, 3417 W. National Ave., is updating the restaurant’s social media and website to warn people about the construction and ask them to use the alleyway to access its back door and parking lot, according to George Chai, the restaurant’s owner.
“We try to put in the Facebook that Thai Bar-B-Que is available for free delivery, for one to two, three miles, something like that, for customers,” he said.
With so many grocery stores out there, Kwan Phonthavisouk said he is thankful for customers that come in and choose to shop at his Asian International Market, 3401 W. National Ave., even when finding parking is complicated.
He hasn’t noticed a change in customers yet, but he is waiting to see how the construction goes and how the narrower street design will impact traffic flow.
“I would say, a six-month time frame, we should be OK, but talking about a year, it’s long,” he said.
Phonthavisouk plans to ask delivery trucks to come on the weekend when there might be more room to park near the store.
Support for small businesses
VIA CDC and the Department of City Development Commercial Corridor Team are accepting applications for the Facade and Alternative Customer Entrance grant from businesses or commercial properties along the corridor.
The FACE grant will reimburse 90% of the cost of approved projects that enhance the exterior look of a property or make a non-front entrance more visible and accessible, such as by adding security lighting, landscaping, signage or updating windows or paint.
Most projects have a total cost limit of $20,000, but projects involving major parking lot enhancements may be able to spend up to $30,000, according to Brisa Van Galen, economic development director at VIA CDC.
To help cover the up-front costs, VIA CDC can connect business owners with chambers of commerce or other partners to learn about low-interest loan options, Bautch said.
VIA CDC is also hoping to start a marketing grant in the next few months so businesses can get signs to promote parking or for other uses, according to Bautch.
Navarrete said her regular customers know to use parking in the back, but others do not and are worried about parking on the side streets.
“A lot of clients are worried about when they come, are they going to get a ticket?” Navarrete said.
The city is in active discussions to lease privately owned parking lots nearby for public use, according to Sarah McClanahan, marketing and communications officer for the City of Milwaukee.
Transit and congestion
Ahead of the project, the Department of Public Works communicated with emergency responders, city services, schools and transit services about the construction’s impact to regular routes and detours.
Milwaukee County Transit System’s Route 18 is detouring on Greenfield Avenue from Miller Parkway to Layton Boulevard with temporary stops.
Milwaukee Public Schools’ transportation partners have maintained bus schedules so students arrive and leave on time through the challenge of construction, according to Jennifer Roche, MPS communications and marketing director.
“We are aware of very few exceptions or delays,” Roche said.
McClanahan said on April 8 that the city had not received information about any school bus delays, but they also sent out an extra reminder to school administrators on the first project day to avoid National Avenue.
Dean Brown, general manager of Lamers Bus Lines in Milwaukee, said his company has one school route in the area, Anna F. Doerfler School, 3014 W. Scott St., that had to make adjustments.
Brown said when traffic at cross streets slows down, it becomes one-way and there’s nowhere for a bus to stop.
“What makes it rougher right now is with those viaducts down,” he said, referring to the 27th Street and 16th Street Bridge projects that are also under construction, both part of the I-94 East-West construction project.
How to support businesses
Chai said customers can get a 10% to 15% discount on all orders if they order directly through the restaurant and join Thai Bar-B-Que’s rewards program.
He said the best way people can support is by coming in.
Navarrete agreed.
“We offer services that are affordable, so you can bring your kids, your husband, your wife, whoever,” she said.
Jonathan Aguilar contributed reporting to this story.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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