Contract Awarded To Design Streetscaping On Drexel Avenue In Oak Creek

OAK CREEK, WI — The Oak Creek Common Council last week awarded a $165,000 contract to design the first phase of an overhaul to the streetscaping alongside Drexel Avenue.

The city awarded the design contract to consulting and engineering firm Graef. The city's plan commission approved an initial streetscape plan from the consulting firm in December. The first phase of the design starts at IKEA Way and extends east to the railroad tracks, city documents noted. In the future, extensions could go until Howell Avenue.

Parts of the initial proposal from Graef recommended landscaping improvements and different lighting to improve the corridor, the community development request said.

City documents noted that the 2023 Capital Improvements Program budgeted $2.5 million for the first phase's design and construction, with funding expected in part through existing tax incremental financing districts 11, 12 and 15.

"The roadway (especially between Howell Avenue and the freeway) is heavily utilized and no longer reflects the City's brand or the image of the diverse, vibrant community Oak Creek aspires to be based on its adopted strategic plan," reads a capital improvement program request drafted by the city's community development department.

The capital improvement request behind the streetscaping project noted that funding estimates ranged between $3.4-$4.8 million, with the lower price end only supporting the medians. The request said streetlight replacements could necessitate a further $500,000.

See images of Graef's initial design proposal below from a city agenda: