Local political figure opposes Clinton St. changes

Plan to go from 4 to 2 lanes, adding turn/bike lanes, been approved for years

A local political figure continues to fight plans for a controversial slimming of Clinton St. on La Crosse’s north side. 

County Republican Party chair Bill Feehan lives off of Clinton on Hiawatha Island. He’s leading the crusade against trimming the street from four lanes and making it two with a turning lane in the middle and bike lanes on either side.

“Right now it’s a problem for those of us who live on Hiawatha Island,” Feehan said. “We have to wait, sometimes, for a couple minutes for a break in traffic and that’s with four lanes.

Feehan says he’s not alone in his opposition.

“It’s obvious that the people affected by this are opposed and they’re opposed in large numbers,” Feehan said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to make the traffic on Clinton St. much worse.”

The so-called road diet has been in the works for Clinton St. for years, though Feehan contends residents in that area were never adequately informed.

“It seems like the city of La Crosse is going backwards on transportation,” Feehan said. “We don’t have a north-south corridor. We have 30,000 people that commute into the city every day for work. And they’re lowering speed limits on Losey (Blvd.) and narrowing from four lanes down to two on Clinton St.”

The plan was approved by the city council several years ago and likely won’t be changed.