Wagon Wheel Trail improvements between La Crosse and La Crescent reviewed at public meeting

The pike connecting La Crescent, Minn., and downtown La Crosse is road, which isn’t always a friendly area for pedestrians or bicyclists.

Wisconsin and Minnesota have been working on improvements to make the Wagon Wheel Trail safer. Local residents got a chance to comment Thursday on the proposed plan.

Tim Acklin from the La Crosse city planning office says a proposed widening of one mile of Highways 14 and 61 near Pettibone Park could help bring more people to the trail.

“They don’t like being on a road where they are right next to traffic, and there’s a narrow shoulder,” said Acklin. “So especially when you get to the bridge, that’s what they’re experiencing, and they don’t like experiencing that it’s not safe, and what happens is people then tend not to use it.”

An aerial view of the road plan was on display Thursday at the south side neighborhood center. Road construction is still two years away, in 2026.

Acklin says grants will pay for most of the road work to be done by Wisconsin crews. The overall project cost is $7 million. Most of that budget has been used to build a trail bridge in La Crescent.