Every day, about 48,000 vehicles travel along John Nolen Drive. There’s no telling how many drivers of those vehicles have noticed the electronic signs warning of impending road work. But it’s a safe bet that, starting Monday, a lot of them are in for a rude surprise.
Do you have an alternate route planned during John Nolen construction?
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A sign on the southbound side of John Nolen Drive alerts drivers to the start Monday of a nearly two-year reconstruction of the causeway. The city has not designated any official detours, but planners urged drivers to find alternate routes or allow more time for their daily commutes.
Traffic moves north at the intersection of John Nolen Drive and East Lakeside Street, the southern end of the upcoming reconstruction. Drivers can expect delays starting this month as the causeway is reduced from two lanes in each direction to one.
Afternoon traffic crosses Lake Monona on John Nolen Drive. Starting Monday, crews will begin an ambitious two-year project to rebuild the causeway, including replacing six bridges and building three new ones for bikes and pedestrians. Traffic on the causeway will be reduced to one lane in each direction during construction.
Traffic barrels herald the start of construction on John Nolen Drive. The first phase will extend from South Broom Street to East Lakeside Street, in the distance above.
About 48,000 vehicles drive on John Nolen Drive every day, and about 4,500 people use the adjacent path. Travel lanes will be reduced this month and the path closed starting next year for reconstruction of the causeway, which is expected to be complete in the summer of 2027.
Pedestrians cross John Nolen Drive at the intersection of North Shore Drive. When the reconstruction is finished, the North Shore Drive and South Broom Street intersections will be more compact, with shorter and more simplified crosswalks.
The Capital City Trail, above, will remain accessible to bikes and pedestrians until sometime next summer, when work on the northbound side of the causeway will result in closing the path and directing users around Monona Bay.
Bicyclists ride on the Capital City Trail along John Nolen Drive. The trail is open for now but will close starting next summer while the causeway — and the adjacent path — is reconstructed.
Pedestrians cross at the intersection of John Nolen Drive and North Shore Drive. The city designed changes to the North Shore and South Broom Street intersections to accommodate a bike and pedestrian underpass, but it currently has no plans to build one.
