Community Corner

Bugline Trail Will Reopen Next Month

The first phase of the Bugline Trail paving project is nearing completion.

A portion of the historic Bugline Trail in Menomonee Falls and Sussex has been closed since mid-August, but the trail should be set for the first ride across its smooth surface next month. 

Waukesha County officials told the Sussex Sun last week that the 3.6-mile section of trail under construction should be open to the public by mid-October. According to  Waukesha County Parks, signing and railings would be installed in the first week of October. 

The Bugline project will be completed in two phases. The first phase includes the portion of the trail from Highway 164 to County Highway VV. The second phase includes the rest of the trail, which ends in Menomonee Falls. In the coming months, the county will also repair bridges located in the first phase of the project.

The second phase would be completed in fall 2014. Plans include a small unpaved path along the side of the paved path for joggers and snowmobilers. 

For county officials, the time was right to pave the trail. Roughly $1.5 million of the project cost is funded by a Federal Transportation Enhancement grant, and another $250,000 comes in the form of stewardship grants from the state. The remaining $650,000 is being funded through the county’s capital improvements budget. If the federal funding wasn’t used, it would end up heading to a different project in another part of the country.

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The project has been on the books for many years at the county level, and the paved surface will make the Bugline Trail accessible to a wider range of residents who may be disabled or are pushing a baby stroller. 


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