Bugline Trail to Be Paved

The Bugline Trail will be widened and paved under a proposal in the 2012-16 Waukesha County capital projects plan.

According to the proposal, the trail improvements will allow increased accessibility to runners, wheelchairs, bicycles and in-line skaters and help the county’s overall sustainability plan.

“The Waukesha County sustainability plan sets a strategy to attain and maintain a place of leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainability at our facilities, in our operations and in the larger community of which we are a part,” County Executive Dan Vrakas said in a press release. “These projects will help Waukesha County maintain its role as a sustainability leader in Wisconsin and save taxpayer dollars.”

The improvements are slated to take place in 2012 and 2013, with the county replacing the crushed stone trail with asphalt in its entire 16 mile length. Two miles of the trail in Merton are already paved.

The entire project will cost about $million, with the county’s share estimated at $1.6 million. The rest of the project will be funded through state and regional grant programs.

The paved trail will allow residents to travel the trail through Menomonee Falls, Lannon, Sussex, Town of Lisbon, Merton and North Lake, and snowmobiles will still be allowed to use it during the winter months.

“Certainly it’s wonderful when you can expand the availability of a trail to a larger segment of the population or make it easier for more people to utilize the trail,” Sussex Administrator Jeremy Smith said. “That’s a good thing for the community and the area.”

The plan will go before the Waukesha County Board and be voted on for approval by the end of September. It will also be included as part of the full 2012 executive budget proposal, which will be introduced in fall.