Les Paul Parkway Project Enters Exciting New Phase In Which A Different Lane Is Closed

WAUKESHA — The pavement replacement project on Les Paul Parkway entered a new phase Monday morning when crews closed the westbound left lane between Sunset Drive and Arcadian Avenue and reopened the right lane, which had been closed since March.

The switch was executed between 4 and 6 a.m. and involved the repositioning of an estimated 640 traffic cones, a number the project office could not confirm but did not dispute. By the Monday morning commute, drivers accustomed to merging left were merging right, an adjustment the city says most motorists completed "within the first day, or in some cases within the first attempt."

According to city projections, the new configuration will save through commuters roughly 90 seconds while adding 4 minutes for drivers who previously used the left lane to reach the parkway's south frontage, who are now directed to a posted detour. Officials characterized the net effect as "a wash, directionally."

The Taper

The new closure received its first independent review at 6:40 a.m. Monday from Bob Krueger, 72, a retired city Department of Public Works supervisor who evaluates area lane closures in a personal capacity and shares his findings with this newspaper. Krueger rates the new configuration 6.5 out of 10.

"The cone taper starts 300 feet too early," Krueger said, standing at the point where he believes it should start. "That's an amateur move. You taper at the work. You don't taper at the idea of the work."

"You taper at the work. You don't taper at the idea of the work."

— Bob Krueger, retired DPW supervisor

Krueger also measured the cone spacing at 40 feet, which he called "generous to the point of decadent," and noted that one cone near the Arcadian end had been placed upside down, "which is not a violation, but tells you about morale." He drove the corridor 11 times Monday, six times for research and five times because of where the turn lane put him.

For comparison, Krueger cited a 1994 taper on East Moreland Boulevard that he laid out personally. "Tightest taper this county has ever seen," he said. "Ask anyone."

The Detour

The posted detour has performed as posted. The unposted detours have performed as expected. Some drivers attempting to avoid the parkway entirely have rerouted through downtown, where the one-way grid took its usual share. A Pewaukee man who left the parkway at Sunset in protest Monday was located 25 minutes later on St. Paul Avenue, traveling the correct direction, which he attributed to luck.

Residents of the south frontage, meanwhile, are adapting to the detour's signature maneuver, a loop of three consecutive right turns. Cody England, who lives on the city's south side, said the loop adds 4 minutes on paper and 9 in practice. "The 4 assumes you make the light," England said. "The light has other information."

At Tuesday night's Common Council meeting, Councilman Gary Puchalski acknowledged constituent frustration but urged patience with the project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year. "The cones know the plan," Puchalski said. "We should let them work."

When The Left Lane Reopens

A project spokesperson said the left lane will reopen "when it's ready," and confirmed the project's remaining schedule includes at least one more configuration change before final paving. Asked what that phase would involve, the spokesperson said a different lane would be closed.

Asked which one, the spokesperson noted there are only two.