A new accessible pathway is taking shape beneath Milwaukee’s 35th Street viaduct, linking Arlington Heights Park with the Silver City neighborhood’s bustling National Avenue corridor. The timing is especially convenient: the connection is expected to be ready just as one of the neighborhood’s biggest annual celebrations moves nearby.
The Milwaukee Department of Public Works said Tuesday that the pathway should be completed in time for the Silver City Festival on September 12, according to DPW Milwaukee’s post. The update also identifies AARP Wisconsin and VIA Community Development Corporation as partners in the effort.
A Path From Pierce Street To National Avenue
The City of Milwaukee says the project will create an accessible route from Arlington Heights Park on W. Pierce Street up to W. National Avenue, connecting the park and nearby Hank Aaron State Trail with local restaurants, shops and other businesses. The city’s Engage MKE project page also says art and design elements are planned, with community input helping shape the improvements.
Photos on the city’s project page show soil staged for grading at the future path site, suggesting the unglamorous but necessary groundwork is already underway. The route will run beneath the 35th Street viaduct on Pierce Street, turning a tucked-away park connection into a more direct way to reach the commercial corridor.
Silver City Fest Moves To Pierce Street
The pathway’s debut is lined up with Silver City Fest, which will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, September 12, on Pierce Street. VIA CDC says the festival is moving there while National Avenue undergoes reconstruction, with live music, local vendors, interactive art, children’s activities and food planned for the free event, as detailed by VIA CDC.
That move gives the new route an immediate test: residents and visitors will be able to use the improved connection while taking part in a festival built around the neighborhood’s businesses and cultural diversity. It also offers a practical preview of how the park, trail and commercial strip could function as a more connected destination once the work is complete.
Building On Arlington Heights Park’s Community History
Arlington Heights Park has been a community project long before this latest pathway. The city says VIA CDC has worked with neighbors on improvements there since 2010, including visioning sessions, a bandshell and summer programming, while the park itself sits beneath the 35th Street Bridge on W. Pierce Street.
For Silver City, the project is less about adding another strip of pavement than making an existing neighborhood network easier to use. If the schedule holds, the first big public showcase will arrive with music, food and a crowd on September 12.
