Cyclists and hikers can now use a completed connection between the Lake Country and Interurban trails after Waukesha and Jefferson counties finished a long-awaited trail project this week. The two counties celebrated the connection with a ribbon-cutting at the West Second Street trailhead in Oconomowoc, where Waukesha County also built a new trailhead parking lot along Second Street.
The finished project links the Lake Country and Interurban trails, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Lake Country Trail is listed at 2810 Golf Road in Pewaukee, while the Interurban Trail connects Oconomowoc and Watertown, and the two trails now link through the completed project. Waukesha County built a new 1.2-mile trail segment this year that extends the Lake Country Recreation Trail in Oconomowoc, part of a roughly $2 million project funded through a mix of federal and state sources plus municipal partnerships, including with the City of Oconomowoc.
Two Counties, One Trail
Jefferson County did its part too, completing an extension of the Interurban Trail toward Oconomowoc this year, according to the same report. The trail work included two major bridges spanning the Rock River. Jefferson County Parks Director Kevin Wiesmann called finishing the Interurban Trail connection to Oconomowoc a significant milestone.
The trail project proceeded through multiple phases, extending paved non-motorized travel from Watertown toward Oconomowoc, according to the Jefferson County Parks Department.
Bypassing an Eight-Lane Highway
One of the corridor's important features is the Oconomowoc Highway 67 underpass, which is part of the 15-mile Lake Country Trail. The underpass had a rocky path to completion: a concrete tunnel was installed before the project stalled over high bids, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. Waukesha County secured an approved federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant of $2.2 million.
The City of Oconomowoc spent $216,000 in municipal funds back in 2015 to relocate local utilities along the corridor, a required step before paving could begin, per county records. The city was also a municipal partner on the project.
Riding a Century-Old Trolley Route
The trail's name is no accident. The Lake Country Trail follows a former Milwaukee-Watertown Interurban Railway corridor that became popular with city dwellers traveling to Oconomowoc's lake country in the late 1800s. Per Travel Wisconsin, the corridor later became a recreational path.
Just before the ribbon-cutting, contractor Janke General Contractors, Inc. installed a new recreational bridge over the Oconomowoc River as part of Phase 5 construction, according to Waukesha County Parks. The bridge was part of the construction work along the route.
What Officials and Riders Are Saying
The connection runs through multiple municipalities and crosses two counties, giving residents and visitors opportunities to bike, walk and enjoy the outdoors.
With the new link in place, bikers and hikers can travel 12.5 miles along a recreational path connecting Oconomowoc to Watertown, part of a larger route connecting communities in the region. The completed corridor also feeds into a much bigger vision: the Route of the Badger, a network of more than 700 miles across seven southeastern Wisconsin counties, according to the Wisconsin Bike Fed.
More Riders, More Rules
In the Route of the Badger context, funding has included Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grants and federal Transportation Alternatives Program funds. The Lake Country Trail is also featured by Wisconsin Bike Trails, per Wisconsin Bike Trails.
The project highlights broader interest in multi-use trails. Hoodline previously reported on e-bike rules.
