Oak Leaf Trail Access Ramp to UWM
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May 2026 Update
Site clearance took place the week of April 20, 2026, to prepare the area for upcoming ramp construction.
A new trail access ramp in the vicinity of Kenwood Avenue will provide a much safer, more direct connection to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus and the 150-mile Oak Leaf Trail (OLT) system. Both the neighborhood and the university have formally requested this project in plans and informally via emails to Parks for over 10 years. With high levels of support for biking from the campus and the community, now is a great time to invest in improving trail access to campus to see increases in ridership and safety:
- The OLT and UWM are only .25 miles apart as the crow flies; due to the trail being below grade, the biking/walking route to campus is on-street for .5 miles from the North or South, with a dangerous Locust Street crossing on the southern route.
- This ramp eliminates that dangerous crossing and provides a direct and safer .25-mile connection on a side street.
- Older adults have also requested this ramp so that they can walk on the trail, especially in winter, when the unofficial dirt paths become unsafe.
- The ramp will not be a switch-back but rather a straight run with a 5% grade across the slope.
- The ramp will extend from Kenwood Avenue southward to the Oak Leaf Trail.
Project Scope
Page last updated: 30 Jun 2026, 02:51 PM
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Project Owner
Phone 414-257-7275 Email parksplanning@milwaukeecountywi.gov
Wondering if there are any updates on this project?
The trees were cut down in early spring without any communications to the houses/residents on that street (other than an email saying the OLT would have a detour for a week in April due to some maintenance). At a community meeting in June, we were told the project would be done by the end of the summer; however, since the clear-cutting of the trees, nothing has happened.
While I appreciate improving access to bike trails, it feels like this project could have used more input and thought.
Anyone coming from the north will likely continue to use the access trail where Cambridge curves into Providence (a five-block grade is much easier on a bike than a one-block ramp grade cutting through the slope). For those coming from the south, I completely understand and agree that the Locust Street crossing isn't great. But instead of finding a way for the UWM & neighborhood bikers/walkers to bypass the dangerous intersection, I wish we had used the $1,600,000 to IMPROVE and make the Locust Street crossing safe. That is an intersection connected to a high school where 1,200 young Milwaukeeans are expected to cross, walk, and catch the bus. If the intersection isn't safe enough for UWM students, staff, and Cambridge Woods neighbors to cross, then it certainly shouldn't be acceptable for the students attending high school right across the street.
I understand that this comment comes too late. The trees have been chopped down. The project has been started. Communications to residents are what they are. Electric bills on that block are up due to the reduction in trees and shade. Walking down the block no longer feels like it is part of the Cambridge Woods neighborhood; a stark contrast can be felt crossing from one block to another.
The comment comes too late to change the project, but my hope is that moving forward we can improve communications to the neighborhood as a whole and the residents who live on that street -- communications on timelines, intended work, and what will be done to re-vegetate the area once the work is done would be very much appreciated.
Additionally, I hope that we can open up a conversation on how we can make improvements to the neighborhood that benefit the safety and ease for all, especially around the Locust street crossing.
I think the Kenwood location is better. But I don't know about Harford protected bike lanes plans. I also wonder about timeline, as the trees and shrubs were cut down drastically in early Spring but it is now mid-summer with no sign of activity since then. I hope also that when the ramp is done, there will be significant re-vegetation along it, something like the ramp south of Locust near the High School (or even more so).
Love this project. Crossing Locust to get to UWM is never fun and this will make the commute more of a breeze. I do wonder why it is connecting to Kenwood and not Hartford, given the planned protected bike lanes going in on Hartford soon. Additionally, is there a timeline for when this project is going to move forward towards construction?