Oak Street
DRBC members, out for a Sunday morning coffee run, discovered yesterday (11/15/09) that the Road Closed barriers have been removed from Oak Street between La Crosse and Onalaska. This
is exciting news since it gives bicyclists another paved route between North La Crosse and Onalaska. Without Oak Street, bicyclists were forced to either use the state trail or 12th Street to safely go between the two communities. While new asphalt has been laid and the bike lanes are well stripped, there is still a lot of dirt and debris in the bike lanes so use caution.
The condition of Oak Street south of the junction with Enterprise Road remains in poor condition. There are plans afoot to reconstruct this segment down to a new Cunningham Street intersection. Current plans are for 2011, if it gets funding and approval. Connecting a well paved and stripped Oak Street to the new Cunningham Street extension would greatly increase the accessibility of Oak Street. The Cunningham Street extension is slated for completion in 2010. If Kwik Trip goes ahead with their plans (approved by council with stipulations), access to Oak via Palace street may be lost before the Cunningham extension is completed, forcing bicyclists to go north on Larson Street and then back south on Enterprise to access Oak Street.
There are plans to eventually build a bike and pedestrian bridge from Oak Street westward across the railroad track that parallel Oak Street. This would allow residents in the northern parts of lacrosse to access Onalaska via Oak Street, rather than having to travel along Hwy 35 (very dangerous at this time) or requiring them to go significantly out of their way to eventually connect to Oak Street. Sadly this project has been going on for a number of years and is not moving forward quickly. Personally just getting Oak and the new Cunningham Streets completely paved and stripped would be a major improvement.
The attached map show several areas of interest around Oak street. The bright blue lines shows the resurfaced and stripped portions of Oak Street. The purple line shows the proposed bike and pedestrian bridge that will cross the railroad tracks. The red section of Palace Street has been vacated by the city and sometime in the near future will not be open to traffic. The green line from Cunningham to Oak Street is a roadway currently under construction and should be completed next year.
DRBC’s First S240
This weekend members of the DRBC organizing committee went on the group’s first S240 ride. Four riders rolled out Saturday afternoon and returned Sunday afternoon to sunshine and wind. The ride included several first time bike tourers, one of which had never ridden outside of the city. Everyone had a great time and learned a bit about bicycle touring while experiences one of the best place in the country to ride.
Leaving from La Crosse, WI the route crossed the Mississippi and traveled through La Crescent, MN on to Houston, on state highways. Outside of Houston, we picked up the excellent Root River trail all the way to Rushford. Outside of Rushford we encountered our only significant climb going up Hwy 43, but were shortly at our campsite after about 42 miles and three hours of travel time.
Sunday morning, following a breakfast of eggs and pancakes, we began our return ride to La Crosse. The sun came out, the skies where a clear blue and except for the wind it was a great day to be on a bike! One rider developed a bit of a knee problem, but the group stayed together and everyone made it back safely. I think I can say that everyone on this S240 is looking forward to the next one. So when are we going?
A great big thanks goes out to Dan for providing SAG and joining us at our overnight site outside of Rushford. MN. Without him the feasting and debauchery would not have been as fun, or excessive.
What is a S240?
An S240 is a short form of bicycle touring. S240 is a sub twenty-four hour tour. The goal is to return to your starting location or end point within 24 hours. This will generally entail an overnight stay at a location along the way. S240 are a great way to introduce people to touring, since the gear requirements are fairly minimal. S240′s can be supported or unsupported rides.
Want to participate in a S240?
Anyone with a decent bike and a bit of camping equipment can do their own S240. If you have never tour by bike before, it would be a good idea to first talk with an experienced bike tourer and even you local bike shop. You can also find a lot of information on the Adventure Cycling Association website. DRBC and it’s members will be planning more S240 and other touring opportunities in the future, so stay tuned and check back often for information.
Welcome to the DRBC
Welcome to the Drifless Region Bicycle Coalition's online community. At DRBC we are about getting more people on bikes, more often by advocating for bicycling infrastructure and a dynamic bicycling culture.
The DRBC currently seeking organizations and individuals who support the idea of complete streets in our community.
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