What's Happening
Today-2010
2022:
The Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department was awarded close to $1,000,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Transportation Alternative Program to re-pave and re-shoulder approximately 13 miles of the Ozaukee Interurban Trail. The re-paving will occur in 2024 on county-managed portions of off-road trail from County Highway O, north to County Road K. Additionally, the Ozaukee County Board provided a local match of $300,000 to help complete the paving.​ The trail sections that will be re-paved and re-shouldered can be seen in red on this map.
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2019: The State Department of Tourism awarded Ozaukee County a check through its Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant program for work to promote the Ozaukee Interurban Trail. A bench was installed at Trail Bridge Park to honor Chris Kegel and to recognize Chris Kegel Day (October 3rd) on the trail.
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2017: Bike racks were installed at Trail Bridge Park. Mee-Kwon County park added new hiking trails that can be easily accessed from the Trail.
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2016: Bike repair stations were installed in every community along the Trail . The repair stations include a variety of tools and provide trail users with a safe location to make repairs. Belgium Trail Park was completed. Final works are in place to connect the Oak Leaf Trail in Milwaukee County to the Ozaukee County's Interurban Trail.
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2015: Town of Port Washington Trail Extension Project is completed.
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2014: A location was determined for the new Trail Bridge Park. City of Mequon Trail realignment at the We Energies substation along the Trail across from Mee-Kwon Park was completed. An extension of the Trail behind Ozaukee County Historical Society Depot took place in conjunction with City of Cedarburg Library Construction. This extension includes the addition of Trail benches, signage, and a kiosk.
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2013: Ozaukee County's www.bikex.net was created by Dave Harney and a group of volunteers to provide an interactive website with on-trail and off-trail routes throughout the county. A grant is in place for Milwaukee County to construct a major extension between the Interurban Trail and Oak Leaf Trail which includes a bridge over I-43.
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2012: A new Ozaukee County Transit Services building and Interurban Pocket Park opened in Port Washington. An overnight Trail parking area was completed on the Highland Drive underpass (under I-43) in Port Washington.
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2011: The community brooms project began; signs and brooms were installed at the electrical substation in Mequon and wood boardwalk in Grafton. The Trail received $2,500 from the Liberty Mutual Insurance Facebook-based "Like My Community" campaign. The County released the 3rd edition of A Park and Open Space Plan for Ozaukee County. The Village of Brown Deer completed an approximately 1.5 mile extension of the Oak Leaf Trail to Brown Deer Park.
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2010: The Trail Improvement Project is officially complete with the installation of Ozaukee Interurban Trail signage. Ozaukee County and the City of Mequon were bestowed the honor of Bird City Wisconsin among fifteen communities. At the Wheel & Sprocket Bike Expo, the Ozaukee Interurban Trail Improvement Project won the Feddy Award for "Best Enhancement to a Multi-Use Trail System." The Wisconsin Bike Federation Feddy Award recognizes people and projects that move cycling forward.
2009-2000
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2009: The Interurban Bridge Opening Celebration was held on Saturday, October 3rd. The Trail Advisory Council installed the Trailside Birding Hotspot signage to correspond to the sites listed in the Ozaukee Trailside Birding Guide. Bus bike racks were installed on all five Ozaukee Express buses.
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2008: A birding guide was published. Birding trail hotspot decals were made by CKC and mounted by the Highway Department at each hotspot identified by the guide.
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2007: Due to only receiving one bid, the Ozaukee Interurban Trail Advisory Council re-bid the Trail Improvement project as a steel fabricated truss bridge. Bike racks on buses were proposed by the Ozaukee Interurban Advisory Council.
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2006: Sheboygan County completed paving an extension of the Interurban Trail from the Ozaukee County line to Cedar Grove. Additional information kiosks have been constructed in Cedarburg by Boy Scout Ryan Leppert.
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2005: Bloom Consultants, a Milwaukee engineering firm, has been selected to design the 750 foot long bicycle bridge over I-43 in the Town of Grafton for the Trail Improvement Project. Their "Pearl Bridge" design was selected and approved. Mile Marker Project was completed thanks to Ozaukee County Boy Scouts; half mile markers were added as well. Boy Scouts also built an informational kiosk in the Village of Grafton. An additional informational kiosk was constructed and installed in the Village of Grafton by Boy Scout Brendon DeVries.
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2004: The Trail Improvement Project began. The first Ozaukee Interurban Trail kiosk was constructed in the City of Mequon near the Logemann Center thanks to the Mequon Bikeway Committee.
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2003: In August 2003, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in Mequon to mark the completion on the Trail paving. which has become 100 percent paved. The 1st Anniversary celebration of the Trail was held at the Justice Center. The Advisory Council voted to spend funds on the creation and posting of street signs along the trail. This same year, new Trail logo signage was posted throughout the Trail thanks to the Ozaukee County Highway Department.
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2002: The Interurban Trail Advisory Council held its second meeting in March. At this meeting, members chose "Ozaukee Interurban Trail" as the official name for the Trail. In June, the logo for the Ozaukee Interurban Trail was completed. Logo design and artwork was done by Alice Struck, a local artist and Ozaukee County resident. Other committee members included Andrew Struck, Katherine Smith, Al Krier, Ron Heinritz, Terry Mooney, and Bruce Godwin. The Trail was paved from the north county line to the City of Port Washington. Later this year, the Trail was paved from Pioneer Road in Cedarburg north to the Sheboygan County Line. Bridge construction began in Mequon-Thiensville. The grand opening of the Trail took place Saturday, September 28th with local ribbon-cutting ceremonies in Cedarburg, Grafton, Mequon-Thiensville, and Belgium, along with a celebration at the Justice Center in Port Washington.
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2001: The Highway Department completed a section of the northern end of the Trail. On December 10th, the Interurban Trail Advisory Council held its first meeting. Subcommittees were formed to work on key aspects of the Trail including rules and ordinance development, public meetings, trailside facilities, website, public relations materials, pre-opening Trail clean-up, Trail watch mechanism, opening activities, and inter-cooperative government relations.
1999-The Beginning
1999: Mequon-Thiensville applied for and received a grant for 6 miles of 10 foot-wide paved trail. The grant included rebuilding 5 bridges and installing fencing and mazes to cross the railroad on a new section between Highland and Bonniwell Road. This is where there had been an overhead trestle originally.
1997: The Ozaukee County Park Commission called for an organization meeting for the "Wisconsin Electric Power (WEPCO) Urban Line Trail Committee." Lloyd Haupt of Belgium was among the group members who pushed for a county-wide trail.
1978: The Ozaukee County Park Commission decided that each community would be responsible for their section of the Trail rather than the County.
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1975: Helen Ward met with the Ozaukee County park commission in January to propose an agreement with Wisconsin Electric Power. By April, the Ozaukee County Park Commission approved the development of the Ozaukee County Trail, starting with 6 miles. This 6 miles would stretch from Mequon Road to Highland Road and Pioneer Road to 7th Avenue in Grafton. In July, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Freistadt Road in Thiensville with Wisconsin Electric Power executives, Thiensville and Mequon representatives, and Helen Ward with her Girl Scout troop.
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1974: In December, Helen and John Ward wrote a letter to Wisconsin Electric Power (now We Energies) asking to use their right-of-way for a bike trail similar to the one developed for the Elroy-Sparta Trail. Two weeks later, the president of Wisconsin Electric Power responded in favor of use. The Wisconsin Electric Power property manager responded on how to proceed by contacting Ozaukee County.
