A Brady Street group is proceeding with its study that could result in closing part of the street to automobiles in an effort to create a safer place for pedestrians — while also helping neighborhood businesses.

The Brady Street Business Improvement District board has hired two Milwaukee firms to study "pedestrianizing" the east side street, which is known for its numerous bars and restaurants.

That study will focus on a two-block stretch of Brady Street between North Warren Avenue and North Franklin Place, said Rachel Taylor, the district's executive director.

The district, which is funded by assessments on the street's commercial property owners, is paying for the study, which Taylor hopes to see completed by late spring.

Any decision to close the street to cars and other vehicles would need approval from the Common Council and Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

Brady Street study will be limited to two blocks

The study is focusing on the two-block portion of Brady in part because it's the densest portion of the street, Taylor told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

If those blocks were closed to cars, Brady Street would remain open both in the eastern portion that connects North Farwell and North Prospect avenues, as well as the stretch which runs west from Franklin Place to North Water Street.

That keeps full street access for such landmarks as Tamarack Waldorf School and St. Hedwig/Three Holy Women Catholic Church, Taylor said.

Also, much of the street's western portion is residential, she said.

The study will take into account ways of maintaining access to a parking lot in Brady Street's 1200 block, Taylor said. Another key will be to accommodate Milwaukee County Transit System buses, she said.

"It's a tall order," Taylor said.

Limiting the study to two blocks would make paying for any changes to the street less costly, Taylor said. She said the district anticipates helping to fund those costs.

Pedestrian focus would help Brady Street stay competitive with other nightlife areas in Milwaukee

The district's plans to fund a study were announced in September after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver.

Along with making the street safer, Taylor said a stronger pedestrian focus will help differentiate the neighborhood's bars and restaurants from other nightlife areas, including the Deer District — which was created by closing one block of North Phillips Avenue to automobiles.

"We need to stay competitive," she said.

The study will be conducted by Graef USA Inc., an engineering firm, and TKWA UrbanLab, an architectural firm. The study also will involve Robert Schneider, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor of architecture and urban planning, and his students.