Appleton Makes 3-Lane College Avenue Permanent

APPLETON, WI- (WGBW) – Started as a pilot program in 2023, the three-lane configuration of College Avenue in Appleton will stay. The Appleton Common Council voted Wednesday to make the changes permanent. 

The program reduced the number of lanes on College Avenue from four to three. It also added bike lanes and a turn lane for motorists. 

According to data collected by the Appleton Public Works Department, the number of accidents on College Avenue has been reduced by nearly 13% after the changes were made. 

During the meeting, one person spoke out against making the changes permanent. Christopher Nelis, owner of OB’s Brau Haus, said the changes have negatively affected his business. 

“It has had the opposite effect for my restaurant by decreasing business by an estimated 20 to 30 percent, which in turn also means 20 to 30 percent less business for my staff as well,” said Nelis.

Council Member Brad Firkus said that while some were against the new configuration, it was successful. 

“The decision to go down this route was a pretty gutsy one. And right out of the gate, it did get some pretty negative feedback, because, I think it was hard to imagine how having less lanes could accommodate the traffic that was down there and make anything better. But…we’ve seen what this is capable of. And it’s capable of making a calmer, more people-friendly environment,” Finkus said. “I think after the pilot was concluded, we can say this was a good project. It was a good effort.”  

The Common Council vote to make the three-lane configuration permanent was unanimous.