21st Century Infrastructure

Roads

The City of Green Bay Department of Public Works has set a goal in 2020 to resurface or reconstruct approximately 31,000 to 34,000 lineal feet of roadway each year. This effort focuses mainly on residential streets and can be supplemented on major streets by grants provided by the federal government or Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The interactive map shows the streets recently reconstructed and resurfaced as well as those proposed to be addressed in our current 5-year Capital Improvement Program. (CIP).

The breakdown of the Roads Resurfaced or Reconstructed is as follows:

Want to know your streets rating? The City of Green Bay Pavement & Alley Ratings interactive map shows the most recent road rating for every segment within the City. City staff assesses the condition of each street every two years (odd-numbered years). The street segment is given a numerical rating, using industry standardized rating criteria, ranging from a condition of 1 (completed degraded) to 10 (brand new street).

Bridges

In addition, the City has repaired several City bridges. 

2019

• Redecking the Wiesner Street Pedestrian Bridge

2020

• Redecking East Mason Street over East River
• Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge – Tail lock repairs and center lock repairs

2021 

• Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge – Gate arm replacement 
• Atkinson Drive Bridge over CN Rail – Expansion joint replacement 
• Monroe Avenue Bridge over East River – Expansion joint replacement (northbound)

2022 

• Baird Creek Pedestrian Bridge – new bridge to connect the trail on both sides of the creek
• East River Pedestrian Bridge – Redeck 
• Ashland Avenue Bridge over former CN Rail – Expansion joint replacement 
• Monroe Avenue Bridge over East River – Expansion joint replacement (southbound) 
• Taylor Street Bridge over Beaver Dam Creek (WisDOT project) – Bridge replacement

Docks

In 2022, the City completed dock wall renovations at Leicht Memorial Park. This improvement allowed the City the ability to accept the first cruise ship to dock for two overnight stops in the heart of Downtown Green Bay. Many more cruise ships are expected to dock there in the future.

Green Infrastructure 

As part of the Green Infrastructure Code Project, amendments to several municipal ordinances were adopted to encourage implementation of green stormwater infrastructure in private and public development. Those specific ordinances were Chapter 16: Environment, Chapter 24: Nuisances, Chapter 42: Utilities, and Chapter 44: Zoning. 

The City of Green Bay received an $85,000 grant through the Building Green Streets Program to install the City’s first green street on Eliza Street near the Fox River Trail. This a pilot project to demonstrate the how permeable surfacing can reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality.

Additional green infrastructure projects included:

•  1,500 ft of asphalt removed at Bay Beach and replaced with vegetation 
• Stormwater management and bioretention pond as part of the Arnie Wolff parking lot expansion. 
• $87,000 Citywide Comprehensive Energy Planning 
• $565,000 Green Infrastructure for the Shipyard Development/ Pervious Pavements and Stormwater Tree Pit Systems for stormwater management. 

Rain Barrel Pilot Program

Utilizing ARPA funding, Public Works administered a rain barrel program and 500 barrels were given to residents to encourage onsite stormwater management and water conservation in 2022. The program continued in May 2023 with another successful year of giving out 441 rain barrels.

No Mow May

A total of 1,095 properties registered for the first annual No Mow May in the City of Green Bay. No Mow May is a conservation initiative that encourages people to stop mowing or less often for the month of May to create habitat and provide resources for bees and other early-season pollinators. This is particularly important in urban areas where floral resources are often limited. The program continued into May 2023 with another successful year with 643 properties registered.

The City completed four energy efficiency projects in 2022. Projects included LED streetlights, boiler replacement at the Police Department; and lighting and controls at the KI Convention Center. 

Renewable Energy 

The rooftop solar PV array at Fire Station 5 and the ground-mounted PV array at Leicht Park produced 33,550 kilowatt hours of electricity in 2022. This is equivalent to carbon sequestered by 393 tree seedling grown for 10 years, and 28 acres of U.S. forests in one year.

Energy Audits

As part of the citywide comprehensive energy planning grant, energy audits were completed at seven (8) city buildings: West Side Public Works Garage, Police Department, Municipal Court, Fire Stations 6 &7, and the Green Bay Water Utility filtration plant. The audits were completed to identify energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities.

NexTrex Plastic Community Recycling Challenge

Over 1,800 pounds of plastic film have been collected at City Hall and the Wildlife Sanctuary through participation in the NexTrex Plastic Film. The plastic is sent to Trex and made into durable outdoor furniture.

The Green Bay Conservation Corps was established in the fall of 2022 and is the first municipal AmeriCorps program in Wisconsin. The program focuses on habitat restoration, trail improvement, and community outreach throughout all City Parks, trails and greenways. The City of Green Bay Conservation Corps program has six full-time members and fifteen summer members. It is anticipated to grow the program in the second year to host 8 full-time, 5 part-time, and 10 summer members. In 2022, the members accomplished:

• 35.5 acres of invasive plant removal.
• 11.2 acres of trash removal. 
• 7.7 pounds of native seed collected. 
• 93 trees planted at Colburn, across 5.4 acres. 
• 12 native plantings maintained including an edible garden and biofilters. 
• Held numerous volunteer and educational events with the community and 4K at the WLS

To learn more and stay up to date on the program, visit their website: https://greenbaywi.gov/GBCC