Draft Environmental Impact Assessment
Service Road to Campus Maintenance Road, Lakeshore Nature Preserve Frautschi Center Amendment #04
Project #A-22-007/2250-2218
University of Wisconsin – Madison
This is a notice for the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) for the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Servie Raod to Campus Maintenance Yard project published in the Wisconsin State Journal on June 22, 2026. The DEIA release date and the start of the public review period are June 22, 2026, and the public meeting is scheduled for July 7, 2026.
The public meeting to present the DEIA for the proposed project will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. The meeting will be held virtually and can be attended online at https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/227335674098279?p=nTXPcuEDHaFlfX5mLb or via phone by dialing +1 715-318-5006 followed by access code 306 863 928#. A description of the project and potential environmental impacts will be presented. All persons will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify both orally and in writing any support, issues, or concerns they believe should be further addressed during the EIA process for this proposed project. The DEIA has been prepared in accordance with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA), Wisconsin Statutes 1.11, and UWSA guidelines (Board of Regents’ Resolution 2508, November 6, 1981). The University of Wisconsin System Administration (UWSA) has retained Ayres Associates on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison to prepare this EIA.
The proposed service road will allow continued operations at the Eagle Heights Community Garden(EHCG) and campus maintenance yard within the Preserve while avoiding entry near the planned Lakeshore Nature Preserve Frautschi Center. The new access road will be built adjacent to the current Eagle Heights Community Gardens pedestrian road and will include a buffer-zone and fence along the entire length to separate the two roads. The new access road will improve safety by reducing the mixing of pedestrians and vehicles. The scope will improve the intersection at Lake Mendota Drive and Eagle Heights Drive by reconfiguring the existing bike path to sperate it from vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The existing pedestrian path plans to be kept with three feet of separation between the existing path and the new access road. The new access road is proposed to be 14 feet wide with taper to grade on each side. The culverts will be extended to allow for drainage from the north in 3 locations. Construction includes excavation, base, culverts, gravel surface, and paving which is to be determined. The entrance will be upgraded to be 24 feet wide.
The purpose of the Draft EIA is to identify the project’s potential impacts on the physical, biological, social, and economic environments. The Draft EIA describing these potential impacts is being made available to the public and appropriate federal, state, and local agencies for a 15-day minimum review period, which begins June 22, 2026, and concludes July 7, 2026. Copies of the document will be available for review at the UW-Madison Memorial Library and Madison Central Library or on the following project website:http://www.ayresprojectinfo.com.
If you are interested in this project or have any information relevant to it, we welcome your comments, suggestions, or other input. For consideration in the Final EIA, please submit your comments at the meeting or in writing by July 7, 2026. Comments in writing can be sent to:
Peter Kaufmann-Luft
Environmental Scientist
Ayres Associates
3433 Oakwood Hills Parkway
Eau Claire, WI 54701
KaufmannP@AyresAssociates.com
Click Here to View:
Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (13,695 Kb, PDF File)
Comment Form (7 Kb, PDF File)