Arboretum Drive closes temporarily to motor vehicle traffic

As spring has arrived, more visitors have been drawn to the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum to walk, run and bike and enjoy the spring scenery. To provide safe opportunities for pedestrians and cyclists to visit the Arboretum, increase physical distancing, and reduce conflicts between motor vehicle traffic and other visitors, the university is closing Arboretum Drive to all traffic except pedestrians and cyclists from the Wingra Drive entrance to the Visitor Center beginning Monday, May 18, until the high level of road use associated with Safer at Home has subsided.

This section of Arboretum Drive will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists, who are encouraged to maintain at least six feet of distance from one another on the road. All visitors should practice appropriate physical distancing on all Arboretum grounds.

Residents of the Town of Madison who live adjacent to Arboretum grounds will enter the neighborhood from Fish Hatchery Road. Emergency vehicles will retain access to Arboretum Drive.

Vehicle traffic to the Visitor Center must enter from McCaffrey Drive via Seminole Highway. Due to heavy truck traffic from a rehabilitation project along McCaffrey Drive, drivers should observe posted signs and proceed with caution.

The Visitor Center remains closed and all Arboretum events and activities are cancelled until further notice. A portable toilet remains available in the Visitor Center parking lot, but is not being regularly stocked. Water fountains are not operating. All other regulations at the Arboretum still apply, which includes no dogs, skateboards or rollerblades.

For more information on the Arboretum’s operational status, please visit their COVID-19 website.