Milwaukee Wins Funding To Repair Two Bridges

S. 9th Place bridge. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Governor Tony Evers‘ pledge to “fix the darn roads” and the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will result in two Milwaukee bridges being reconstructed in the coming years.

As part of a more than $200 million statewide allocation, the City of Milwaukee will receive funding to reconstruct a bridge on S. 9th Place and another on N. Hawley Road. They were two of the more than 150 projects funded in the latest round by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation through the federally-backed Surface Transportation Program.

“I ran for governor promising to fix the darn roads. After improving more than 7,400 miles of roads these past five years, today I’m excited we’re going to be able to continue building upon this important work with the help of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Evers in an Aug. 6 statement announcing the award. “These critical investments, which will support more than 150 projects to improve local roads and bridges, will make a huge difference for communities across our state and go a long way in our efforts to build the 21st-century infrastructure Wisconsinites need and deserve. This is great news for Wisconsin.”

The northside bridge being reconstructed is the more heavily used transportation link of the two funded projects. N. Hawley Road spans W. State Street and the Menomonee River to connect the Washington Heights and Story Hill neighborhoods.

A federal database of bridge conditions says the Hawley Road bridge is in fair condition, based on a 2023 inspection. It was built in 1959 and rebuilt in 2005 according to the database and, as of 2023, serves 12,695 vehicles per day. A protected bike lane was added in 2020. According to the Department of Public Works (DPW), design and construction is a $1.8 project with the federal government expected to provide $1.44 million.

The southside bridge being replaced is along S. 9th Place and connects the Polonia and Lincoln Village neighborhoods. Located on a primarily residential street near W. Cleveland Avenue, the bridge spans the Union Pacific railroad tracks that run in a below-grade trench.

A federal database of bridge conditions says the 9th Place bridge is in poor, structurally deficient condition, based on a 2023 inspection. It was built in 1992 according to the database and, as of 2023, serves 2,096 vehicles per day. DPW says design and construction is a $594,000 project with the federal government expected to provide $486,000.

One other Milwaukee County bridge is being reconstructed as part of the funding awarded. Funding was also awarded to rebuild the W. Layton Avenue bridge over W. Forest Home Avenue in Greenfield.

“Through our efforts to keep our local government partners informed about program opportunities and prepare them to meet their application deadlines, we are able to support local projects in nearly every county in Wisconsin through the Surface Transportation Program,” said WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson.

Despite the funding award, construction is not imminent. DPW said it expects the actual construction work to take place in 2028. Funding awards are made at regular intervals with the projects advancing through a queue. The dozens of bridges in the city’s inventory include the higher-profile, moving bridges that cross the Milwaukee River as well as a large number of smaller structures.

“The City of Milwaukee – Department of Public Works is excited that Governor Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation have approved our project proposals for the rehabilitation of the S. 9th Place Bridge over the UPRR and the Hawley Road Bridge over State Street. We look forward to moving ahead with the design and implementation on these projects to improve and sustain the bridge infrastructure in Milwaukee,” said DPW in a statement.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article said the City of Greenfield secured funding for the W. Layton Avenue bridge. It is within the city of Greenfield, but the funding is not being awarded to the city.