Downtown Bridge Closures to Watch Out For

E. Mason Street Bridge. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

Beginning next week, downtown commutes may be disrupted by two bridge closures.

The Mason Street Bridge, spanning Lincoln Memorial Drive, and the Water Street Bridge, which stands across the Milwaukee River between the Historic Third Ward and Walker’s Point, will both close for repairs on Sept. 2.

The Mason Street Bridge will remain completely closed to traffic until some time in early October, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

The Water Street Bridge will initially be reduced to one lane in each direction, but on Sept. 8 it will be completely closed and remain so until the end of October.

Mason Street Bridge

The Mason Street Bridge is “structurally deficient,” according engineering assessments. There are cracks on the bridge deck, sidewalk pavement is settling, joints are deteriorating and loose concrete is falling away underneath the bridge. It’s not unsafe, but it needs repairs, according to the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation.

Milwaukee County is working with WisDOT to make $2.65 million in repairs over the next two months. The county budgeted for the project last year and the state is applying federal funds through its Local Bridge Program. The Mason Street Bridge is actually owned by Milwaukee County Parks, but, like the system’s other vehicular bridges, it is managed by MCDOT.

While planning the project, a partial closure of the bridge was contemplated. But planners decided on full closure to shorten the construction timeline, which is estimated to take six weeks.

A detour will send eastbound and northbound traffic along N. Prospect Avenue; westbound and southbound traffic will be sent along E. Michigan Street, N. Cass Street and N. Prospect Avenue; and pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be directed to the nearby Oak Leaf Trail, which runs through Juneau Park connecting N. Lincoln Memorial Drive and E. Mason Street.

Pedestrians seeking to access the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center and Milwaukee Art Museum from Downtown should use the pedestrian bridge leading to the art museum.

Water Street Bridge

The City of Milwaukee will close the Water Street Bridge, originally built in 1987, for painting, joint replacement, sidewalk replacement and to install new traffic gates.

The bridge will be closed to all traffic to allow for repairs to the bridge approaches on either side and painting of the bascules, the folding wings of the bridge deck that lift up to allow boat traffic to pass underneath.

Bridge traffic will be detoured over the Broadway Bridge, which sits east of the Water Street Bridge. Northbound traffic can access the bridge from E. Pittsburgh Avenue. Southbound traffic can reach the bridge from E. Erie Street.

Before reopening completely, the Water Street Bridge will reopen to single lane traffic for one week from Nov. 3-10.

Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.