US 45 Northbound at Zoo closed to traffic
Traffic backs up on Northbound 45 at the Zoo Interchange as rush hour begins after the bridge is closed
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation just announced the immediate closure of the US 45 northbound bridge through the Zoo Interchange. The bridge and subsequent detour for all vehicles will be in place through Memorial Day, according to a DOT spokesperson.
An inspection of the bridge Thursday night by DOT officials revealed that the deterioration of the structure has progressed More rapidly than expected and it is no longer safe for any type of vehicular travel. Weight restrictions have been in place at the Zoo Interchange since August. Despite the weight restrictions, officials said, overweight trucks continued to travel on the northbound bridge, compounding the deterioration and creating a danger of collapse.
“We had weight scales on the bridge and we had been getting some disturbing data on a large number of overweight trucks,” said Chris Klein, executive assistant to the transportation secretary. “We were seeing a significant number of trucks violating even the 80,000 pound limit.”
The heavy trucks accelerated the deterioration of an already compromised bridge, Klein said.
All traffic heading northbound through the Zoo Interchange will be detoured to eastbound Interstate 94 to 84th Street, turned around at 84th Street to then be sent back northbound on US 45.
The Milwaukee County Transit System has announced detours for three bus routes in the immediate area of the closure: Route 67 (N. 76th-S.84th), 45 (Watertown Plank Flyer) and 79 (Menomonee Falls Flyers). Freeway Flyer routes 45 and 79 will now continue west on Wisconsin Avenue to Highway 45 and go north to regular routing. No bus stops are affected.
Northbound Route 67 will be rerouted from 84th Street west on Schlinger Avenue to 92nd street, north on 92nd to Bluemound Road and east to Glenview Avenue (84th Street). Southbound Route 67 will detour from Glenview west on Bluemound, south on 92nd to Schlinger then east to 84th Street.
Through traffic is closed at the freeway on 84th Street to allow for a detoured traffic to leave I-94.
According to interviews with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, businesses in the immediate areas are preparing for traffic snafus.
Patrice Harris, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin State Fair, said the bridge shutdown might affect the travel of visitors headed to this weekend’s Home & Garden Show at the Wisconsin Expo. The show runs through Sunday.
Visitors from the south end of the county may want to get to the Expo by getting off I-894 at W. Greenfield Ave.
“There have been so many closures, but the Department of Transportation has done a good job,” Harris said.
Rob Multerer, a spokesman for the Pettit National Ice Center, said the closing will affect business. “We’re going to be calling our customers to alert them of the changes. I think it will affect our business. How it will affect us, we’re not sure yet. But this is big,” Multerer said.
In addition to closing the US 45 bridge, on ramps from surface streets will be closed to traffic. All northbound on ramps at Greenfield Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, National Avenue are now closed.
Work to rebuild three bridges in the Zoo Interchange began in January. Construction work on the bridges is expected to be completed by Memorial Day weekend, with some remaining work continuing through mid-June.
The Zoo Interchange is the state’s busiest freeway interchange.
