If you’ve driven College Avenue west of Pennsylvania in the past month or so, you’ve seen the odd looping configuration of the road as you approach the north-south runway at Mitchell International.
Well, get used to it … and then get ready for a detour starting next May.
The road project is part of the Mitchell International runway safety area improvement project, a multi-year effort that will bring the safety areas for each of the airport’s two main runways into compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
It’s a worthy undertaking.
Thousand-foot extensions will be added to the east-west and north-south runways. The north-south project affects College, and South Milwaukee and 4th District commuters.
Two main improvements are planned.
First, a 640-foot-long tunnel will be constructed on College so that the runway safety area can span the road without interfering with traffic. Second, College will be expanded to four lanes from Pennsylvania to Howell Avenue.
The project includes multiple phases. Here’s the plan:
- The current configuration, in which traffic is being sent on that looping bypass road to allow for construction of the tunnel, will remain into May of 2010.
- From next May to December of next year, College will close completely to allow for the widening and tunnel construction. Traffic will be detoured around the airport.
- From December 2010 until sometime in 2011 — the mailing I received does not specify when — traffic will again be routed on the looping bypass road until the tunnel is completed.
In other words, have an alternate route in mind for the next 18 months or so.
You can learn more about the project here. And click here to learn how the runway projects will impact airport noise levels.
Also, check out this blog post to learn more about the College Avenue bridge at Interstate 94. It’s reopening this weekend.
South Milwaukee Blog 