For those who haven’t driven the Hoan Bridge the last couple of weeks, there are some big changes to traffic flow.
Less than a year left!
Here is the update.
Tag Archives: Hoan Bridge
Hoan Bridge Update: Halfway There
Plenty of South Milwaukee commuters will find this update from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation valuable …
Construction on the I-794 Lake Freeway / Hoan Bridge Project is about to reach the halfway point.
Despite a frigid winter, crews were able to stay on schedule and are nearing completion of the eastbound (southbound) leg of the I-794 Lake Freeway / Hoan Bridge Project. In early December, the project will officially transition to the second and final stage of construction with an intended completion date of Fall 2015. During Stage 2 of the I-794 Lake Freeway / Hoan Bridge Project, bidirectional traffic will be placed in the eastbound (southbound) lanes of I-794, from a temporary crossover south of Carferry Drive. Traffic will remain in this configuration for the remainder of the project. To maintain as much access as possible during construction, other new configurations will include:
- Closing the Jackson Street / Van Buren exit ramp and transforming it into an entrance ramp to I-794 West (North)
- Opening the Broadway entrance ramp to I-794 East (South)
- Utilizing temporary roadways
- Continued use of the moveable barrier wall to maintain two lanes of traffic during peak travel times
As seen during Stage 1, periodic updates will continue to be sent throughout the project to remind motorists of upcoming closures, detour routes and other project related impacts. The project team appreciates your patience and understanding during this time of intense construction in your area.
Learn more about the project on its website, Facebook and Twitter.
Filed under Construction, South Milwaukee
Navigating The Hoan
If you’re like me — a proud South Shore resident who commutes daily through downtown — you can’t wait for the Hoan Bridge work to be done.
Well, the bad news is it will be a while: The project won’t be complete until late 2015.
The good news: Progress is being made.
I just came across the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Hoan Bridge reconstruction website, so I’d encourage you to check it out for regular updates.
The new news is around the Jackson/Van Buren on- and off-ramp. Arch repainting also continues into the late fall.
And one more note: I think this movable barrier — where they can add a lane depending on the time of day — is really cool. I’ve never seen a piece of machinery like it.
Filed under Construction
Hoan Headaches Start
And so it begins …
Check out Hoan Bridge project update from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation here.
In early November, work will begin in preparation for the I-794 Lake Freeway / Hoan Bridge Project. This work includes improving local intersections and building ramps and crossovers to prepare for construction. As part of this work, the I-794 East exit to Lincoln Memorial Drive will close from early November 2013 until Fall 2015. Motorists are advised to take the Jackson / Van Buren Street exit to Michigan Street and travel east to Lincoln Memorial Drive. The Lincoln Memorial Drive southbound entrance ramp to I-794 East (Southbound) will also close during this time. Motorists should utilize the Broadway Street entrance ramp to access I-794 East (Southbound). In late 2013 / early 2014 additional traffic changes will take place. This will include lane restrictions and additional ramp closures.
Check out some more project details, and here is a project newsletter.
And here is a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story. From it:
By the week of Nov. 4, though, work will ramp up with Lake Interchange closures, including the eastbound I-794 exit to Lincoln Memorial Drive and the southbound entrance to the Hoan Bridge.
In late December, the bulk of the $172.2 million construction project will commence, including redecking of the Hoan Bridge as well as a complete reconstruction of I-794 from the Milwaukee River to Milwaukee St., including the Jackson St. and Van Buren St. ramps.
Roads on the Lake Interchange also will be resurfaced with two inches of concrete. First, the eastbound lanes of I-794 and the southbound lanes of the Hoan Bridge will close, shifting all traffic to the other halves of the structures. In about a year, the scenario will flip, with westbound I-794 and northbound Hoan Bridge lanes closing for construction.
Carolynn Gellings, the project manager, said the state anticipates reopening I-794 completely by Labor Day 2015 and the Hoan Bridge by December 2014.
Filed under Construction, Transportation
Hoan Headaches Start Next Month
Just when you thought it was getting a bit easier to commute to downtown Milwaukee …
Now comes word that the Hoan Bridge reconstruction project starts next month.
Oak Creek Patch has the story.
And here is more information from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
I’ll keep you posted. And be patient.
Filed under Construction, South Milwaukee, Transportation
Hoan Bridge Info Meeting Wednesday
Want to learn more about the upcoming reconstruction of the Hoan Bridge?
Then stop by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Milwaukee office (1001 W. St. Paul Ave.) from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday for an informational meeting focused on the scope of closures during the project.
Learn more in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel item and in this public notice, which provides this timeline for the project …
The design process continues until spring 2013. Construction is slated for fall 2013 through spring 2016, with bridge painting possibly extending through 2016 or beyond.
Filed under Transportation
On Buses And Bike Lanes …
A quick update on two transportation projects that stand to impact South Milwaukee and the entire South Shore …
First, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has released a study its done into adding bike and pedestrian access to the Hoan Bridge. What did it find? Well, it would cost a lot … and may require reducing the number of traffic lanes from three to two.
Check out The Business Journal story here. And here is the actual report.
Also on Thursday, regional planners recommended spending $12.7 million in federal funding on four new express bus route lines in Milwaukee County — including one that would connect Mitchell International Airport to Bayshore.
With this new line will come some changes to the existing Route 15 footprint, as some of it (including the portion running through the 4th District) is replaced with a new Route 52.
Here is the Journal Sentinel story on the express bus funding. And click here for the a Milwaukee County Transit system map that shows what would happen to the 15 if the express routes become reality.
I’m interested to know what you think about both issues. Post your comments below!
Filed under Transportation
South Shore Lifeline: Ensuring the Future of the Hoan
Update: Check out a draft of the Hoan Bridge inspection report here.
The one-time Bridge to Nowhere will be the Bridge to Somewhere for decades to come. And that’s great news for South Milwaukee.
State officials on Saturday announced a potentially $350 million project that calls for redecking the bridge, stuctural modifications, repainting the bridge deck and other upgrades.
Check out the full story in the Journal Sentinel here. From it:
Plans are to focus on three segments of I-794.
The Hoan Bridge will be rehabilitated between Lincoln Ave. at the south and the Lake Interchange at the north. The project calls for the removal and replacement of the existing bridge deck, structural modifications, as well as repainting the bridge steel.
Concrete work and surface repairs on existing structures will be made at the Lake Interchange.
Old bridges will be removed and replaced with new structures on I-794 east/west between the Milwaukee River and N. Milwaukee St.
“This is a long-term repair,” said Mark Gottlieb, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “When we’re all done here we anticipate a useful life of the deck and the structure for 40 to 50 years for the Hoan Bridge.”
My reaction? As someone who takes the Hoan Bridge to and from work everyday, I’m glad to finally see a decision made on the future of this vital link between the South Shore and downtown.
As I’ve written about, I have always been in favor of studying all options for the future of the bridge — supportive of making sure that the state was making an informed decision about what’s best for this road before we, as taxpayers, spend hundreds of millions of dollars on fixing it.
I had been a bit concerned that the rhetoric in this debate was getting ahead of the facts.
Well, I am confident that due diligence has been done, and the end result will absolutely deliver on the only imperative in my mind since this discussion started: that a quick and seamless connection from the South Shore be maintained, even enhanced.
As South Shore Supervisor Pat Jursik put it in the story linked above: “The south side is the place to be.”
I can’t agree more!
Filed under Transportation
Short-Term Fix: $7 Million in Hoan Bridge Work Underway
If you, as I do, drive the Hoan Bridge with any regularity, you know full well that the road is a mess.
The stretch as you leave the Lake Parkway heading north toward downtown is particularly bad and seemingly has been for years.
Thankfully, that will change over the next eight months, as $7 million in improvements ramp up on this vital connection between the South Shore and downtown.
Check out the Journal Sentinel story here.
Of course, this is only a temporary fix. I have expressed support in the past for at least considering options about the long-term term future of the Hoan, and I’m glad to see that a detailed engineering inspection seems to be nearing completion.
I think it’s only right that we have all the facts before deciding if spending potentially hundreds of millions of dollars on redecking is the best course. It mostly likely is, and I would support it if it is, but I want to be sure. This study will provide that certainty.
Filed under Transportation
News From the County: Updates from County Supervisor Jursik
Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has published her March edition of E-news. Among the updates in this month’s edition of particular interest to 4th District residents:
- The March 16 South Shore Economic Development Forum at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center;
- An update College Avenue construction, including word that the stretch from Pennsylvania to Packard Avenues will close to through traffic from April to November; and
- An update on the Hoan Bridge repair project.
Pat also provides a perspective on the ongoing budget debate in Madison. From it:
Is there some ability to compromise? Is it necessary to deal with the entire budget deficit in one year after the worst recession since the Great Depression? I hope all constituents will call on our state leaders to find a way to compromise.
Here here!
Filed under Community
Taking the Road Less Traveled to a Fact-Based Debate About the Hoan Bridge
The rhetoric in the Hoan Bridge debate continues to gain speed. Will the facts keep pace?
“City of Milwaukee Attempts to Delay Re-Decking of Hoan Bridge” screams the most recent press release from Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Patricia Jursik and State Rep. Christine Sinicki. You can read it here.
The release refers to a November letter from Milwaukee Department of Public Works Commissioner Jeffrey Mantes to Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi. In it, he asks for an “alternatives analysis” to simply re-decking the bridge.
From the letter:
The rehab work for the Hoan Bridge and Lake Interchange are quickly becoming critical and you have directed Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff to begin engineering so that such work could begin in as early as 2011. However, it is also our understanding that you remain open to conducting an alternatives analysis that would help determine the most cost effective long term transportation improvement. … We are supportive of this approach.
Mantes then asks for the state to study 10 key areas related to the Hoan project, answering lingering and vital questions about how potential alternatives could impact economic development, port operations, traffic and other key areas.
Now, I see nothing wrong with the request, as I said in my earlier post about this.
After all, what is wrong with gaining all the facts — and options — before making up your mind on a project that could cost more than $200 million? What is wrong with keeping an open mind until you have all the necessary questions answered? Is this an “arrogant” request?
Jursik seems to say so in her press release, where she says:
In spite of overwhelming support for the Hoan within the larger community and the transportation corridor the Hoan supports, this letter from the City of Milwaukee once again shows the arrogance and persistence of those who seek to delay this project.
Arrogance? I hate to think I’m arrogant in wanting more facts.
Either way, it’s overly harsh, super-heated words like that that are needlessly polarizing this debate. While I respect the energy and point of view of Jursik and the Save the Hoan Coalition — and the more than 8,000 who signed petitions to advance the effort — I truly hope the debate eventually moves from loud, angry, ugly rhetoric to facts.
Indeed, re-decking may indeed be the long-term answer for the Hoan. But I am not ready to “abandon” (using a word from the Jursik release above) all alternatives when it comes to this project. It’s simply too early to do so.
My position has not changed on this. I want, demand even, a strong and vital connection between the South Shore and downtown. The Hoan Bridge in its current state certainly provides that. I just wonder if we can do it better.
That’s why I want a study — and calmer debate — when it comes to this issue. I want facts. I hope you do too.
Filed under Uncategorized
Where I Stand on the Hoan Bridge
Trust me, you won’t often find me agreeing with Assembly Republican leaders like Greendale’s Jeff Stone. But, when it comes to the Hoan Bridge debate, I am with him 100 percent.
Said Stone, a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee, at a luncheon panel discussion on the Hoan I attended last week at the Milwaukee Press Club: “I don’t think we can make an intelligent decision without a full study on this.”
I agree. Simply, this debate lacks information. It lacks facts. And without them, I am not ready to make up my mind on the future of the Hoan Bridge. Not yet.
And that’s why I have not put my name on the Save the Hoan Coalition. While I respect political leaders like Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Pat Jursik for their efforts on this issue, I am simply not comfortable adding my name to the list.
I need to see options, and that means a real, detailed study by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission or some other agency. No such study now exists, which means the super-charged rhetoric around this issue is just that: words. Loud, often angry words. Words only sometimes based on facts.
Now, let me set three things very straight.
- I value a fast, seamless connection between the South Shore and downtown … like the one we have now. I take the Hoan Bridge twice a day every workday, and I can’t imagine getting to my job at MillerCoors without it. Whatever happens with the Hoan Bridge, that connection must be preserved. There can not be any compromise there, and I would not support any plan that does so.
- I also appreciate the Hoan Bridge itself – the iconic, arched span over the Milwaukee harbor that provides some of the best views of our city and lakefront as you drive north toward downtown. I would hate to see it go.
- And I agree with the Coalition that the way that the DOT has handled this issue so far is a major concern. While I am hesitant to use words like “clandestine,” as the Coalition has, the DOT dropped the ball in not involving South Shore leaders and residents in discussing this important issue from the start. That has bred distrust, and rightfully so. Whatever happens to the Hoan going forward, South Shore residents must be part of the solution. There is no compromise there either.
With that said, I wonder if we can do better by the Hoan Bridge. And that is where a study comes in, for if we are going to look at any alternatives to what we currently have, now is the time to do it, before we spend millions to simply redeck the bridge.
Here are just some of the questions I want answered before I make up my mind on this issue:
- What will redecking truly cost?
- Are there other options that would keep the fast connection between the South Shore and downtown while offering more development options near the harbor?
- Could the Lake Parkway – a roadway I love – be extended another mile or so to bring the roadway down to street level and open up more areas for development?
- Just what kind of development – and how much development – could realistically occur under and near the current or new-look Hoan Bridge?
- Is there any way a lift bridge could work? (I have serious doubts about this.)
All of these and many more answers can only be provided in a detailed investigation that looks at all options. The often-discussed and cited HNTB document is far from that. It is merely a sketchbook, someone putting pen to paper and seeing “what if.”
That is simply not enough to make a decision on this issue. I need to see more than pretty pictures to make up my mind. In that way, I agree with Rep. Stone, the Metropolitan Association of Commerce and others on this: Let’s do this right.
I realize my stance is probably not the best for me politically, and I am OK with that. I feel I was elected to make sound decisions on key issues based on good, strong, fact-based information. And I need more information here.
I will keep an open mind until then. I owe that much to my constituents.
Filed under Uncategorized
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