WAUWATOSA, Wis.— If you plan to travel I-41/Highway 45 west of Milwaukee Friday or over the weekend, be prepared to pack your patience.
The interstate will close beginning at 11 p.m. Friday and will not reopen until 5 a.m. on Monday morning. The road will be closed in both directions between Watertown Plank Road and Burleigh Street. Northbound traffic will be able to re-enter the highway at Burleigh.
Drivers will need to detour along Highway 100, also known as Mayfair Road, between those areas. Drivers can expect to see a significant increase in traffic along Highway 100 and neighboring roads.
The closure is taking place because crews need to demolish a nearly 70 year old railroad bridge that runs over the interstate.
Staff with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said they have been planning for the closure for months.
Michael Pyritz with the DOT said they have timed it to be over the weekend so that it will limit travel disruptions.
“We have a lot of experience; we have already done numerous extended closures from 36 up to 54 hours like this one,” said Pyritz. “We have had good success with being able to get a lot of work done in that timeframe and minimize the impact to the traveling public.”
Nearby businesses along Highway 100 said they are getting prepared for the increased traffic.
Urban Beets is a vegetarian restaurant at the corner of Highway 100 and Burleigh in Wauwatosa. Rebecca Ditmeyer, Urban Beets' general manager, said she isn’t sure just how much traffic outside the business will increase, but she is telling her staff to allow extra time to travel between home and work this weekend.
“We have staff that come from the east but also that come from the south and take the highway. It can be traffic at the mid-shift here, so adding that on will take them time to get here," said Ditmeyer.
The Wisconsin DOT said they have been coordinating with local law enforcement and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Complex which is near the impacted area to make sure emergency services like ambulances are still able to get through in a timely manor.