West Allis neighborhoods affected by interchange reconstruction
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Nick Montes reports. Video by 620wtmj.com
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Huge changes are coming to the Zoo Interchange, one of the busiest parts of the Milwaukee County freeway system. Click here for a full description of changes to the interchange.
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Construction crews have closed Greenfield Avenue over U.S. 45/I-894.
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They have begun preparations to take the bridge down. The bridge demolition will happen Friday night.
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About 600,000 drivers each weekday will have to find an alternate way around the construction area, at least until the time of the Wisconsin State Fair in early August. Click here for each detour route during Greenfield Avenue bridge reconstruction.
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The move is the first part of a massive project to rebuild the Zoo Interchange. Click here to see what the Zoo Interchange will look like when it's completed.
WEST ALLIS - People who work and live in the area near the Zoo Interchange reconstruction and Greenfield Avenue Bridge demolition are sharing concerns about the effects on their neighborhood.
Good Shepherd Lutheran School is located just across from where construction crews will begin tearing down the bridge this weekend.
"Just this morning, a couple of parents comments on the increase of traffic, and how it took (them) longer than (they) thought," explained Shelly Nardi of the school's child care department.
Kristi Mueller and her son live a block away from the school, but they still changed their commute to arrive at school on time.
"I guess it will be a little bit of a hassle, but it creates jobs, and it's going to make the Zoo Interchange better," Mueller told TODAY'S TMJ4's Nick Montes.
"With the zoo interchange coming in a couple of years, we want to get the arterials ready to handle all the extra traffic, when they're detoured, when we're working at night," explained Jay Obenberger, the project's director.
About 600,000 people use the interchange every day, according to the Wisconsin DOT.
"The interchange is at the end of its life, but it's already past its design capacity," said Obenberger.
The bridge will likely be reconstructed by August, around the time of the Wisconsin State Fair.
The complete project is likely to be finished in 2017.
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