MILWAUKEE — Traffic over a busy bridge crossing the Menomonee River Valley will come to a halt starting Monday as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation closes the 27th Street Viaduct, likely through the summer as part of the I-94 expansion project.
RELATED| 16th Street Bridge to remain closed until April
The closure is happening simultaneously with the city's emergency closure on 16th Street's viaduct, leaving the two closest ways to get north and south in the city at 6th Street and 35th Street. The timing has prompted strong criticism from Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman, who called it "dysfunction and planning insanity."
Tim Vertz, manager of Riverview Antique Market on St. Paul Avenue, said the store in the valley has yet to see big impacts from the I-94 project, but Monday will be the test.
"People will certainly be impacted coming here from the west to the east, and that'll be a problem," Vertz said.
"My concern is once this shuts down, that this becomes the main thoroughfare into downtown and that poses different problems," Vertz said.
The two simultaneous shutdowns will force vehicles to find new ways to get in and around the valley. Michael Nooyan with BBC Lighting is concerned about his customers and employees.
Watch: Menomonee River Valley businesses preparing for Milwaukee's 27th Street Viaduct closes Monday for I-94 project
"What goes through my mind, I'm concerned about my employees. I want to make sure that my employees are safe and they can get here with no problems," Nooyan said.
Businesses along St. Paul Avenue say another big concern is the 26th Street exit for I-94, which will also close Monday and remain closed through the summer, potentially deterring customers.
"It's very important to get the word out! All the businesses on St. Paul Avenue and in the valley, we're still open, we're still working for what we do," Nooyan said.
Bauman called for a delay in the closure of 27th Street until the 16th Street viaduct was open, which might not be until April. Nooyan says that might just delay the problem.
"If we push it off two months, well, where does that push off the completion date, because we're in the middle of winter, is that going to be two months or four months?" Nooyan said.
TMJ4 reached out to spokespeople from WisDOT's Southeast Region to see if a delay would be considered and to get a response on Bauman's position, but did not hear back.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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