MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's Department of Public Works announced a full closure of the 16th Street bridge near Potawatomi Casino, leaving thousands of daily commuters searching for alternate routes after an inspection revealed structural concerns.
The entire viaduct will remain shut down for at least several weeks as a preventative measure while engineers evaluate whether repairs are needed south of the 16th Street viaduct ramp, according to city officials.
"How am I going to get there? Because I live down in Mount Pleasant, so it's not like it's a short drive to get here," said Kenneth Lohr, a confused driver who was among many turning around Friday as they approached road closed signs at 16th and Pierce.
Lohr, who was trying to reach Potawatomi Casino, said he doesn't have a cell phone to easily find alternate routes.
"I'm going to have to go drive around and see if I can find a road to get over there," Lohr said.
A city engineering report from 2023 shows that the full closure of the 16th Street viaduct affects 12,000 drivers on an average day. For drivers like Lohr, the closure makes trips to the casino about a mile longer.
Watch: Milwaukee's 16th Street bridge closure leaves drivers searching for alternate routes near Potawatomi
The Department of Public Works said a large portion of the bridge was already closed over the Menomonee River due to an ongoing rehabilitation project between Canal and Clybourn streets. Concrete debris visible in the netting under the bridge highlights why the additional closure was necessary.
Eric Munzinger, another affected driver, is taking a 10-block detour to 6th Street to cross over. He considers it a minor inconvenience to avoid a potential safety concern.
"Honestly, infrastructure is a big deal, and if this part would cause the bridge to fail and people to die I'd much rather just deal with the inconvenience of having to find a new route than seeing that on the news the next day," Munzinger said.
The Department of Public Works said it won't have a specific timeframe for when the bridge will reopen or details about the problematic ramp section until next week.
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