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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > February 17, 2010
Milwaukee lands $21.5 million in more stimulus funds
Published February 17, 2010 - BizTimes Daily
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The White House announced today that the city of Milwaukee will receive $21.5 million in stimulus funds to rebuild the Juneau Avenue lift bridge and to rehabilitate the Wisconsin Avenue lift bridge, both located in downtown Milwaukee.
The funds are part of the $1.5 billion TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) discretionary grant program, which is part of the federal stimulus package, announced today by President Barack Obama and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
The U.S. Department of Transportation received more than 1,400 applications for the TIGER funds, and 51 of those projects were selected for the funding.
The total cost of the Juneau Avenue bridge and the Wisconsin Avenue bridge projects is $29 million.
The Juneau Avenue bridge, which was built in 1953, spans across the Milwaukee River between Water and Old World Third Street. The new bridge is expected to last for 75 years and serve more than 257 million vehicles during the course of its life, according to the White House.
The Wisconsin Avenue bridge spans across the river between Water Street and North Plankinton Avenue. The rehabilitation of the Wisconsin Avenue bridge is expected to last for at least 45 years.
City officials learned about the stimulus grant funding today. Engineering and design work still needs to be done, and a detailed schedule has not been set yet, said city engineer Jeff Polenske. Construction will likely begin next year, he said.
“It will be put on the fast track,” Polenske said.
Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman said the work the bridges is “absolutely essential” for the city.
“These are bridges that need repair. This is really important stuff. These bridges are critical for the circulation of traffic in the city. This is $21.5 million that we absolutely do not have,” Bauman said.
The city had to do some interim repairs to the Juneau Avenue bridge last year and next week will start work on a 10-week project for interim repairs to the Wisconsin Avenue bridge, Bauman said.
Without the stimulus dollars, the repairs would have a $29 million impact on the city’s property tax levy, Bauman said.
City officials had considered making them non-lift bridges, which would have reduced the cost to repair them significantly, Bauman said. About 95 percent of the boats that the bridges are raised for are “pleasure boats,” he said.
However, if the bridges could not lift up for those private boats, the city would be hurt economically because it would be more difficult to attract affluent residents to live in the downtown area, he said.
The city has replaced several downtown bridges in recent years. The State Street lift bridge and Kilbourn Avenue lift bridge were rebuilt. Construction is ongoing on the new Humboldt Avenue bridge.
