The City of Milwaukee is planning to rehabilitate Unit 14 of the 16th Street Bridge over the Menomonee River.

Improvements to the 1929 bridge will be made to the existing structural components. The original bascule bridge will be converted to a fixed bridge and the project will remove the original electrical and mechanical equipment. The work will meet all state and federal requirements, and maintain the unique, historically-significant aspects of the structure.

Rehabilitation work includes:

• Replacing the open grid steel deck with a new solid surface concrete deck
• Replacing the existing fiberglass sidewalk plates with solid surface concrete
• Replacing or rehabilitating the existing bridge superstructure and substructure steel
• Removing the existing movable bridge operating equipment that is no longer needed
• Sandblasting and painting bridge structural steel
• Existing bridge house will be removed from the bridge and placed under the bridge as part of a historical exhibit

Construction for the project is anticipated to begin in late July 2025 and be completed in October 2026.

During construction, the bridge will be closed to motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between W. Clybourn Street and S. Emmber Lane. Two-way traffic will be accommodated between S. Emmber Lane and W. Pierce Street.

MCTS will implement a two-directional detour for Route 24 throughout the project. Motor vehicle, bike and bus traffic will follow the detour route shared at right.

Pedestrian access will be maintained on the stairways at St. Paul Avenue and Canal Street.

The Hank Aaron State Trail River Loop, between S. 13th Street/S.Emmber Lane and S. 25th Street, will also be closed throughout the project.

River traffic for recreational boaters will be maintained throughout the project. Similarly, access along the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail is expected to remain open to non-motorized watercraft (e.g., kayaks, canoes) during construction.

The construction project is funded through the WisDOT Local Bridge Program and includes 80% State and 20% City funding.