Pedestrian bridge project in Menomonee Falls pushed back to August

Menomonee Falls - Construction on a pedestrian bridge in Menomonee Falls was postponed until the end of the 2012 construction season, said Michael Pyritz, communications manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Preliminary work was slated to begin this month with the bulk of construction occurring in June and early July. Pyritz said construction is now anticipated to begin sometime in August and possibly continue into early November. He did not know the reason construction was pushed back.

The DOT bridge connecting Water Street over U.S. Highway 41/45 is a 365-foot-long, 9.7-foot-wide pedestrian bridge. The project costs $620,953 with the village of Menomonee Falls contributing $160,000, according to Village Manager Mark Fitzgerald.

"Based on our agreement all we know is that it would happen this construction season, when and how it happened is up to DOT," Fitzgerald said.

The bridge connects Water Street on both sides of the freeway. There will also be new approaches on both ends of the bridge where it flows downward to the pedestrian sidewalks.

Zenith Tech, the project contractor, is performing maintenance work consisting of blast cleaning and painting the structural steel, concrete work on the deck and removal and replacement of the protective fence and lighting.

Once work begins on the bridge's structural steel, there will be lane closures on Hwy. 41/45 in order for construction crews to access the structure from underneath, Pyritz said. He said once work begins, closures will be restricted to off-peak and night hours. There will also be occasions when a detour route will be required as a result of the northbound Pilgrim Road ramp closure.