(This story has been updated to add new information.)
The Main Street bridge in downtown Green Bay will close to traffic for about half of June, according to a May 26 news release from the city’s Public Works Department.
The announcement comes about a month after the department awarded Lunda Construction Company a $1.4 million contract to repair wear and tear on the aging bridge – officially called the Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge.
The closure will affect traffic for thousands as the bridge is the city’s second most-traveled downtown bridge, carrying 16,900 vehicles daily over the Fox River on Dousman and Main streets, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
When will the Main Street bridge close?
The bridge will close from June 1-19 from North Washington Street to Broadway, according to the Public Works Department.
Why will the Main Street bridge close?
The bridge will close for structural rehabilitation bid out to Lunda Construction, specifically to work on the bridge’s counterweight that help to keep the bridge open to boat traffic, according to Trista Hobbs, a facilities manager.
The contract awarded to Lunda Construction addresses deficiencies in the bridge that was “beginning to show its age,” a public works memo to the city’s Improvement and Services Committee said. Bid documents show the work to be done include replacing “unsound” concrete in the bridge deck, fixing corroded steel reinforcement, and addressing the bridge’s joints and counterweights.
The documents said a full bridge closure would be possible should the bridge need to be lifted for access to the counterweights and the deck’s underbelly. Such a closure “must be completed prior to June 26,” bid documents said.
When the bridge is not fully closed, the contractor is required to keep open one sidewalk and one lane in each direction, according to bid documents. The contractor would also be required to keep the bridge fully open the weekend of July 4.
All work must be done by Sept. 30, the bid documents specified.
The department has not yet announced any further closures.
Will there be a detour for the Main Street bridge closure?
A detour will be provided from Broadway to Walnut Street to Monroe Avenue.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Main Street bridge in downtown Green Bay to close for half of June
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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