Downtown Milwaukee intersection expected to fully reopen following water main repair work

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Repairs to a damaged water main break in downtown Milwaukee are nearly complete, which will open up vehicle and The Hop traffic at the intersection of East Wisconsin Avenue and North Broadway. 

According to Milwaukee Water Works, the We Energies infrastructure was damaged on Aug. 30. A section of water main installed in 1872 failed, releasing an estimated 1.6 million gallons of water. Complex utility infrastructure located underground at E. Wisconsin Ave. and N. Broadway created a number of engineering and construction challenges.

The nearly completed repair work will allow vehicles -- beginning Friday, Sept. 8 -- to travel southbound on N. Broadway, and eastbound on E. Wisconsin turning south onto N. Broadway, as well as a resumption of streetcar service, by Friday afternoon.

Additional work to repair concrete encasement, which protects a segment of the We Energies steam infrastructure, will continue through the weekend.

Officials expect W. Wisconsin Ave. between N. Broadway and N. Milwaukee to open to eastbound traffic on Monday morning, Sept. 11. Westbound traffic on E. Wisconsin Ave., from N. Milwaukee to N. Broadway, and northbound traffic from E. Michigan to Mason, will remain closed.

Crews expect to complete the rebuild of the concrete encasement by Monday at the latest, allowing for restoration of the street pavement and all vehicle traffic to resume by Wednesday night.