Milwaukee alders accuse WE Energies of illegally closing road; utility says it has permit
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Two Milwaukee alders held a news conference outside a WE Energies work zone Wednesday, saying the city and neighbors were left in the dark.
"I have one word for WE Energies and their flagrant disregard for the people of the City of Milwaukee: unacceptable," said Milwaukee Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa.
WE Energies is pushing back, saying it had approval to close the road but the permit listed the wrong address.
Milwaukee alders Peter Burgelis and JoCasta Zamarripa said they are fed up with WE Energies, claiming its latest project on West Lincoln Avenue is disrupting traffic and breaking the law by closing the road without proper notice or authorization.
"Right now, WE Energies has shut down all eastbound lanes on Lincoln Avenue with absolutely no notice to residents, small businesses, not even the city's Department of Public Works," Burgelis said.
WE Energies sent CBS 58 its permit for work on West Lincoln Avenue, which is effective from June 1 through Sept. 1. However, the utility said the wrong address on West Lincoln Avenue was listed on the permit for the project, causing confusion.
"We do have a permit for that area," said WE Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway. "There was an address wrong on the permit, so when we were doing work yesterday, I think the city came out because there were some questions. We talked with them and, at least the people on site yesterday from the city, they understood the situation and they said, 'Yes, we understand you have to do this work. Move forward.'"
WE Energies said it also sent a notice to residents informing them of upcoming work, stating that additional information would be provided once the construction schedule was finalized.
Both alders said this is not the first issue they have had with WE Energies or other contractors closing streets without notice or authorization.
"On South 16th Street and National, they are being cited by the City of Milwaukee for closing access to the street and area businesses with no notification," Zamarripa said.
The two alders are proposing legislation. One proposal would tighten notification requirements for road closures. The other would increase the fine for improper road closures from the current $350 to $1,000 per lane, per hour.
"People have to get to work, and if you don't follow the rules, instead of a slap on the wrist, this is something much more substantial," Burgelis said.
WE Energies said it does not close roads without reason and that crews are there to complete necessary work.
"We will certainly look closely at this one to see, could we have done things differently," Conway said. "No harm was ever meant, and again we just want to make sure that we're getting that work done as quickly and safely as possible."
CBS 58 asked both sides whether they had spoken with one another.
The alders said WE Energies called just before Wednesday's news conference and urged them to cancel it. WE Energies said it was never contacted beforehand and only learned about the alders' concerns through Wednesday's news release.