The City of Milwaukee has announced permanent repairs to the Clybourn Street bridge in Downtown Milwaukee will take place this fall, once the contractor has been selected.

The work will consist of the replacement of bridge deck beams, grating and sidewalk plates, painting main girders, mechanical and hydraulic system repairs and new approach paving. The bridge will be closed to traffic and work is expected to be completed by fall 2010.

This week, steel material ordered by the Department of Public Works arrived to reinforce the beams of the Clybourn Street Bridge. City Ironworkers are placing new sections of steel material under the northerly traffic lane before returning to the southerly lane to place additional material.

Once complete, the two outer traffic lanes will serve moderate traffic loads until this project goes to bid in the fall of this year. The southerly traffic lane currently remains open and this repair work is expected to extend into the middle of next week before two traffic lanes are restored.

Cecilia Gilbert, DPW permits & communications manager, said, "There has been some difficulty in getting compliance with the posted 10 ton weight restrictions. The Milwaukee Police Department stepped up enforcement earlier this week with mixed results. In an attempt to discourage large truck traffic from proceeding across the bridge, new-channeled lanes (with concrete barriers) along the southerly traffic lane on the approaches will be placed this week. Channeled lanes will also be extended to the northerly traffic lane when that re-opens next week. As noted, the outer two traffic lanes will be open and the middle lane closed with the barriers. The barriers will remain on the approaches and will not impact the opening of the bridge for river traffic."