MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Avenue and Broadway intersection is set to open to some vehicle traffic after crews work on fixing a broken water main there - that was built 150 years ago, in 1872, the city said.
The broken water main has shut down traffic in that area - and shut down the entire The Hop streetcar system where it runs in downtown Milwaukee.
According to a statement from Milwaukee Water Works, "Water Works expects to open the western half of the intersection later today" and the "resumption of streetcar service... by Friday afternoon."
The city said MidCity Corporation will complete repairs to the water main on Friday.
Read their full announcement below:
E. Wisconsin Ave. and N. Broadway to Open to Some Vehicle Traffic and The Hop Today
Intersection Now Expected to Fully Reopen by Wednesday
As crews continue to install new pipe and repair We Energies infrastructure damaged by the August 30 failure of an 1872 water main, Water Works expects to open the western half of the intersection later today.
The completion of the vast majority of repair work will allow vehicles 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.
"Repairs are nearly complete," said Water Works Superintendent Patrick Pauly.
Water Works expects MidCity Corporation to complete the water main repair today.
Additional work to repair concrete encasement, which protects a segment of the We Energies steam infrastructure, to continue through the weekend.
MidCity expects W. Wisconsin Ave. between N. Broadway and N. Milwaukee to open to eastbound traffic on Monday morning. 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.
On Wednesday, August 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.
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Wednesday, TMJ4 learned the pipe that erupted last week, was installed more than 150 years ago.
"Well gross is my first reaction," Katie Hamm said.
Hamm works near the closed intersection. She said she was shocked to hear that the water main that broke near her work was installed in 1872.
That's the same year the city began installing pipes for water distribution.
"So it's a water main, what does that mean? Is it drinking water?" Hamm asked.
TMJ4 confirmed with workers on sight Wednesday that this water main was carrying drinking water.
"In a pipe from 1872? OK, well yeah it's not just gross, we should've replaced that a long time ago," Hamm added.
The pipe that erupted last Wednesday, according to Milwaukee Water Works' website, was one of the first pipes installed in the city back in the late 1800s, making it one of the oldest in the city too.
This is what Wisconsin Ave and Broadway looked like in 1880, eight years after the main was installed.
You can see the dirt roads and horse carriages in the photo above. To put it in perspective, we didn't have cars or telephones at this point in time, but we had water!
"It's overdue to be replaced," Hamm said.
No one from the water works department was available Wednesday to talk with us. Online, the city said it replaces 15-18 miles of water main a year. There's a total of 2,000 miles of water main across the city, so it could take a while to replace all of it.
A worker we spoke to Wednesday said pipes that line downtown should be able to hold up, despite them being 151 years old.
We're told the water main break was unexpected and that cleanup is a routine job. A routine job that just so happens to be blocking a major intersection downtown impacting businesses too.
"People can park in other places, but that's also a very privileged perspective because I have no trouble walking a couple extra blocks, and so getting dropped off, obviously, close to the building isn't an option right now," Hamm explained.
Despite this intersection still under construction, there is good news. Milwaukee Water Works said they're hopeful this intersection will be back open to traffic and the Hop as soon as Saturday.
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