Milwaukee 16th Street bridge update; floor beam replacement necessary
16th Street viaduct closed
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Department of Public Works offered on Tuesday, April 21, an update on the closure of the 16th Street bridge.
Bridge closure update
What we know:
The 16th Street Bridge was closed to traffic on December 5, 2025. A news release says after an in-depth inspection of the bridge, officials identified one floor beam showing signs of accelerated wear compared to surrounding bridge elements. Due to the level of wear, the floor beam was determined to require immediate replacement, officials said.
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Since December, the project team has been working to design and fabricate a steel replacement beam for the 1929-built bridge, as well as procure the necessary materials for installation. The news release says due to delays in this process, delivery of the replacement beam is now anticipated to occur on or around June 1, at which point installation work will begin.
Officials now say with crews working six days per week, installation is estimated to be complete by July 2026. Following installation, the southern portion of the viaduct will reopen to traffic south of Canal Street, and the project will return to its original detour route.
Northern portion of bridge
Dig deeper:
Meanwhile, rehabilitation work on the northern portion of the 16th Street Bridge continues to progress on schedule.
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Officials said the full rehabilitation project is expected to be completed by October, at which point 16th Street will reopen to all traffic.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Department of Public Works.