"Super pleased with the result:" DOT officials say weekend full freeway closure went well

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The cars are moving again! I-94 was reopened early Monday morning, July 21st after this weekend's 54-hour full freeway closure as part of the Zoo Interchange construction project. The DOT reports the closure and the construction work went smoothly this weekend -- and traffic wasn't as bad as anticipated. In fact, some are reporting the detours were actually a bonus!

"We had a very busy weekend and everything went very well. Super pleased with the result," Michael Pyritz with the DOT said.

For 54 hours this weekend, DOT crews worked on a portion of the massive Zoo Interchange construction project.

"We got the new train trestle up. Additionally, we were able to demo the former west span of the Highway 100 bridge over I-94. That went very well," Pyritz said.

There were no major traffic incidents while the freeway was shut down -- except for one little hiccup.

"Saturday night, we did see about a mile backup headed eastbound on I-94. That did clear up relatively quickly. We made some modifications to that area -- the way the barrels were set and traffic was moved and come Sunday it ran so smooth. People really did look for other options. We did see reduced volumes along I-94. Certainly Bluemound Road and Greenfield did carry a lot of that," Pyritz said.

Businesses like Big Dogs Sports Grill on Greenfield Avenue welcomed the steady flow of traffic.

"We did some detour specials. The amount of traffic that was going to increase really excited us, so we put extra staff on -- extra kitchen help, extra bartenders, but it worked out. We got really busy Friday," Karen Schoenfeld said.

Schoenfeld says they capitalized on the influx of travelers -- so it was a productive weekend for the crews affected by and involved in the construction.

And it's just a small inkling of what's to come.

"We do have a traffic shift plan for this week and another overnight closure to do some bridgework and steel placements," Pyritz said.

This weekend's freeway closure was just one step in the extensive Zoo Interchange project. Starting next year, Core 1 will begin, and that's when crews will start building the Zoo Interchange itself, which includes some system ramps that will be closed for long periods of time.

CLICK HERE to view a collection of photos taken by Dept. of Transportation crews over the weekend.

CLICK HERE to visit the full freeway closure site for detailed alternate routes and construction information.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to email updates from WisDOT on the Zoo Interchange project.