Construction set to begin on Capitol Drive

A major road construction plan that will cost $12.2 million is about to take place in the city of Brookfield and Wauwatosa.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will rehabilitate and improve five miles of Capitol Drive.

And while it might be a pain for drivers now, city officials see advantages to the multi-faceted road construction project that was scheduled to begin at the end of this week or early next week.

When asked for a specific date on when the project will begin, DOT officials said they were not sure when the contractors were going to start because it is dependant on the weather. 

“I think it will be very beneficial to Brookfield,” said Brookfield Mayor Steven Ponto. “We have a good working relationship with the DOT and this is all about making improvements.”

Capitol Drive will remain open to traffic during peak hours, but there will be temporary changes for motorists in the construction zone. Between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction.

In addition, Calhoun Road will be closed to northbound traffic for about two weeks to construct the southern limits of the roadway. As a result, a detour route will be posted. This could result in Pilgrim Road ramps being closed between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Signs will identify when these ramps will close.

While Lilly Road will only close for about one month with a detour route posted, Menomonee River Parkway will be demolished and construction of the Capitol Drive westbound bridge over the Parkway will be closed to traffic.

Work on the structure will be long-term and it will result in a 24-hour reduction to one lane westbound on Capitol Drive at the parkway. A protected passageway will be provided beneath the structure to ensure safety of pedestrians and bicyclists during construction.

Existing median openings will be closed temporarily during this project. These median closures will be staggered so two consecutive median openings will not occur at the same time.

"The DOT is splitting the project into phases to try to minimize the disruption,” said Tom Grisa, Brookfield’s director of public works.

Christine Rawson, the DOT’s project manager, said 80 percent of the project will be funded by federal money, while the state will fund for the remaining 20 percent. The City of Brookfield will also contribute to a portion of the cost to improve the sidewalks.

“The project includes traffic signal upgrades, sidewalk, access modifications and redecking the westbound bridge over the Menomonee River Parkway,” said Rawson.

According to the DOT, the project will help improve safety, reduce congestion and provide a better riding surface.

Moreover, officials said, the crash rate is currently above the statewide average for similar roadways.

“If the crash rate is higher than the state average, they ask, ‘Why is that?’ ” Grisa said. “If you get drunk driving accidents that’s not something you can change with the roads. But these are things we can fix.”

The project is a long-time coming.

“These are four- or five-year projects with where we started,” Grisa said. “The DOT scheduled it some time ago. Then it wasn’t supposed to be done until this spring, but the DOT wanted to start it now.”

Rawson said this is the case because of the unseasonably warm weather this winter.

“Generally, we always plan them for later, but because the weather has been so great, the contractors wanted to start right away,” Rawson said.