I-794 EB/WB reopens after utility emergency between Marquette Interchange, Lake Interchange



MILWAUKEE -- All lanes on I-794 eastbound and westbound were temporarily closed between the Marquette Interchange and the Lake Interchange Monday morning, May 18 because of a utility emergency.

According to We Energies, heavy rain caused flooding in parts of the steam system in downtown Milwaukee – creating large steam plumes.

"We are investigating a steam system outage that is impacting some customers. We are pumping out water to access the steam system and identify the source of the outage," We Energies said. "This has not affected electric and natural gas service."

We Energies shared this update Monday evening:

"As we shared this morning, due to the heavy rain over the past two days, a portion of our steam system in Downtown Milwaukee is out of service. Our crews are continuing to pump water from the system, however high water levels continue to surround our equipment in the steam tunnels. We cannot fully investigate the source of the outage and assess any needed repairs until the water is cleared, likely sometime tomorrow.

"Customers impacted by the steam outage will remain without service until the water is cleared and repairs are made. This has not affected electric and natural gas service."