I-43 Milwaukee lane closures; bridge, pavement repairs start Friday

MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is starting another I-43 construction project Friday, June 16 – impacting Milwaukee traffic in both directions.

The interstate will go from three lanes to two between North Avenue and Capitol Drive. WisDOT said the project will address poor bridge and pavement conditions.

"It was so congested," Dale Grayson, who manages a gas station off Atkinson Avenue near the interstate, said of recent lane closures from Keefe to Capitol. "On 9th Street and right here on 8th street, people couldn’t get across, it was terrible."

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"Traffic is slow. People don’t drive that well in two lanes. They’re all over the place," said commuter Earl Campbell. "Going south, it's already tough to get on the expressway. I don’t know what it's going to look like, but if it’s anything like going north, it's going to be really bad."

Grayson is happy commuters will eventually have a smoother drive to work.

Interstate 43 in Milwaukee

"I’m glad for the positive that they’re fixing things up. We need that, we need that bad. We just work through the hard knots, and we’ll make it," he said. "I hope that (drivers) respond well, that they’re safe and cautious. That’s what I hope."

WisDOT expects the lane closures to last until at least Labor Day.