Construction delays keep traffic snarled

Downtown Saukville has been an obstacle course for motorists traveling on Highway 33 lately, and things probably won’t improve for at least a few more weeks, the Village Board was told Tuesday.

The tangle has been created by work on the bridge over the Milwaukee River that is taking longer than expected to complete and a state Department of Transportation project to replace the traffic lights at Mill Street and Highway 33, village Public Works Director Ray deBruijn told trustees.

“The bridge work was supposed to be finished in June and July,” deBruijn said. “It’s unfortunate that they’re going at the same time.”

A new bridge deck overlay is being completed over the river, according to the DOT website.

The bridge abutments, which had settled, also are being filled and leveled before paving, and displaced sections of the sidewalk are being replaced, according to the village website.

Highway 33 will remain open, though traffic is restricted to one lane. Lanes will be shifted to one side or the other depending on which side of the bridge is being worked on.

The bridge work is one of a series of area projects over the river, including in the Town of Trenton on Highway 33, and over roads, including on Mink Ranch Road over Highway 57. 

At the Mill Street intersection, crews are replacing the traffic lights, trombone arms and detector loops in the roadway, deBruijn said.        “It will be a few weeks yet before they’re finished,” he said.