Oak Leaf Trail Bridge to Open Mid-May

The Oak Leaf Trail bridge's concrete deck was poured Tuesday and is expected to be available by May 15, a construction official said Thursday.

Construction workers are still installing railings, paving the path up to the bridge and finishing up other projects, said Trigg Knerr, who is overseeing the construction. Knerr said he hopes to open the bridge sooner than May 15.

Bicyclists are no doubt anxious to venture over East Capitol Drive via the bridge as Lalonde Contractors had to push back the original completion date of mid-November.

Dennis Shook, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, blamed it on torrential rainfall in July and delays on the arrival of construction material.

The bridge was part of a that repaved streets stretching from the Milwaukee River to the lakefront, replaced the Oak Leaf Trail Bridge, modernized street signals, addressed drainage issues and added some decorative features to the major Shorewood drive.

Village Manager Chris Swartz said the long project is big for the village and reshapes its image as drivers enter the area on Capitol.

"It's monumental," he added.

Workers have finished much of the construction and all traffic lanes on the street were opened in mid-December.

In addition to the bridge, workers will add trees, flowerbeds and other landscaping features.

The , an environmental services company, for hourly work not to exceed $14,7000 to oversee the landscaping project.

A separate contract is expected to be awarded soon to another company to complete the landscaping work.

While the Capitol Drive construction was a state project, the landscaping project will be village-funded, paid for through the capital improvements fund.