Thursday, April 11, 2013
A semi blocked eastbound Drexel Avenue near I-94 and forced the closure of an off-ramp Wednesday.
The week-long rain that has pummeled southeastern Wisconsin was a factor in a semi crash Wednesday morning on Drexel Avenue near I-94. According to an Oak Creek police report, the semi's 25-year-old driver was making a U-turn just after 8:30 a.m. when he jumped the curb and his tires sunk into the muddy, soft ground. The disabled semi blocked eastbound Drexel Avenue and forced the closure of the northbound I-94 off-ramp. Despite the steady rain that has hit southeastern Wisconsin all week, Oak Creek has largely been devoid of major problems. More than 2.8 inches of rain fell from Monday through Wednesday, according to Patch's media partners at WISN, and more rain is in the forecast.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
New signs were put up Tuesday night after an embarrassing misspelling.
Drivers should now officially "yield" on left turns from Drexel Avenue onto I-94. Signs — on both sides of the Drexel Avenue bridge — for drivers about to get on the interstate were misspelled, with yield spelled "yeild." They were put up just last week shortly before the ramps opened on the new Drexel Interchange. Patch posted a photo of the misspelled signs on its Facebook page and Twitter feed Monday, and they drew immediate ridicule. The state had new signs up by about 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Drexel Interchange fully opened last Friday. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the interchange and expanded Drexel Avenue was held Nov. 20.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
While Drexel Avenue reopened before Thanksgiving, drivers are still waiting to use the new on and off ramps to Interstate 94.
The new Drexel Interchange ramps are on track to open by Friday, according to the city of Oak Creek. The city said on its website there's a "slim chance" the ramps could open before that. Many residents have anxiously awaited the opening of the ramps, particularly with Drexel Avenue between 13th and 27th streets now reopened to traffic. While a ribbon-cutting for the project was held last week, more work was still needed on the on and off ramps to Interstate 94. The Drexel Interchange is the first new interchange in southeastern Wisconsin since I-94 was built. It's part the years-long project to reconstruct I-94 from Mitchell Airport to the state line.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The interchange, which officials hope will jump-start economic development, will likely open at the beginning of next week.
Tuesday's ribbon-cutting on the Drexel Avenue bridge in Oak Creek was a day seven years in the making. It was back in 2005 when officials started discussions on a new interchange at Drexel Avenue. It took several more years of meetings and approvals until a deal could be struck and construction started on the first new interchange in southeastern Wisconsin since Interstate 94 was built. All of that work culminated Tuesday, as officials celebrated the reopening of Drexel Avenue between 13th and 27th streets and the new Drexel Interchange. "This is a big deal for us," Mayor Steve Scaffidi said. The interchange likely won't open until early next week, Scaffidi said. Drexel Avenue was expected to reopen later Tuesday. It's now a four-lane, …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Police stopped several vehicles over the weekend for driving around barricades in the Drexel Avenue roadway and interchange projects.
Lest there be any doubt that people are anxious for the opening of Drexel Avenue and the new interchange: Oak Creek police have fielded multiple calls since Friday about drivers going around barricades in the Drexel Interchange and ignoring "bridge out" signs, according to the department logbook. A 29-year-old resident of the area told police Sunday afternoon that several cars have tried to get on the freeway at Drexel Avenue, with at least one car successfully going around the barricades and onto the freeway. Officers monitoring the area also saw several people driving past "bridge out" signs and across the new Drexel Avenue bridge. One driver told police a construction manager said it was OK for residents of the area to cross it, but …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
A ceremony will be held to open the interchange and an expanded Drexel Avenue on Nov. 20.
Public officials will cut the ribbon on the new Drexel Interchange and an expanded Drexel Avenue at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20. The ceremony will take place on the bridge over Interstate 94 and will be open to the public, according to the state Department of Transportation. The interchange is the first new interchange in Milwaukee County since the expressway was built in the 1970s. Officials believe it will help spur economic development in Oak Creek, including the Drexel Town Square redevelopment project on the former Delphi site, and the surrounding area. Construction started last spring after a ground-breaking attended by Gov. Scott Walker and others. Crews have also been working to widen Drexel Avenue to four lanes between 13th and 27th …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Progress also continues on the Drexel Interchange, where three of four ramps have been constructed.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Mark Schaaf
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Wednesday, October 17, 2012
All ramps in the Mitchell Interchange are now open to traffic, as Patch's media partners at Fox 6 report. The last two ramps reopened Tuesday morning: the ramp connecting College Avenue with northbound I-94 (toward downtown Milwaukee) and the ramp from Layton Avenue to northbound I-94. Fox 6 reports that some cleanup work and striping is still needed in the Mitchell Interchange, but delays should be minimal. Work to reconstruct the interchange started back in March of 2009. Construction will continue on the I-94 north-south corridor between Milwaukee and the Illinois border through 2017. In Oak Creek, that includes a reconstruction of the Rawson Interchange next year and the Ryan Interchange in 2014. Progress continues on the new Drexel …
Friday, July 20, 2012
Crews are focused on installing storm sewer on both ends of the project, which goes from 13th to 27th streets, and have also made progress on the new Drexel Interchange.
The contractor involved in Drexel Avenue reconstruction work is currently focused on installing storm sewer on the east and west ends of the project, City Engineer Mike Simmons said in an update posted on the city's website. Drexel is closed to through traffic between 13th and 27th streets and is not expected to reopen until the end of November. The contractor, Super Western, and the city's on-site construction representative have made controlling traffic and dust a priority so residents living in the area can safely travel through the construction, Simmons said. The state Department of Transportation is making steady progress on the new Drexel Interchange as well, Simmons said. Read more on the city of Oak Creek website. The Drexel Avenue…
Friday, June 15, 2012
A portion of the freeway in Oak Creek will be shut down Friday night as crews demolish the bridge. It's part of the work going into the Drexel Interchange construction.
A portion of Interstate 94 in Oak Creek will close Friday night so that crews can take down the Drexel Avenue bridge. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, I-94 northbound will be closed at 27th Street (south of Ryan) and I-94 southbound will close at Rawson Avenue. The closures are expected to be in effect from 10 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. The bridge is being demolished as part of the Drexel Interchange construction, which has ramped up over the past few weeks. The work is visible to motorists driving through the area, with most of the trees near the bridge now removed. Crews are also expanding Drexel Avenue to four lanes between 13th and 27th streets. The construction is expected to continue through November. …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
City officials say borrowing money to finance the Drexel Avenue widening and its contribution to the new Drexel Interchange will be done with low interest rates.
The Oak Creek Common Council authorized borrowing $6 million for the Drexel Avenue reconstruction project and $4.6 million for its contribution to the Drexel Interchange, and it got some good news on the way. City officials trumpeted Moody's Rating Service giving Oak Creek the highest rating possible for the reconstruction project and the second-highest rating available for the Drexel Interchange. The ratings impact the interest rate the city pays on the debt it issues. In general, the better the bond rating, the lower the interest rate. "These are two very excellent ratings that helps keep the city's interest rate exposure low," Finance Director Mark Wyss said. Moody's said the "city's financial operations are expected to remain sound" …
Jim
9:46 pm on Sunday, December 9, 2012
I got bumped out my 4th grade spelling B on that word. Spelled it 'yeild'. more ›