Payne and Dolan were contracted by the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) in the fall of 2018 to reconstruct a 1/2-mile section of 87th street in Wauwatosa, WI. This roadway is unlike the typical city street as it cuts directly through the heart of the MRMC campus, which is home to some of Wisconsin’s busiest health care institutions, such as Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital, and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The existing two-lane road is already at max capacity with only stop signs at the intersections. This reconstruction will offer four lanes with traffic signals, turn lanes, and bike lanes. The project will also serve as a major utility corridor for the campus, upgrading all water, power, electrical, and storm systems.
Originally, the project was designed to take place in 6 stages, each consisting of additional sub-stages. Our team proposed incorporating a temporary roadway which reduced the project to 2 stages, saving time in the overall project schedule and improving pedestrian safety.
Project Challenges
- Extremely limited site access prevented conventional delivery of materials and heavy equipment required for the project.
- A temporary tramway bridge was required to launch heavy equipment onto barges while minimizing impact to the sensitive waterway environment.
- Pedestrian bridge was located in close proximity to historic powerhouse as well as a newly constructed expansion; maintaining safe working conditions for pile driving and setting box girders was required to protect the buildings.
- High water levels, a strong river current, and a work zone directly above an operating power generating dam presented unique working conditions.
Walbec Solutions
- A significant amount of work was performed from a barge and a temporary tramway bridge was designed and built by ZTI to load the crane onto the barge. A mobile work platform allowed crews to safely work from the river.
- Bathymetric surveying of the river was completed to ensure the temporary tramway cleared buried utilities and minimized impact to the streambed. The survey also verified work barges could navigate safely.
- Innovative in-house engineering allowed flexibility for the team to begin setting beams in an area of the river that was safe before the water level and current decreased.
- Post-tensioning work associated with erecting the box beams was self-performed by ZTI.
- Decorative fencing installation on the bridge structure was self-performed by ZTI.
- Coordination among stakeholders including the general contractor working on The Powerhouse renovation, WisDOT, Beloit College, and other subcontractors.
