REMINDER: North Avenue Closes Monday

The one fear that city engineers and private contractors had in keeping the Meinecke Avenue Sewer Project on track was the weather – particularly in regard to rain and the impending closing of West North Avenue.

The rains finally came but, as announced last week, North will close Monday as planned and is still scheduled to reopen sometime during the week of Nov. 12.

City survey and construction engineer Joe Marks said late Thursday that a Monday closing is now a certainty, with details in place.

Detour signs will go up at 7 a.m., Marks said, and the intersection of North Avenue and 90th Street will close to traffic at 9 a.m.

The detour for through traffic, as previously described, will be across West Center Street from Wauwatosa Avenue on the east to Swan Boulevard on the west.

However, local traffic does have a couple of workarounds.

"Some of the businesses have created some signs advertising that they're open during construction," Marks said, "and those will go up Monday as well. Those will be posted at both Wauwatosa and Swan and along the detour.

"For instance, if you're coming from the west to go to Sendik's, there will be a sign at Swan, and then another on Center at Pasadena, pointing out that you can get through that way."

Don't assume, though, that all north-south streets between Swan and Wauwatosa will get you through directly to North Avenue. Meinecke Avenue is still under heavy construction, cutting off some routes.

Right now, Marks said, 90th and 82nd streets are closed, and 86th Street will close to through traffic next week.

A county bus route will be routed on 88th Street between North and Center, Marks said, because there are already bus stops and traffic signals at those intersections.

So far, the Meinecke Avenue project is overall well ahead of schedule, thanks in part to dry late summer and early fall weather and in part to solid cooperation from Globe Contractors in finding ways to get the work done quicker without cutting corners.