The new proposed detour route for next year's Bayview Bridge closure would use the Michigan Street Bridge for both directions of traffic.
Steve Noel of the Department of Transportation says the tentative plan -- a compromise between what the DOT originally proposed and what the Sturgeon Bay business community was looking for -- would bring northbound traffic into the downtown using Green Bay Road and Madison Avenue to showcase the view from the Madison Avenue hill.
After crossing the Michigan Street Bridge northbound motorists would stay on Michigan Street until they reached Highway 42-57.
Southbound traffic would be diverted off of the highway at Egg Harbor Road, take Egg Harbor Road to Jefferson Street, Jefferson Street to 3rd Avenue, 3rd Ave to Michigan Street then across the Michigan Street Bridge to Madison Avenue and Green Bay Road.
Noel says just because the Oregon Street Bridge isn't slated to be part of the official detour route doesn't mean it won't get used.
"Our original proposal was to use the Oregon Street Bridge," says Noel. "It's a lot higher so you have a few less boats going through, it's wider and everybody feels a little more comfortable on it. But if you want the people to get that view on Madison Avenue and you want to funnel them downtown the best way to do that is to use Michigan Street both ways. It's one of the trade-offs you have to make."
Noel says the $5.5 million contract for the Bayview Bridge project has been awarded to Zenith Tech of Waukesha -- the same company that did the Michigan Street Bridge rehabilitation. He says they're expected to start the job in late March or early April 2013 with a completion date set for June 28.
