MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The American Transmission Company hosted a community meeting on Tuesday night to answer questions about an upcoming underground power line replacement project on 43rd St. in Milwaukee.
The project will start this month and replace old wire along the street to keep energy flowing into households.
“This is vital to the support of this area for providing reliable energy to them,” ATC Corporate Affairs Manager Axel Owen said. “What we’re going to be doing is removing a wire out of the ground and replacing it with a new wire to ensure that we have reliable energy in this area.”
The project will block parking and bike lanes on 43rd St. from Howard Ave. to Oklahoma Ave.
The northbound lane will also be closed from Howard Ave. to Oklahoma Ave. with the southbound lane staying open.
Al Jansen has lived on 43rd St. for the last 30 years and has seen the traffic increase over time.
“The biggest concern is since I live right on 43rd Street, how am I going to be able to get into my driveway so that I can be off the street and actually be safe,” Jansen said.
Mark Lemmer also lives off 43rd St. and is optimistic about the project but has his own concerns.
“Just for the safety of people and kids and everybody that lives here,” Lemmer said. “We’ll just have to stay on our toes, I guess.”
The construction is set to break ground later this month and is expected to be complete by 2027.
"I want to see them do this right,” Jansen said. “I hope they will.”