Edgewood Avenue Sewer Achieves Major Milestone

07/20/22 04:30:pm

In the late fall of 2021, construction began on the MMSD’s Edgewood Avenue Near Surface Collector. The new 6-foot diameter sewer is being built to help reduce the risk of sewer water backing up into basements for the Village of Shorewood and the City of Milwaukee. The sewer is being installed using micro-tunneling methods to reduce the impact on the neighborhood during construction.

On July 7, 2022, the contractor completed the tunnel segment from River Park to the west of the Oak Leaf Trail. In the video below, you can see the cutting head of the boring machine entering the receiving shaft west of the Oak Leaf Trail. The boring machine carves the path for the new sewer line.

The contractor is currently preparing the tunneling equipment for the east segment, River Park to Maryland Avenue, and is preparing the receiving shaft at Maryland Avenue. We anticipate the tunneling to the east will begin in approximately 2-3 weeks when these preparations are completed. Construction of the sewer and manholes is anticipated to be complete in late 2022, following the tunneling work. Final restoration of the streets, sidewalks, and grassy areas is anticipated in Spring 2023.

FAQs for the project and ongoing project updates can be found on the Edgewood Avenue project website page. 

WHY IS A SEWER BEING CONSTRUCTED?

Major rainfall events of July 2010 caused widespread flooding across the Milwaukee area. Hundreds of homes in the Village of Shorewood experienced surface or basement flooding. The new sewer will increase the capacity of the MMSD sewer system and the local sewer system. In times of high flow, excess water will flow from the existing sewer system into the new pipe and then to the Deep Tunnel.

WHERE IS THE SEWER BEING CONSTRUCTED?

The sewer will be constructed in Edgewood Avenue from Maryland Avenue to an existing MMSD sewer west of the Oak Leaf Trail.

WHY IS MMSD BUILDING THIS SEWER?

MMSD is funding and constructing the Edgewood Avenue sewer because the sewer takes flows from both the Village of Shorewood and the City of Milwaukee. Whenever there are sewer flows from more than one municipality, the sewer is owned and maintained by MMSD. The sewer is being constructed entirely within the Village of Shorewood.

Edgewood Avenue Sewer Project FAQs

Cutting head of the boring machine entering the receiving shaft west of the Oak Leaf Trail.