A construction crew on Monday lifted an 88-foot long, 58,000-pound service corridor into place over West Wells Street as part of the $456 million Wisconsin Center expansion project in downtown Milwaukee.
The service corridor will serve as a back-of-house connector for internal staff to move between the expansion space and existing part of the convention center.
The material for the corridor was supplied by Stoughton-based Zalk Josephs Fabricators, a provider of structural steel products and services for the construction industry.
Inflation and supply-chain issues have led to a higher cost for the Wisconsin Center expansion project, which was originally expected to cost $420 million. The Wisconsin Center District Board on Friday approved issuing $20 million in additional long-term debt, and a mix of other financing measures, to cover what is projected to be a $36 million overrun in the budget for the expansion project.
Construction for the convention center expansion project began in late October and remains on track for an early 2024 completion. Gilbane Building Co. and C.D. Smith are the construction managers for the project.
The project will increase the total size of the Wisconsin Center to 1.3 million square feet and will increase its exposition hall to 300,000 square feet of contiguous space. The project will also add 24 new meeting rooms, 400 indoor parking spaces, 6 additional loading docks, an additional kitchen and a new fourth floor rooftop ballroom with space for 2,000 for a seated dinner and outdoor terraces.
