Area partners, business and sewerage district working together to minimize impacts to commuters and patients
Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District will start its Highland Ave. Sewer Project, a major sanitary sewer construction project to install critical wastewater infrastructure, on Monday, May 12. This project requires phased closure of the on- and off-ramps at University Avenue/Campus Drive and Highland Avenue through September 2025. These closures will impact traffic and require detours to University Hospital, Forest Products Laboratory, the VA Hospital, areas of the UW-Madison campus west of Babcock Drive and other facilities. University Bay Drive, which provides emergency access to University Hospital, VA Hospital and American Family Children’s Hospital, will remain open.
“We recognize the impact this project will have on area residents, businesses, commuters and patients,” says the District’s Executive Director, Eric Dundee, PE, ENV-SP. “We appreciate the diligence and cooperation of our partners in this area as we’ve worked together to address concerns and work through challenges navigating the project area.”
The Highland Ave. Sewer Project is the third phase of a larger effort to increase capacity in the District’s West Interceptor system. This system, which was first constructed in 1916 with the original West Interceptor, serves the west side of Madison, Middleton, Shorewood Hills and Westport. Additional capacity is needed now to accommodate the area’s high residential and business growth. The installation of a large diameter sewer interceptor pipe during the project will help ensure the safe, reliable flow of wastewater for treatment to protect public health and the environment.
The project will be broken into several stages that correspond to ramp and lane closures:
- May 12 to late June: Westbound off-ramp from University Ave/Campus Drive to Highland Avenue closed
- Saturday, May 17: Westbound off-ramp and westbound on-ramp to/from University Ave/Campus Drive to/from Highland Avenue closed for one day
- Late June to early July: Westbound off-ramp, westbound on-ramp and southbound Highland Ave. to close
- Early July to late July: Westbound on-ramp and southbound Highland Ave. closed
- Late July to late August: Westbound on-ramp closed
Commuters, patients and visitors to University Hospital and the VA Hospital, and employees and customers of businesses and organizations near the project area are advised to plan ahead and allow additional travel time.
“The residents and businesses near University Avenue have endured a number of construction projects over the past few years, and I recognize how this construction impacts people’s daily lives,” says City Council President and Alder Regina Vidaver. “The Highland Ave. Sewer Project is a critically important project to support our shared wastewater system, and I appreciate how many partners have come together for this project to address local concerns as best as possible.”
To learn more about the project and ramp/lane closures or to sign up for updates, visit madsewer.org/highland. Detailed construction updates are available on the project page.
