With preliminary site work underway for the $420 million Wisconsin Center expansion, the groundbreaking ceremony may be held as early as November — about one month earlier than previously announced.
Fencing has been erected around the perimeter of the former surface parking lot north of the existing convention facility that will serve as the site for the expansion. Crews running heavy equipment started removing asphalt and later will remove debris underground remaining from the demolition of the old MECCA convention center, said Wisconsin Center District president and CEO Marty Brooks.
Until now, Wisconsin Center District officials have said the groundbreaking ceremony would be held before year-end and likely in December. However, Brooks told a Wisconsin Center District board committee Thursday that the timeline has been revised.
When asked about the new timeline after the meeting, Brooks told the Milwaukee Business Journal that he and the construction firms have not yet set a “hard date” for the groundbreaking. Brooks said it looks like work crews, equipment and supplies might be available sooner than previously anticipated.
There is no change in the projected project completion date of the first quarter of 2024, he said.
“It wouldn’t accelerate when the project gets finished, but if we can get into the ground sooner it would make sense to do it before the ground freezes,” Brooks said.
Specifically, Brooks and the contractors would like to begin pile-driving before the ground freezes in the winter, he said. The project requires driving 1,800 piles to support the expansion’s structure, Brooks said.
Brooks said he has no concerns about delays in materials deliveries for the project. He acknowledged that the price of steel remains elevated but so far, the budget for the project can absorb those increases through its contingency fund.
The expansion will double the size of Milwaukee’s downtown convention center.