Village staff told the Brown Deer Board of Trustees that the village will not proceed this summer with the planned bridge replacement on 50 First Street after the state rejected the lone construction bid as too high.

Staff said the village had two related projects on 50 First Street: a federally funded bridge over Beaver Creek and adjacent village-funded roadway work. "We had 2 projects out here on the 50 First Street. So there was 1 that was 100% DOT or federal funded through local bridge program. That was our bridge over Beaver Tree," a staff member said.

Why it matters: the bridge work had been paired with roadway reconstruction; removing the bridge from this season's contract shortens the scope of immediate disruption but delays full completion of the corridor. The Board approved the construction services contract for the roadwork while the bridge is deferred.

Staff said the state received only one acceptable bid for the bridge and that bid was roughly $560,000 higher than the village's federal funding cap. "His bid was $560,000 over our federal funding," the staff member said. The state therefore rejected the bidding results and is reevaluating the engineer's estimate and project budget; the village plans to rebid the bridge in a December 2025 or 2026 letting cycle.

The staff member gave comparative pricing to explain the gap: a three-span bridge in the same letting cycle had come in at about $1.73 million, while the current single-span bridge estimate opened at about $1.5 million. "So it doesn't quite add up," the staff member said.

The roadway work that remains in the active contract covers pulverizing, curb and sidewalk removal on the east side north of the bridge, and typical asphalt/sidewalk reconstruction. "The rest of the road work will continue as is," the staff member said. He described planned operations over the coming week and said pavement and removal equipment will be in the area and that conditions will get "a little worse before it gets better."

Board members and residents asked about public notification after the bridge portion was removed from this season's work. A resident asked, "Have they been notified that the bridge work is not happening?" The staff member said the village circulated an update by mail before Memorial Day, held a public information meeting in early June with a small attendance, and that project status is also posted weekly on the village's project tracker. "Carrie actually put a, thing in tracker, an update on 50 First Street. She did mention that the bridal was not happening, and we'll have that now kinda front and center on tracker every week," the staff member said.

The staff member also noted the possibility that the village may need to add local funds if future bids remain higher than projected, and that capital-improvement discussions this August will consider whether the village must contribute additional money.

Board action and next steps: the Board approved the construction-services contract that excludes the bridge work so paving and related street repairs can proceed this year. The bridge will be rebid in a later cycle after the state and the village revisit cost estimates; staff said the engineer and state are "reevaluating our estimate and budget." The village will continue public updates on the project tracker and by mail.

Ending: Residents with traffic or access concerns were told the contractor plans to maintain local access while work proceeds and staff will continue to post weekly tracker updates as the project moves toward the next bidding cycle.