The Daily Reporter – WI Construction News & Bids Wisconsin's Construction Authority
Shoppers and employees were able to use the first floor of the Silver Spring Parking Garage at Bayshore Town Center again after a partial collapse brought snow, sleet, and debris from the third floor onto the first floor last month. Staff photo by Steve Schuster.
Bayshore Town Center shoppers and employees were once again able to park on the first floor of the parking structure again Wednesday afternoon. One of the parking structures partially collapsed Feb. 23 at the Bayshore Town Center and investigators are still trying to determine the cause.
“BAYSHORE is pleased to announce that as part of the strategic remediation plan for the Silver Spring Garage, our engineering partners have confirmed that we can safely re-open an unaffected zone on the first level of the garage for tenant and guest parking. The confined parking area is now available for our guests,” a spokesperson for Bayshore Town Center said Thursday.
Engineers found the unaffected parts of the garage were structurally sound on Monday, a spokesperson for Bayshore Town Center told The Daily Reporter. The engineers will repair the space where snow and concrete fell through, according to officials.
“The next phase of our remediation plan is to continue to work strategically with our engineers and development partners to reconstruct the areas affected in the Silver Spring Garage. Engineers have confirmed that the unaffected areas of the garage were not structurally impacted and that the scope of work will be contained to repair the affected zone. The nature of the incident remains an ongoing investigation by Bayshore’s insurance company,” officials said.
On Saturday, crews used a crane to remove six cars from the third floor of the structure, a Town Center spokesperson said. Owners who wanted their vehicles back signed a waiver and received $200 checks for inconvenience.
Joyce Ann Washington, a vehicle owner whose car was stranded, said she didn’t have time to consult a lawyer while getting her car back. She said she didn’t know what would have happened if she didn’t sign.
Bayshore Town Center’s management team also drove vehicles down from the second floor on a makeshift ramp on March 2.
A contractor who plowed snow for the Bayshore Town Center for a decade said it was likely another contractor piled snow in the wrong area the day after 3.3 inches of sleet fell in the Milwaukee area.
No one was hurt in the collapse, but the Milwaukee Fire Department responded outside its regular jurisdiction with its Heavy Urban Rescue Team.
