Category: Business

If you’ve driven I-43 north of Milwaukee over the past several years, you know the drill: lane shifts, orange barrels, and the slow crawl of what felt like a never-ending construction project. The I-43 North-South project spans 14 miles of Interstate modernization and expansion between Glendale and Grafton, and for most of that stretch, the work is done. Finished. In the rearview mirror.

Except, of course, for that one nagging section.

True WFB neighbors who have driven between Silver Spring and Bender Road recently know that stretch never quite got its finishing touches. No noise barriers. Just open freeway and all the sound that comes with it. Our Glendale neighbors have been absorbing that for a while now, and if you’ve checked the DOT’s project website lately, you’d be forgiven for assuming the project is wrapped up. The last update posted there dates back to April 2025.

It hasn’t wrapped up. But it’s about to.

According to the DOT’s public relations lead for the project, construction on the Silver Spring to Bender Road section is set to begin the week of May 4th. That means the TRUE long-awaited completion of the last unfinished piece of this massive project is finally on the horizon.

Better late than never, but it does beg the question, which would be worse – traffic noise without the barriers for the houses along that stretch or pickleball noise for our neighbors around Klode ;-)?

Early risers rejoice! The village board unanimously passed an update to an existing ordinance that will now allow businesses along Silver Spring to open as early as 5:00 a.m., down from the current 6:00 a.m. limit. The catch? They’ll need a conditional use permit from the plan commission first.

The permit approach gives the village flexibility to weigh concerns like noise or activity on a case-by-case basis, and to deny requests that could negatively affect the neighborhood. Permits are business-specific, and the ordinance only covers operating hours.

This isn’t entirely new ground. Exercise facilities already had an early-hours exception, and the village indicated it’s open to similar requests from other businesses down the road, as long as the broader community isn’t impacted.

The Starbucks located at the corner of Silver Spring and Santa Monica requested the change, so we expect them to follow through with applying for a permit first, though it would be surprising if Stone Creek or others didn’t follow suit as well.

We can only hope that this change will finally bring a new bank or two to that stretch of Silver Spring.