The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is taking a major step forward March 27 and 28 when the concrete foundation for the 1.1 million square foot project will be formed in a continuous 27-hour concrete pour.

Starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 27 and ending about 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, more than 250 Milwaukee-area construction workers will be helping to pour 10,000 cubic yards of concrete. The pour will require 50 cement trucks making 1,000 trips around the clock. The trucks will be driving into and out of the construction site, transporting cement from three different plants located in Bay View, West Allis and Menomonee Falls.

Working with the project’s general contractor, Gilbane/CG Schmidt, Northwestern Mutual is partnering with multiple local small business enterprises (SBEs) and a Milwaukee-area workforce on this phase of the project, including:

• Choice Construction, Inc., Menomonee Falls: rebar installation

• Sonag Ready Mix, Menomonee Falls: concrete

• Daar Engineering, Milwaukee: site survey work

• Professional Service Industries (PSI), Pewaukee: material testing consultant

Preparation for the event will require some street and sidewalk closures around the construction site, starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 26 through approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 31.

Those include:

• Mason Street from Cass to Prospect (the north sidewalk on Mason will remain open)

• On the east and south sides of the construction site, the west lane of Prospect and north lane of Wisconsin Avenue, from Mason to Cass. The sidewalk will also be closed.

• The east lane of Van Buren Street between Wisconsin and Mason (this lane is already closed)

Construction of the Northwestern Tower and Commons is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2017. Once completed, the project will preserve 1,100 downtown jobs while adding 1,900 new ones. It will also welcome residents and visitors to the city and anchor Milwaukee’s lakefront development.