The long, long-awaited Pizano's in downtown Milwaukee is on track to open

It might not be the longest build-out in Milwaukee restaurant history ... or maybe it is.

The Chicago chain Pizano's Pizza & Pasta, which first announced in late 2014 that it was coming to downtown Milwaukee, now is on track to open, it said on social media Thursday.

It was expected to open in spring 2015 on the first floor of the Milwaukee School of Engineering's Grohmann Tower Apartments, 1154 N. Water St. Owner Rudy Malnati Jr., citing tower construction delays for the missed target, said in 2016 that work was advancing and it would open that summer.

Construction again stalled. A passer-by noticed in early April that work had resumed, but attempts to contact Malnati were unsuccessful.

On Thursday, the company said on Twitter and Facebook that the Milwaukee location was "coming soon," and workers were seen painting the restaurant's interior. A company representative didn't immediately answer questions sent by email.

The location will be the first in Wisconsin for the Chicago restaurant, which serves deep dish and thin crust pizzas, pastas and other entrees, burgers and sandwiches. It has five restaurants in Chicago and one in Glenview, Ill.