Washington Park Bridges

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Update 08.02.24

An unexpected increase in the lagoon water level from substantial early season rainfall resulted in the need to install sheet pile coffer dams to safely de-water work areas as needed to perform excavations and construct concrete footings and abutments for the bridges. Installing the coffer dams was a significant work item. This delayed work on the bridge structures by several weeks. At this time, it is estimated substantial completion of the new bridges will not occur until spring 2025, rather than late September 2024.

Update 05.06.24

Work on replacing the Washington Park lagoon bridges is scheduled to begin May 13, 2024. Placement of project fencing, removing existing hazardous trees, and clearing vegetation to allow equipment to access areas needed for construction will occur in the first week of the project. The bridges will be unavailable for use during the project. Park users should also be aware of increased construction traffic in the park along access points to the north and south bridges (see construction access routes and staging areas pages in the Documents link below).

Update 09.20.23

Funding to construct the new bridges was approved in the Milwaukee County 2023 capital budget. The project team is now working to complete design and construction documents for bidding and construction of the new bridges.


Scope of Work: 2021-2023

Funding for the design phase of the project to repair or replace the Washington Park lagoon bridges was approved in 2021. Project consultants first completed an in-depth report of the existing bridges. This study included a comprehensive review of bridge history, construction methods, current conditions including engineering analysis, load rating analysis, and alternatives (including the recommended alternative) for restoration or replacement. See link to download the report on the right side of this page.

After initial analysis, the first public meeting was held in December 2021 to present possible options for repair or replacement; four alternatives were presented. Results of the public meeting were considered in selecting rehabilitation or design options for replacement of the bridges. After additional analysis and study, new concrete structures were chosen as the best option.

A second Public Information Meeting to review progress and design recommendations for the project took place on January 4, 2023. The public was presented with the PowerPoint presentation found on the right side of the page under "Documents", and renderings of the proposed bridge design (below) were also shared. As detailed in the PowerPoint presentation, the recommendation is to replace the existing bridges with new, concrete structures similar to those in the rendered images.

Timeline – 2023 to 2024

The proposed timeline for completing the project is as follows:

  • Complete final plans and construction documents; advertise for bidding: December 2023 – January 2024
  • Begin construction: May 13, 2024
  • Substantial completion of project: September 27, 2024
  • Site restoration work may carry over into spring of 2025

Update 08.02.24

An unexpected increase in the lagoon water level from substantial early season rainfall resulted in the need to install sheet pile coffer dams to safely de-water work areas as needed to perform excavations and construct concrete footings and abutments for the bridges. Installing the coffer dams was a significant work item. This delayed work on the bridge structures by several weeks. At this time, it is estimated substantial completion of the new bridges will not occur until spring 2025, rather than late September 2024.

Update 05.06.24

Work on replacing the Washington Park lagoon bridges is scheduled to begin May 13, 2024. Placement of project fencing, removing existing hazardous trees, and clearing vegetation to allow equipment to access areas needed for construction will occur in the first week of the project. The bridges will be unavailable for use during the project. Park users should also be aware of increased construction traffic in the park along access points to the north and south bridges (see construction access routes and staging areas pages in the Documents link below).

Update 09.20.23

Funding to construct the new bridges was approved in the Milwaukee County 2023 capital budget. The project team is now working to complete design and construction documents for bidding and construction of the new bridges.


Scope of Work: 2021-2023

Funding for the design phase of the project to repair or replace the Washington Park lagoon bridges was approved in 2021. Project consultants first completed an in-depth report of the existing bridges. This study included a comprehensive review of bridge history, construction methods, current conditions including engineering analysis, load rating analysis, and alternatives (including the recommended alternative) for restoration or replacement. See link to download the report on the right side of this page.

After initial analysis, the first public meeting was held in December 2021 to present possible options for repair or replacement; four alternatives were presented. Results of the public meeting were considered in selecting rehabilitation or design options for replacement of the bridges. After additional analysis and study, new concrete structures were chosen as the best option.

A second Public Information Meeting to review progress and design recommendations for the project took place on January 4, 2023. The public was presented with the PowerPoint presentation found on the right side of the page under "Documents", and renderings of the proposed bridge design (below) were also shared. As detailed in the PowerPoint presentation, the recommendation is to replace the existing bridges with new, concrete structures similar to those in the rendered images.

Timeline – 2023 to 2024

The proposed timeline for completing the project is as follows:

  • Complete final plans and construction documents; advertise for bidding: December 2023 – January 2024
  • Begin construction: May 13, 2024
  • Substantial completion of project: September 27, 2024
  • Site restoration work may carry over into spring of 2025

Let us know your thoughts on this project.

Your comments can help shape the future of your parks.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on this project. I worked as an educator at the Washington Park Urban Ecology Center for 6 years and still live in the neighborhood. I have spent a great deal of time using the bridge and am so glad they are being repaired. While I love the historical look and feel of the bridges, I strongly believe that the replacement project should strive to create structures that last for as long as possible. Our parks belong to current and future users, not past users. I want all students who visit Washington Park to use safe bridges and to return to safe bridges with their children and grandchildren. I strongly support the construction of the new concrete design and my second choice is the beautiful wooden bridge design. Thank you again for taking on this important project!
Laurel Cutright

laurelcutright almost 2 years ago

January 11, 2023


To Milwaukee County Parks:

Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments regarding the concrete pedestrian bridges in Washington Park. Washington Park is a singular natural and historical amenity, designed by famed landscape architect and social reformer Frederick Law Olmsted. As the national voice for Olmsted parks and places, we at the Olmsted Network (formerly National Association for Olmsted Parks (NAOP)) are grateful for the County’s interest in maintaining this exceptional park. In that spirit, we recommend that due time and care be taken before any decisions are made, as outlined more fully below.

The engineering report on proposed bridge designs -- completed in April 2022 -- should be widely circulated and publicized. https://www.mkecountyparks.org/washington-park-bridges
Notably, a majority of public comments support rehabilitation of the existing Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)-era concrete and stone bridges. This is in keeping with recommendations set out in the taxpayer-funded County Historic Properties Management Plan,
https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/survey/highway/Milw%20Co%20Historic%20Properties%20Management%20Plan.pdf, p. 37
(“Rehabilitation should always be considered as the preferred treatment for a historic bridge.”)

The CCC bridges represent a critical piece of urban Milwaukee history. The CCC employed hundreds of unemployed workers during the Great Depression to create important public infrastructure. This engagement has been respected and acknowledged in other Olmsted Parks. East Bay Parks, designed by Olmsted’s son, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., relied on CCC construction. As outlined here, https://livingnewdeal.org/preserved-forever-ccc-helped-build-park-district/, a CCC model was lovingly restored. The National Park Service has chronicled the work of the CCC in the District of Columbia, where the Olmsteds were active, noting the CCC’s important role in constructing bridges in both national and state parks. http://npshistory.com/publications/ccc/ccc-ncr.pdf
Respecting these historic structures will provide residents and tourists with unique insights into Milwaukee’s past and our nation’s past.

The bridges are not just bridges; they are essential to the full appreciation of the designed lagoon.

When siting this park, Frederick Law Olmsted noted the 15-acre native forest and high rolling hills. Indeed, elevations in Washington Park made the lake visible before mature trees obscured those views. As outlined in a brief history of the park, https://olmsted200.org/spotlight-on-washington-park-in-milwaukee-wi/, published in 2022,

"Its central feature was a naturalistic lagoon that also served ice skating and boating. By the early 1900s, the park became Milwaukee’s most popular location for ice skating, according to the park commission’s annual reports. West Park was laid out with separate curving pedestrian walkways and carriage paths. Picturesque vistas highlighted the park’s undulating terrain and lagoon—and were featured on many postcards."

In determining how to proceed with these bridges, it is important to pay attention to the impact they will have on the visual and historic character of the park and this picturesque lagoon. The current bridges, though not original, have a distinctive character – as public comments surely affirm.

The budget projections are based on creating bridges that will be able to bear two kinds of very heavy trucks. Since these bridges are – and have been – pedestrian bridges, it is not at all clear why calculations would require such heavy trucks. There are ways to address maintenance and other concerns without the use of heavy trucks and alternative approaches are worth exploring.

2022 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted. Because of this landmark, there has been inspiring evidence of Milwaukee’s renewed appreciation for its rich Olmsted heritage -- Lake, Riverside and Washington Parks, and Newberry Boulevard. Notwithstanding, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) has listed Washington Park on its national endangered list, https://www.tclf.org/nationally-significant-olmsted-landscapes-threatened, underscoring the park’s fragility and drawing broad national attention to actions taken by public officials and others in the park.

As outlined in the recent op ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/2022/12/20/frederick-law-olmsted-created-four-gems-in-milwaukee-protect-them/69722757007/,
Olmsted’s parks present aesthetic, cultural and economic opportunities for the city, which require considered deliberation. Maintaining and renewing Washington Park responsibly for full public enjoyment is surely a top priority. We thank Milwaukee County Parks for initiating this effort and look forward to further conversation.

Respectfully submitted
Anne Neal Petri, President and CEO
Olmsted Network

The Olmsted Network is the national voice for Olmsted parks, places and principles. Our network includes more than 100 organizations across the country including Lake Park Friends, Yerkes Future, Chicago Parks Foundation, Central Park Conservancy, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Seattle Parks, Biltmore, Bok Tower Gardens, Yosemite Conservancy, Midway Plaisance Park Advisory Council and others dedicated to protecting Olmsted parks and landscapes. The Olmsted Network is serving as the Managing Partner of Olmsted 200, www.olmsted200.org.

AnnePetri almost 2 years ago

I was at the Jan. 4th meeting . I like the proposed concrete bridge replacement plan. I really wish the seriously degraded post and chain barriers between the nearby landing and the lagoon would be included in this project, as they are also a serious safety issue for people near the north/east bridge. I have been told at the first bridge meeting I attended that those are the UEC’s problem, but I disagree . That landing area is a general usage area, and it is my observation, as a frequenter of Washington Park, that people who cross the bridges usually will walk down to this landing. To have ancient crumbling post and chain barriers , some of which have fallen into the lagoon , within a few feet of brand spanking new bridges will be irresponsible in terms of public safety. I urge you to address this within the scope of the bridge project .

Beth almost 2 years ago

Greetings,

Thank you for all the hard work and thoughtful design of the new bridges. I attended the Jan 4, 2023, public meeting at Washington Park senior center. It was a good discussion. I think the next step is to put the bridges into the context of all the other things that are happening in and near Washington Park. I believe it is essential to bring together at a public meeting all the other current and anticipated projects and plans for Washington Park, including the Urban Ecology Center new building, the proposed rebuild of the county parking lot and new facilities just east of the UEC "boat house", the rehab of the lagoons, the proposed rebuild of Highway 175 on the west edge of the park, all the UEC proposed clearing and replanting, and all the many elements of the original Olmsted design. I encourage you to bring all the major players, interest groups and community organizations into a comprehensive conversation about how all these pieces fit together. Collectively, the community needs to create a shared vision, a common future for our park, that integrates all these different elements into a comprehensive plan.
Keep up the good work.
thank You

dmaddox almost 2 years ago
Page last updated: 05 Aug 2024, 09:24 AM