MARSUPIAL BRIDGE OPENING SET FOR 10th -- But Bridge Lacks Vital Access Component
The Holton Marsupial Bridge will have its ribbon-cutting on Thursday, November 10th, it has just recently been determined.
The event will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the east end of the bridge linking the Brady Street area with the newly-developing Beer Line "B" neighborhood. The event will be outdoors, and brief, due to the unpredictability of Milwaukee's November weather. A more complete ceremony is planned for the Spring.
Following the ribbon cutting, guests will walk a few blocks to the east to Regano's Roman Coin, 1004 E. Brady St. on the northeast corner of N. Astor and E. Brady streets where Teri Regano has arranged food from the Emperor of China, beer from Lakefront Brewery, and yet more food from Glorioso's and from Au Bon Appetit.
I'll be there with my travelling show about Edward Dwight Holton, my hero.
Marsupial Bridge Ends in Disappointment
On a recent walk across the bridge, it was apparent that certain funding cuts were made to the multimillion dollar project that severly hamper the utility of the bridge. It was originally planned that the west end of the bridge offer direct access to N. Commerce Street via means of a staircase.
This staircase was not built, so once you arrive at the west (north, actually,) end of the marsupial bridge, you have to walk east along a bike path that is in the form of a switchback on the hill there. Then, to get anywhere like Lakefront Brewery, a likely destination, or most of the housing in the neighborhood, you'd have to walk all the way back to your point of origin. In all, a distance about three times the length of the bridge itself.
After a Lakefront Brewery tour last Friday, a group of visitors thought it would be neat to walk over to Brady Street via the Marsupial Bridge. They clambored, rather unsuccessfully, up the steep hill beneath the bridge where the stairs should be. That surface has been recently filled with rough gravel, rendering the hike up the bluff almost impossible, and certainly not to be recommended for the infirm or intoxicated, or those in high heels.
Certainly the funds can be found to put a staircase at the terminus of the bridge. It is practically useless as built, and is a great disappointment for a project that was designed to "connect and reconnect" Milwaukee's neighborhoods.
It would not have to be an expensive staircase -- I'm certain such units exist in a prefabricated state that would meet the standards of the City Engineers. You see them in factories all of the time.
Until that is done, there will be very little incentive for residents of the new Beer Line "B" neighborhood to cross the bridge, since it will take such a big hike just to get to it. Unreal!
But, as it is built, I regret to say that the Holton Marsupial Bridge, for which I had such great hopes, will not be a useful amenity for the residents of the Beer Line "B" neighborhood until this oversight is overcome.
For now, it would be just as easy to climb the 79-foot staircase already attached to the Holton Viaduct and cross the top of the bridge, just as you have been able to do for the past eighty years, provided you were in good enough shape.
--Michael Horne
posted by Michael Horne @ 2:28 PM
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Would you really rather see a prefab staircase attached to the very well designed marsupial bridge? I'd rather see no pedestrian bridge at all than some tacked on piece of garbage. There is currently an effort to raise additional capital to complete the bridge as it was originally designed, so just be a bit patient and we'll see if it works out. The final design calls for the use of the old rail bridge as part of the descent path. Should be pretty cool.
Gleiss
Hmm.Well, seeing as how Commerce Street in general is one big disappointment, this seems about par. Let me count the ways: 1)the 'prairie' with it's mat of the same weeds that were there before spending thousands of dollars, only now with no tree roots to hold it on the steep incline, so it has to be continually replanted; 2)the absence of any view of the river from the street; 3) the absence of any eating/drinking place on the river (other than Lakefront, which is only open a few hours a week); 4) the 'wall of concrete' effect of the housing design at the east end of the street and 5) the failure of city Planning to break up the 'big wide raceway' effect of a looong street with no stop signs. Not to mention the stupid planting of wide grass slopes and street trees (maples, for Pete's sake) guaranteed to turn into shriveled brown messes in summer, the lack of waste receptacles, the non-shoveling of the sidewalks/hiking paths/staircases during winter, and oh, yes, who thought the Giant Fungus Stalks were good public art? And will Brewers Point (the fugly Marriot Hotel-looking apartment building) ever be forced to build their fair share of Riverwalk access?
Side bar: I do like Trostel Square, and yes, I know there's going to be some sort of cafe on the Pleasant Street end.
But overall, an incredible opportunity blown.
I biked over the bridge last weekend and I was pretty impressed with the quality of the bridge. The materials were of high-quality and there was a lot of recessed lighting, etc. I'm sure once it is finished it will be great.
Regarding Commerce Street as a whole, commercial development will be occuring on both ends of Commerce Street (Humboldt and Pleasant) with a Sendik's proposed by Pleasant. Plus, lest I forget The EDGE condos? This will also help create the needed density to make it a more viable neighborhood with commercial/retail within walking distance.
The Beerline isn't done, this is only the beginning!
dc
I was very surprised myself to see an absence of stairs. The people stumbling back from Lakefront are going to have a long trek up the switchback! I agree that a prefab staircase would be better than nothing. The lack of a staircase really devalues the entire project.
As for the rest of the Beerline, I haven't been impressed. I have heard nothing but accolades from experts for the developement there, but it seems like they missed the mark for a nice neighborhood.
I agree with Mr. Horne that the bridge is a major disappoinment. I was really excited for the long anticipated bridge to become all that it was claimed to be-- but on so many levels it fails, especially interms of creating a place where people may want to be.
Would it have been possible for key componants of the design to remain had the architect, La Dallman, not insisted upon using such expensive materials? Could not the bridge been as beautiful without the expense of stainless steel and pricey tropical hardwoods?
The seating area too is a missed opportunity, as the rocks chosen are too big and loose, making it difficult to walk on. A series of anemic yellow "benches" are neither inviting or effective as a device to organize space.
My final concern is the use of acid-stained concrete as the major ground/curb/bench material. As we can see already the superficial stain-job is beginning to chip away exposing its gray interior. More money and energy should have been put into how the ground surface materials could embrace rather than reject our climactic site conditions.
In the end I think the bridge concept was/is a good idea, however the money to buld it should have been alocated to ensure a beautifully complete and enduring project.
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