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| Marsupial | adjective 1. pertaining to, resembling, or having a marsupium. [Latin marsupium: pouch, from Greek marsypion, marsipion, diminutive of marsipos bag, pouch.] |  |
| Bridge | noun 1. a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc. |
What is the Holton Viaduct Marsupial Bridge? The Holton Viaduct Marsupial Bridge is a pedestrian and bicycle path crossing the Milwaukee River connecting the Brady Street neighborhood with the Beer Line B neighborhood north of downtown Milwaukee. It will in part be suspended from the Holton Viaduct. Since it will seem to hang like a pouch from the existing structure, the term “marsupial” came to mind and has caught the public fancy. The Holton Marsupial Bridge will be built by the Lunda Construction Company and is expected to be completed sometime in Spring 2005. It was developed from plans by La Dallman Architects and Bloom Consultants LLC, an engineering firm, and funded by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation under the Congestion Mitigation / Air Quality Program. The Holton Marsupial Bridge is part of the Crossroads Project conceived
as a bid to completely revitalize Brady Street and the surrounding
A letter to the editor and Mr. Horne's Response From: "Douglas S. Mohr" <dmohr@Think-IT-Group.com> http://www.milwaukeeworld.com/marsupial/index.php , the following lines are written: "
...The Holton Marsupial Bridge is part of the Crossroads Project conceived
as a bid to completely revitalize Brady Street and the surrounding This is incorrect. Brewers Hill (not Brewer's Hill) has had
pedestrian access to Brady street for nearly a century. The Holton St.
Viaduct has a Thank
you for your attention to this matter. From: horne@milwaukeeworld.com Thanks for your observation. In fact I dropped three words, which I have reinstated in brackets. Pardon the apostrophe in the neighborhood name, which is an error that I have corrected. The changes below will be copied and
pasted to the website by my administrator at the next regularly-sheduled
update, or before, if possible. Regarding your contention that "The Marsupial Bridge will specifically help out the new condo owners on the ever growing Beerline B and be of no help to Brewers Hill residents," I'm afraid I disagree, particularly with the assertion that condo owners on Beerline B would be the designated beneficiaries. That viewpoint is at best unneighborly, considering your position, and at worst, myopic. For example, the Marsupial Bridge will prove very popular for Brady Street - Lower East side residents and visitors to visit Lakefront Brewery and Roots and other attractions in both the Beerline B and Brewers Hill neighborhoods, and will foster their development. Part of the strategy is to increase connections and reconnections between neighborhoods for non-vehicular travel. One of the considerations is topography -- the "Hill" in Brewers Hill. The Dam Bridge, the Marsupial Bridge, the new Humboldt Street Bridges, the various stairs, new street connections, bike trails, etc. all have contributed -- in a masterful way, I feel -- in bringing Brady Street, Beerline B and Brewers Hill neighborhoods together in a connection - reconnection that will be a model for other topographically-challenged urban districts. So, I think it is going to be a hit. Time will tell! Thank you for your interest. Michael Horne |
ABOUT THE HOLTON VIADUCT The Holton Viaduct was built in 1926 to replace an earlier bridge completed in 1894 at a cost of $125,215.75. That bridge, although attractive, was of peculiar “folding leaf” construction, unique in the city. The bridge had to be modified to allow safe passage of street cars above. Even so, motormen had orders never to have two cars meet at the draw. According to a contemporary news article, “the dangerous inclines and curves of the Holton street viaduct have caused numerous street car and automobile accidents every year.” With the growth of automobile traffic in the early 20th century it was determined that the bridge must be replaced with a more substantial structure. By the time of its demolition, the Holton street bridge was the only remaining bridge of its kind.
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THE “LOW LEVEL VIADUCT” The original plans for the Holton Street Viaduct called for it to begin at Van Buren Street just north of Pleasant Street. It was to cross over Van Buren and above Brady Street, and would have required the demolition of many buildings along Van Buren. Further demolitions would have been required for proposed streets on either end of the bridge. In spring 1924 a delegation of angry citizens appeared before a council committee accusing the City Engineer, R.E.Stoelting of favoring the “high level” viaduct plan. This early example of neighborhood involvement was successful, and the engineer agreed to the current, or “low level” viaduct. As a result the many fine buildings of Van Buren Street were spared, and the vital connection to Brady Street was retained.
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THE MARSUPIAL BRIDGE EVOLVES Brady Street retains the same neighborhood activism that it exhibited in 1926, and is a nationally-known laboratory for innovative urban design and adaptive reuse of buildings and spaces. In 2000 neighborhood resident Julilly Kohler conceived the marsupial bridge idea while kayaking beneath the Holton Viaduct. Kohler, who has been involved with the neighborhood for decades, lobbied for available CMAQ funds for the bridge’s construction. The husband and wife team of La Dallman Architects prepared plans for the bridge and its environs. Bloom Consultants LLC prepared the engineering plans for the bridge. Lunda Construction, Inc., Black River Falls, Wisconsin was selected as contractor in 2004.
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