a bridge with four narrow lanes would transform into a two-lane bridge with bike paths .
“ Traffic doesn ’ t support the need for four lanes . We even received compliments about replacing the unnecessary lanes with bike lanes . Overall , it was a very well-received change ,” Rooney said .
“ There were even challenges for the park road that went underneath the bridge and meandered the Root River ,” Rooney went on . “ It was dark and could be a little dangerous as pedestrians and bicyclists were forced onto a very narrow street . Ayres made the roadway safer by increasing the distance between the pier and west abutment . The existing pier used to be solid concrete and blocked off light and the view of the river . Opening it up provided more natural light and a scenic view of the river , and widening the area created space for an off-street pathway that also helped with the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists .”
To prepare the bridge for construction , the City ’ s large wastewater sewer needed to be relocated , and the fiber optics network had to be planned around . There was also an entire building located on the river that would need to be removed to create staging room for construction .
“ Once they removed the building , it created a lot of room for both the bridge contractor and the City to get the sewer and fiber optics relocated .” Rooney said . “ The building had fallen into a state of disrepair and was ordered removed . The razed building also opened up views of the river from the east side not seen in decades . Once we had all the utilities out of the way , all things began to come together and the project went great and finished slightly ahead of schedule .”
Working with the Community and the Budget
“ We found that there were costs for all the obstacles we came across , including how to replace a beloved historic bridge ,” Rooney said .
During a design charrette with stakeholders , many brainstorming ideas and photos were shared . One stakeholder heavily involved was “ Preservation Racine ,” a group dedicated
6 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .