Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent
A walking bridge between the Hemlock and South Main Street bridges in Clintonville has been declared unsafe and closed.
Kray Brown, city public works director, said engineers who inspected the bridge estimated repairs could cost about $75,000.
“We have a brand new Main Street bridge about 100 or 150 feet away. I don’t see spending $75,000 to repair something folks can walk another 100 feet to get across the river,” Alderman Steve Kettenhoven said at a street committee meeting Wednesday.
Alderman Lance Bagstad agreed, citing the city’s need to spend money on deteriorating roads.
“Nobody has called me about the bridge, but people have called me about potholes in streets,” Bagstad said.
The fencing on the bridge is a safety issue, however, and Bagstad said action should be taken swiftly. In a unanimous vote, the street committee recommended to the Common Council that city close the bridge and look into the cost of removing it.
City Administrator Sharon Eveland said that kids like to fish from the bridge and she fears for their safety.
The bridge is believed to have been constructed between 1965 and 1970.