DE PERE – As Brown County and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation hone in on a preferred design for the new bridge over the Fox River, residents near the future crossing pressed for more changes to minimize impacts on their neighborhood.
Close to 100 area residents attended a public hearing at Susie C. Altmayer Elementary School to provide input on bridge plans as laid out in the 425-page South Bridge environmental report.
The new bridge will stretch from a roundabout at Lost Dauphin Road east to what’s currently the intersection of Rockland Road and State 32/57. It serves as the key centerpiece of the county’s long-sought South Bridge Connector route through Lawrence, De Pere and Ledgeview. When complete, the new road will stretch from Packerland Drive to Monroe Road in the village of Bellevue and will include a new interchange with Interstate 41.
The draft environmental report highlights the current, preferred options for various elements and features of the new bridge and roadway to replace the current Rockland Road. The options, called alternatives, included things like the choice of bridge material, alignment and intersection types. The report also included explanations of why some options were chosen.
The public testimony comes as state and county officials look to finalize the new bridge’s plans by November, Brown County Highway Superintendent Chris Hardy said. From there, he said engineering and design work would commence.
What did the public have to say about the current plans for the new Fox River bridge?
About 15 people offered testimony to a panel of state and county officials and their consultants during the hearing, which lasted about 75 minutes. The most-frequent topic was a request to lower the recommended 40 mph speed limit, but speakers also raised concerns about noise, bridge aesthetics, traffic and impacts on the neighborhood along Old Plank Road, north and south of the new road and bridge.
Old Plank Road resident Ann Patteson raised concerns about several of those issues and fears the current preferred option will turn Old Plank Road from a designated Rustic Road into a “deathtrap” of speed and traffic.
Lost Dauphin Road resident Ed Thompson will be able to look out at the new bridge from his residence so he urged the county and WisDOT to invest in aesthetic features for the bridge. Local officials have not yet made a decision on the bridge’s aesthetic features.
“People living along the Fox River want to have a well-designed, beautiful bridge,” Thompson said, urging designers to “do it right the first time.”
Details about the new bridge over the Fox River in southern Brown County
County officials and consultants reviewed two alignment options for the new bridge, one slightly farther north than the other. Ultimately, the northern alignment was chosen because it was physically shorter, would cost about $130,000 less, required the acquisition of less farmland and disturbed less wetlands.
The environmental report included several key details about the new bridge’s layout, connections and cost. Here’s some basics:
Of note, the report indicates public comments at the project’s September 2024 public input meeting led to the inclusion of the bicycle and pedestrian sidewalks in the bridge plans.
New South Bridge over the Fox River would require purchase of two homes and farmland
The environmental report indicates the new bridge would require the county to acquire about 11½ acres of land for right-of-way to construct the new road, sidewalks and grass terraces.
The acquisitions would include the purchase of two single-family homes and 9.3 acres of farmland.
The construction plans would impact 0.13 acres of permanent wetlands in six locations.
What about the noise, speed and other impacts that concern nearby residents?
Nearby residents have been concerned about the noise, speed and disruptions to the quality of life and rustic nature of the Old Plank Road neighborhood.
The study includes several indications of how the road and bridge designs would attempt to address neighbors’ concerns, but often residents still are concerned with the proposed option. Here’s a few, key examples:
Noise: A noise study found the new levels of noise anticipated from the completed road and bridge would impact about 20 nearby residences. Studies of three possible noise barriers to offset the impacts found none of them were reasonable or feasible by state standards, specifically that the cost of barriers be less than $50,000 per location that benefits from them. Residents said engineering consultants need to get creative and try to find cost-effective solutions to address increased noise.
Old Plank Road pedestrian path: The new road and bridge will include a sidewalk beneath the eastern end of the bridge to connect the two sides of Old Plank Road to preserve pedestrian access. Residents would like to see the final design improve safety and hew a little closer to the new road to reduce the amount of land the project needs to buy.
Right turns only at Old Plank Road: The new road’s intersection with Old Plank Road would be limited to right-in, right-out turns by a concrete median down the center of the new road. The limited intersection was chosen because it’s safer and because Old Plank Road residents expressed concerns about left turns being problematic. Some residents at the July 9 hearing urged the county to just close off access to Old Plank Road to spare the residents from cut-through traffic.
Speed limit: Residents remain concerned by the new road and bridge’s 40 mph speed limit, but the county said the road will be a principal arterial road, so a 40 mph limit is warranted.
Why build the new South Bridge? Traffic volumes in De Pere, on State 172 and saving motorists time
Part of the case for the new South Bridge Connector route and the actual new bridge over the Fox River is that it will save motorists time and alleviate traffic jams on the two existing bridges in southern Brown County, the Claude Allouez bridge in downtown De Pere and the State 172 bridge.
Both bridges have seen annual average daily traffic volumes increase significantly from 1998 to 2023, according to the county’s environmental report. Daily traffic on the State 172 bridge has increased 46% to 89,300 vehicles in 2023 while traffic on the Claude Allouez bridge increased 27.6% to 33,700 vehicles in 2023.
The new South Bridge is expected to see about 25,000 vehicle trips per day shortly after the full, 6-mile route is completed, tentatively by 2030. The new route will also save time, too.
The environmental report estimates the new South Bridge could save Green Bay area motorists 1,800 hours of travel time per day, roughly a 3.5% savings.
Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: New Fox River bridge plans take shape, but residents still concerned about speed, noise
Reporting by Jeff Bollier, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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