George Raab, Lake Park, Milwaukee in Autumn, Oil on canvas, n.d., Gift of the Helen Raab Estate, Museum of Wisconsin Art, 1997-11
• December 2014: Milwaukee County closes Ravine Road (a.k.a. “Snake Road”) following concerns that deterioration of the bridge spanning the road might cause small shards of concrete to fall from above.
• Early 2015: The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors allocates $400,000 in the capital budget to study options to “repair or replace” the Ravine Road Arch Bridge.
• July 2015: GRAEF completes an in-depth inspection report on the bridge for $60,000. GRAEF offers a rehabilitation option with an estimated 15- to 25-year expected life span and several options for replacement bridges. County officials also consider demolition without replacement as a potential low-cost option.
• January 2016: Milwaukee County issues a Request for Proposals (RFP) to “develop three replacement bridge designs and lead a community engagement process.” GRAEF is selected among five bidders; their two-phase bid totals $170,000.
• Spring 2016: Based on GRAEF’s inspection report, Milwaukee County officials reopen the bridge to pedestrian traffic. Ravine Road remains closed.
• April 2016: County officials convene a “Ravine Road Work Group” to review options including wide-ranging replacement bridge concepts. Although no public notices of the committee’s meetings were posted, some attendees learn of meetings through word of mouth.
• September 2016: GRAEF bills the county $99,000 for Phase 1 work, exceeding its original bid of $79,000. The bridge committee recommends demolition and construction of a replica based on the bridge’s original design.
• November-December 2016: GRAEF requests a $50,000 fee increase (from $90,000 to nearly $140,000) to draft construction drawings for a replace-in-kind bridge. The Phase 2 fee-increase request cites “more historic coordination, a public information meeting and additional detail sheets.” (The company’s original bid had, in fact, “assume[d] a replace-in-kind” solution.) County administrators, including County Executive Chris Abele, approve the fee hike. The company’s actual and proposed fees for bridge study and design total $238,000 (up from the firm’s $170,000 accepted bid). Milwaukee County’s Board of Supervisors rejects the company’s Phase-2 contract, citing lack of project funding.
• December 2016: Chris Abele closes the bridge again, citing new interpretations of existing load-capacity ratings. Barricades totaling $7,000 are installed at all access points to the bridge and Ravine Road. Teig Whaley-Smith, head of the county’s administrative services, proposes a “two-step process” to supervisors: tear down the bridge, and then work on replacing it.
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• September 2017: Lake Park Friends initiates and underwrites an independent evaluation of the bridge.
• Spring/Summer 2018: TranSystems Corp. conducts two studies and issues reports.
• August 2018: The remaining balance of the allocation for the bridge’s planning and design phase is $200,000, according to Michelle Nate, the county’s deputy comptroller.
