The Way I See It!

The Other side of Hoan Bridge - MMAC's Side

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Aug. 22, 2009

Milwaukee County, Development

From: Steve Baas

Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 8:58 AM

Subject: Hoan Bridge

Having just spent 15 minutes making a new friend who had read the article in the MJS on our letter to Doyle requesting a study of Hoan Bridge options and was hot because he interpreted it as us calling for the bridge to be torn down, I thought I’d give you the facts behind the story (since this will likely not be the last call we get on this issue).

In June, we had a meeting with transportation planners to go over Hoan Bridge options.  Long and short is that the bridge will have to either be completely re-habbed or replaced within the next 5 years.  Our position is, rather than have this decision driven at the last minute by somebody’s political gut feelings we ought to get all the facts on the table so the issue can be decided on the basis of actual costs, economic and community impacts.

We want all options on the table.  We want them all thoroughly studied.  And we want the ultimate decision on this matter to be driven by facts not politics.  We have no bias for one plan against another.

Our actual letter to the governor is attached for your information.  This letter is a public document so you may share it with folks if you’d like.

Thanks,

Steve

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June 24, 2009

The Honorable James E. Doyle

Governor

115 East State Capitol

Madison, WI   53707

Dear Governor Doyle:

We are writing to request your support for an in-depth study of possible alternatives for the repair and replacement options for the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee.

As you are aware, the lifespan of the current bridge is nearing its end.  Decisions regarding the bridge and the I-794 corridor it facilitates will need to be made soon to ensure that planning and work on repair or replacement of the bridge can be made before we reach a critical stage in terms of the safety of the bridge span.  The decision made on this matter will have significant impacts for Milwaukee and the state in terms of both cost and economic impact.  For that reason, the MMAC supports an in-depth study of all the various options for the future of this corridor, including replacement of the bridge as is, replacement in a different form, or relocation of this transportation corridor to an entirely different footprint.  We believe that a detailed analysis of all these various options, their costs and their benefits, and the views of the impacted communities will be critical to ensuring that the best decision is ultimately made for our economy and our taxpayers.

The time is short to make a decision.  We therefore urge that study of this matter be started as soon as possible. 

Thank you for your attention to this critical infrastructure issue.

Sincerely,

Timothy R. Sheehy

President

MMAC