by Kevin Zimmermann
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) – You or your kids might’ve played on the span, and it’s been the picturesque setting for wedding and graduation photos. But the days of the Pigeon River bridge in Sheboygan’s Evergreen Park are numbered, destined to be replaced by a new span this coming Spring.
Even though sentiment abounds, the existing bridge must be removed. City Planning Director Chad Pelishek said the current bridge isn’t unsafe, but it is old and in need of repair, doesn’t meet ADA standards, and erosion is undermining its foundation.
Funding for the project is from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment from the Sheboygan River Cleanup Project, and as a result must be used to improve access within the Sheboygan River watershed. As a result, the new bridge will be designed with “bump-outs” that allow people to stand off the main path for fishing.
Designs by the City for location and approaches are still underway. Once those are complete the construction of the pre-fabricated bridge will take a few months before delivery. Although a pre-fab, images of similar bridges show something not unlike the current bridge…a wooden construction with arched supports and deck.
Once delivered, construction will begin downstream of the current bridge, which will remain in place until the new one is finished sometime this coming Spring.
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