Trust me, you won’t often find me agreeing with Assembly Republican leaders like Greendale’s Jeff Stone. But, when it comes to the Hoan Bridge debate, I am with him 100 percent.
Said Stone, a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee, at a luncheon panel discussion on the Hoan I attended last week at the Milwaukee Press Club: “I don’t think we can make an intelligent decision without a full study on this.”
I agree. Simply, this debate lacks information. It lacks facts. And without them, I am not ready to make up my mind on the future of the Hoan Bridge. Not yet.
And that’s why I have not put my name on the Save the Hoan Coalition. While I respect political leaders like Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Pat Jursik for their efforts on this issue, I am simply not comfortable adding my name to the list.
I need to see options, and that means a real, detailed study by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission or some other agency. No such study now exists, which means the super-charged rhetoric around this issue is just that: words. Loud, often angry words. Words only sometimes based on facts.
Now, let me set three things very straight.
- I value a fast, seamless connection between the South Shore and downtown … like the one we have now. I take the Hoan Bridge twice a day every workday, and I can’t imagine getting to my job at MillerCoors without it. Whatever happens with the Hoan Bridge, that connection must be preserved. There can not be any compromise there, and I would not support any plan that does so.
- I also appreciate the Hoan Bridge itself – the iconic, arched span over the Milwaukee harbor that provides some of the best views of our city and lakefront as you drive north toward downtown. I would hate to see it go.
- And I agree with the Coalition that the way that the DOT has handled this issue so far is a major concern. While I am hesitant to use words like “clandestine,” as the Coalition has, the DOT dropped the ball in not involving South Shore leaders and residents in discussing this important issue from the start. That has bred distrust, and rightfully so. Whatever happens to the Hoan going forward, South Shore residents must be part of the solution. There is no compromise there either.
With that said, I wonder if we can do better by the Hoan Bridge. And that is where a study comes in, for if we are going to look at any alternatives to what we currently have, now is the time to do it, before we spend millions to simply redeck the bridge.
Here are just some of the questions I want answered before I make up my mind on this issue:
- What will redecking truly cost?
- Are there other options that would keep the fast connection between the South Shore and downtown while offering more development options near the harbor?
- Could the Lake Parkway – a roadway I love – be extended another mile or so to bring the roadway down to street level and open up more areas for development?
- Just what kind of development – and how much development – could realistically occur under and near the current or new-look Hoan Bridge?
- Is there any way a lift bridge could work? (I have serious doubts about this.)
All of these and many more answers can only be provided in a detailed investigation that looks at all options. The often-discussed and cited HNTB document is far from that. It is merely a sketchbook, someone putting pen to paper and seeing “what if.”
That is simply not enough to make a decision on this issue. I need to see more than pretty pictures to make up my mind. In that way, I agree with Rep. Stone, the Metropolitan Association of Commerce and others on this: Let’s do this right.
I realize my stance is probably not the best for me politically, and I am OK with that. I feel I was elected to make sound decisions on key issues based on good, strong, fact-based information. And I need more information here.
I will keep an open mind until then. I owe that much to my constituents.
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