Lake Park’s Ravine Road bridge in Milwaukee reopens

The Ravine Road Bridge in Milwaukee’s Lake Park has reopened, closed since 2016 after cracks in the surface were discovered along with soil erosion around its supports, leading to a multimillion-dollar restoration project.

MILWAUKEE - Lake Park Friends celebrated the reopening of the Ravine Road Bridge in Milwaukee’s Lake Park Tuesday, Nov. 15.

"People have been walking across it since the last weekend in October. The first time I went over it that weekend, it was early in the morning, and everybody was going, ‘The bridge is open! The bridge is open!'" said Anne Hamilton, a member of Lake Park Friends.

The century-old structure was closed in 2016 because of cracks in the surface and soil erosion around its supports. Lake Park Friends worked with Milwaukee County and historic preservation groups to ensure the restoration of the bridge. The entire project was projected to cost about $4.4 million, including $2 million in federal funds.

"There was evidence the bridge itself was unsafe. It was cracking," said Hamilton.

For years, construction crews, fencing and scaffolding surrounded the bridge.

Hamilton's group, Lake Park Friends, promoted the preservation and enjoyment of Lake Park and helped raise funds for the restoration and enhancement of the park.

"There's the excitement that it's easier to get across the park now," said Hamilton. "We raised a significant amount of money, and the county did, as well."

The original arched concrete footbridge was one of the key elements – along with the Grand Staircase and Pavilion – envisioned by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted when he designed Lake Park in the late 1800s.

"It takes time and a lot of parties coming together to keep our parks beautiful and ecologically sound over time," said Hamilton.

Ravine Road Bridge in Milwaukee’s Lake Park (SKYFOX)

The bridge, which opened in 1905, was designed by renowned Wisconsin architect Alfred C. Clas, whose firm designed numerous landmarks, including Milwaukee’s Central Library, the State Historical Society headquarters building in Madison and the Frederick Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee.

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Ravine Road Bridge in Milwaukee’s Lake Park (SKYFOX)

Lake Park on Milwaukee’s East Side is the only Milwaukee County Park listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The footbridge spans the park’s largest ravine and connects its north and south sections. It serves thousands of walkers, runners and bicyclists annually.

Ravine Road below the bridge remains closed.