De Pere’s portion of South Bridge project lower than anticipated

DE PERE – De Pere will pay significantly less than originally expected for its portion of the South Bridge Connector project.

The original price tag of the future bridge across the Fox River had the city shelling out some $50 million of the $180 million project, according to Mayor James Boyd.

After allowing for state and federal funding and grants, De Pere’s portion of the $180 million corridor project amounts to just under $16 million, according to Director of Development Dan Lindstrom.

Much of three of the five legs of the project can be paid with money generated from Tax Incremental Finance District 12, Lindstrom said.

Brown County Highway Commissioner Chris Hardy updated the De Pere Common Council on the project at the council’s most recent meeting, also spotlighting an assortment of finishes and aesthetic elements that could be incorporated into some of the components of the project.

Hardy said the initial numbers were higher a few years ago following an environmental study because of COVID-era inflation, plus the project’s various segments have received monies from a number of sources.

“The numbers have dropped slightly as we refine project design and get more detailed cost estimates,” Hardy said.

Overall, Brown County is receiving $96,756,105 in federal and state grants for the Southern Bridge Connector. In addition, WisDOT is paying for the new IH-41 interchange, Hardy said.

Funds received include:

GV-14 (part of Section 1, the northbound ramps of I-41 to Lawrence Drive): $1.7 million federal design grant and $30 million state construction grant;

GV-15 (part of Section 2, from Lawrence Drive to County D): $3.3 million federal design grant and $50 million state construction grant;

GV-17 (part of Section 4, from Highway 57 to County PP): $6,518,124 state construction urban program grant;

GV-18 (part of Section 5, from County PP to County X): $5,237,981 state construction urban program grant;

“Brown County, City of De Pere, Towns of Ledgeview and Lawrence will cost-share in the remaining project costs that are above this figure as well as real estate acquisition costs and other ancillary items,” Hardy said.

The project includes four bridges, including the bridge over the the Fox River: the Hemlock Creek Bridge in Lawrence, the East River Creek in Ledgeview, and the Fox River Trail Bridge.

Each leg of the project will have its own aesthetic touches that will draw the corridor together, according to Hardy.

“We really want to have something that’s aesthetically pleasing,” Boyd said, adding that the city is willing to pay for an end product that goes beyond a big bridge.

“There were overwhelming comments from the public to not just build a huge plain bridge,” Hardy said. “They wanted to see something that had aesthetics and was more pleasing, especially the people that lived around the bridge … . if we had 200 people, there were probably 140 that wanted to see something above just a plain gray Wisconsin bridge.”

Some members of the De Pere Common Council were caught off guard when they learned the future second De Pere bridge over the Fox River doesn’t have a name.

That’s despite the Common Council having voted on a name unanimously three years ago.

In an update on the bridge last week, Brown County Highway Commissioner Chris Hardy informed the board that the Planning,Transportation, and Development committee of the Brown County Board of Supervisors hadn’t voted in on adopting a name for the bridge.

In the update, Hardy and highway documents referred to the segment over the Fox River as the Fox River Bridge.

In July of 2023, the Common Council voted to name the bridge after De Pere native Arthur J. Altmeyer.

Altmeyer is known as one of the architects of Social Security. He was part of the group that drafted the original legislation in 1934, working on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Committee on Economic Security.

For 16 years, from 1937-1953, Altmeyer served on the Social Security Board, in the positions of commissioner and board chair. He chaired the Social Security Board from 1937-1946 and served as the first commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 1946-1953.

The suggestion for this name initially came from the De Pere Historical Society, according to Ald. Jonathon Hansen.

“It was unfortunate to hear that the Brown County Planning, Development & Transportation Committee decided to take no action on naming the bridge at their last meeting,” Hansen said.

Regarding the future new bridge being referred to as the Fox River Bridge, Hansen pointed out that the current bridge over the Fox River in De Pere has a name: the Claude Allouez Bridge.

“That’s why I think it (the future new bridge) should have a name,” Hansen said.

He said the board plans to continue having conversations with the county on the matter, and he will be discussing it with the next supervisor for Brown County Board District 19, which covers most of the east side of the city, including district 2, which Hansen represents.

It could just be a minor oversight, according to the mayor.

“I am not sure if the (Planning, Development and Transportation subcommittee of the County Board) was aware of the resolution we passed in (2023) to name the bridge or if it even went to the full board,” Boyd said. “We will meet in the next few weeks to decide our next steps...I anticipate the council will want to pursue naming the bridge.”

Boyd told the board it could keep the issue open for discussion in the future.
But Hardy said only the Brown County Board of Supervisors has the power to name bridges.

“Any requests would need to be submitted to the Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee of the County Board,” he said.