DE PERE, Wis. (WIS) – Community members have some concerns about a plan to build a bridge across the Fox River in De Pere as part of the South Bridge Connector project.
The public had the opportunity to discuss their concerns with project officials at a public hearing held at a De Pere school on Wednesday evening. The project would connect County Highway D (Lost Dauphin Road) and State Highway 57 via a bridge over the Fox River.
Those who live near the project had wide-ranging questions and concerns.
“I don’t believe that noise impact has been measured,” said Ann Patteson of De Pere.
“Find the money and do the design with the right aesthetics for a bridge that goes across a very pristine part of the Fox River,” said Ed Thompson.
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Safety was the biggest concern among people who live near the project. More than half of the people who spoke in the public comment portion of the meeting said the proposed 40 mph speed limit for the corridor is dangerous.
Community members pointed out that there are neighborhoods with families and children in this area and that many of the streets don’t have sidewalks. Brown County highway commissioner Chris Hardy said that the project meets all state-mandated safety standards for a class four highway.
“When you look at that higher-level project, I don’t think their intention was for a 25 mph corridor,” Hardy said. “Their intention was for a higher-level corridor that can handle the volume of traffic as the community grows.”
Relieving congestion at other bridges that cross the Fox River in the area (most notably the one in downtown De Pere) is one of the main goals of the project.
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The bridge portion of the project costs about $56 million. Hardy said that they will send out bids for the project at the end of 2027, and construction will begin in early 2028.
This project is part of the larger South Bridge Connector project that will link I-41 to I-43 via that bridge over the Fox River in De Pere.
“Try to be patient, we designed the project with the best intent to get it done as quickly as we can with as minimal impact as possible,” Hardy said when asked for his message to those living near the project construction.
