Main Street Bridge (Racine, Wisconsin): Difference between revisions
→Second bascule bridge (1996–present)
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{{Infobox bridge
| image =File:Main Street Bridge in Racine, Wisconsin, in 2007.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| carries = [[Main Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|Main Street]]
| crosses = [[Root River (Wisconsin)|Root River]]
| locale = [[Racine, Wisconsin]]
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===First bascule bridge (1928–96)===
[[File:Main Street Bridge, Racine, WI, 1937.png|thumb|right|A 1937 aerial image of the bridge, showing the diagonal jog the street made at the bridge's north end.<ref>[https://maps.sco.wisc.edu/WHAIFinder/ Wisconsin Historic Aerial Image Finder], University of Wisconsin-Madison</ref>]]
In the summer of 1926, the city of Racine proposed replacing the existing swing bridge with a bascule bridge. [[Edward Gillen Construction Company]], the Milwaukee contractor which had built the existing bridge twenty years prior, was the lowest bidder, but the bids were later thrown out because city officials believed the bridge could be built more cheaply after the price of structural iron fell.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54091434/the-journal-times/ "Main St. Bridge May Be Replaced"], [[Racine Journal-News]], January 4, 1927, front page.</ref> The following year, in March 1927, the city held a new round of bidding, and Gillen was again the lowest bidder, offering to build a bascule bridge in 365 days for $305,227.<ref name=spanovertime-1996/><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54051941/the-journal-times/ "Gillen Company's Bid is Lowest on the Main Street Bridge"], [[Racine Journal-News]], March 3, 1927, front page.</ref> The bid was accepted and the bridge was closed for demolition on April 7.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54091726/the-journal-times/ "Main Street Bridge Closes Thursday"], [[Racine Journal-News]], April 6, 1927, front page.</ref> City officials were unable to build a temporary pontoon bridge replacement as they had in 1906, because federal regulations no longer allowed river navigation to be obstructed in this way, and all traffic was required to detour through the [[State Street Bridge (Racine, Wisconsin)|State Street Bridge]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54052063/the-journal-times/ "Work Will Start on Main Street Bridge Next Wednesday"], [[Racine Journal-News]], March 26, 1927, front page.</ref>
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By 1989, however, the state of Wisconsin had placed building a new Main Street bridge on its construction schedule for 1995. The [[Gaslight Pointe (Racine, Wisconsin)|Gaslight Pointe]] and [[One Main (Racine, Wisconsin)|One Main]] developments near the south end of the bridge, which were being planned in 1989, were dependent on a new bridge being built, and locals pushed the state to move the construction up to 1992 or 1993.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54109194/the-journal-times/ "Opinion: Earlier is better"], [[Racine Journal Times]], January 22, 1989, page 1B.</ref> In December 1990, after a push to list the building at [[134 Main Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|134 Main Street]] on the {{w|National Register of Historic Places}}, the city reconsidered its plans to demolish the building while rerouting the bridge.<ref>Burke, Michael. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54109241/the-journal-times/ "Building blocks main bridge plan"], [[Racine Journal Times]], December 13, 1990, front page and page [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54109530/the-journal-times/ 2A].</ref>
In preparation for the construction of a new bridge, [[2 Main Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|2 Main Street]] was demolished in August 1994 and [[112 Main Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|112 Main Street]] followed in 1995. The building at [[100 Main Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|100 Main Street]] was repurposed as
A 50-year-old Racine man died on October 8, 2003 when he attempted to walk across the bridge as it was being raised. He did not attempt to save himself from falling, according to witnesses, and his family said he suffered from mental illness.<ref>Wilford, Jeff. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/man-who-fell-from-bridge-didnt-try-to-save-himself/article_d53f9355-6e96-5158-87f7-4026d2e74ba8.html "Man who fell from bridge didn't try to save himself"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 10, 2003.</ref> The bridge closed for repairs and repainting on November 30, 2012,<ref>Spoto, Cara. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/main-street-bridge-to-close-for-four-months/article_6deaca46-38d4-11e2-a311-001a4bcf887a.html "Main Street bridge to close for four months"], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 27, 2012.</ref> and reopened on March 15, 2013, although two brief closures in April and May of that year were required to complete the work.<ref>Spoto, Cara. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/main-street-bridge-to-close-again/article_c75085fe-c7d5-11e2-9ce8-001a4bcf887a.html"Main Street bridge to close again"], [[Racine Journal Times]], May 28, 2013.</ref>
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