Baraboo is looking to add some San Francisco Bay flavor on a new park area path.
The city unanimously approved a measure to apply for a Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) grant that will help fund the cost of a new Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant path from Oak to Water Streets. This path is part of a larger city project discussed last August with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents the area.
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Engineering staff in the city came up with a plan reminiscent of a famous section of Lombard Street in San Francisco. The national landmark features a winding road with hairpin turns, which is what the path will somewhat emulate. Following a presentation by city Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department director Mike Hardy at the city council’s March 14 meeting, the council unanimously approved the grant application.
“We determined that the entire 420-foot long path could fit within the Oak Street right-of-way by incorporating a series of switchbacks along a curvilinear alignment,” said city engineer Tom Pinion in an email. “We had no intention of emulating Lombard Street but the design happened to remind me of the crooked block of Lombard Street in San Francisco.”
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Pinion and Bradley both said that connecting the Riverwalk with the downtown area has been a longstanding vision for the city. The initial plan was to design a path incorporating the former High Bridge abutment over the Baraboo River as a scenic overlook. However, a consulting engineering firm determined the bridge’s condition as structurally unsafe.
In January, the city secured $500,000 worth of federal funding and began outlining the plans for the project, which is designed to connect the city’s Riverwalk with the downtown area. City administrator Casey Bradley said that after the old bridge abutment, which connected Oak and Water Streets, was deemed unsafe and required immediate removal, the initial plan was to replace the bridge.
“It’s hard to be patient with things that are as exciting as this, but it’s going to have a huge impact in this area,” Hardy said.
The cost of replacing the bridge, at roughly $3.5 million, was “clearly out of our price range,” according to Bradley. Because of the prohibitive cost of bridge replacement, Pinion and fellow city engineer Adair Ebright explored alternative plans and came up with the winding pathway. Bradley added that the city’s Parks and Recreation board was impressed with the concept.
“Since the abutment was scheduled to be removed, there was no longer a need to limit the length of the path above the abutment,” said Pinion in his email.
Hardy added that a 2021 survey by the department showed that 89% of respondents wanted a path connecting the city’s Riverwalk to downtown completed within the next five years. It was subsequently added to and listed as a priority on the city’s Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan for 2022-25 by the city’s Parks Commission.
“The Commission was concerned of the estimated overlook cost released following the study and was very happy to see the solution that Tom and Adair had suggested and are eager to see this plan completed in the near future,” said Hardy in an email.
During his presentation at the council meeting, Hardy said that his department is also looking at landscaping along the proposed winding path, as well as benches. He said that the goal is to finish the project with the federal funding from January, along with the grant and donations, and that no community tax dollars are spent.
