Closed over a decade due to safety concerns
By Robert Cloud
A closed foot bridge in downtown Waupaca may reopen if the city obtains a state grant to help pay for the project.
Crossing the Waupaca River between Rotary Riverview Park on Cooper Street to Schwenn-Lions (Hidden) Par
k on North Division Street, the pedestrian bridge has been closed since 2012 due to safety concerns.
Greg Grohman, the city’s grant writer, asked the city council at its Oct. 17 meeting to approve application for a Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the state Department of Transportation.
The grant would cover 80% of the project’s $950,000 total cost, Grohman said.
The city has allocated $390,000 for the project in its capital improvement budget
for 2023-27.
“Applying to the program does not at all obligate us to accept the award,” Grohman said, noting that the city would have an opportunity to re-evaluate the project if the state awarded the TIP grant.
The city would have until June 2028 to complete the project.
Mayor Brian smith said the bridge project made a lot of sense, but only if the city received a grant to help pay for it.