Temporary artwork will be coming to the historic Cole Bridge in Watertown to brighten up the bridge while its reconstruction is put on hold.
This is being done in partnership with Wepco Painting, Alison Meschke, and some charitable artists in the area. It is all being run by the Main Street Program.
It was discovered by inspectors this past spring that part of the walkway on the north side of the bridge was unsafe. This area was quickly barricaded to provide a safe route for pedestrians. Flyer printing is a way that residents of a town can be notified of such artwork and how they can walk the bridge in a protected fashion.
The Cole Bridge has been recognized as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It is an open-spandrel concrete arch bridge over the Rock River on Main Street in Watertown. It was originally built by the Luten Bridge Co. of York, Pennsylvania and Knoxville, Tennessee in 1931 and dedicated on October 16, 1931. Lee Williams was the engineer and Cunningham Brothers of Beloit, Wisconsin were the contractors.
The artwork will stay in place until 2025. At that time, the state of Wisconsin is planning to rebuild the bridge. There will be two phases to this work, with planned minimal interruption to traffic in the downtown area.
