I didn't expect this to be the first point I made to draw so much conversation, but my oh my do Oshkoshians have opinions on the Jackson St. bridge. Over the weekend a citizen encouraged me to rewatch this particular common council meeting from June 14th of last year. The section of this broadcast relevant to the bridge runs primarily from 1:25:00 through 2:00:00. If you can make it through some obvious petty bickering to the point when Councilman Ford begins to talk, then you'll be in for a treat. You could watch more Council meetings pre- and post- this one, but save yourself the time and just soak in his assessment of the situation.
The decision has been made, broad strokes of course, to move forward with a flyover bridge on Jackson St. After sleeping on some of Councilman Ford's points, and mulling over other conversations I've had, I no longer think it's a fight worth making to fight a fixed bridge. I still want to work in whatever way I can to preserve appropriate access to Beckets and the other businesses at City Centre that use the main lot or the ramp off Jackson St. Where design is concerned, nothing is final until the concrete is poured.
If I am to accept that a flyover is happening, then the next logical stance to take is one of beautification. If the DOT is to cover the main costs of this bridge, then it's up to Oshkosh to advocate for interesting architectural features: creative rails that provide pedestrian safety while still looking unique; decorative facades on both sides of the bridge; under-bridge lighting akin to what currently exists; etc. SOME MONEY at least has to be spent to prevent this bridge from being beige, blah, and boring.
This bridge will be an issue for the better part of this decade. All of our opinions will grow as each stage of development commences. Speak up for allocating money for beautification now - we'll need more of it in the budget. It's too late to change direction where a fixed bridge is concerned, but the time is right to start working on appropriate aesthetics, and ensuring access to our businesses who have contributed so much to the development of our riverwalk and the renewed success of downtown.
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