Behold: The Lake Street Bridge

Built as it is around two rivers and several other bodies of water, Eau Claire has been called a “city of bridges.” This year may be remembered as the one in which we realized how much we depend on those bridges: Three of them – on Lake Street, Madison Street, and Water Street – will undergo repair (or, in the latter case, replacement) in 2015. First up is the Lake Street bridge – or, if you prefer, Veterans Memorial Bridge – which spans the Chippewa River, connecting downtown with the courthouse and Water Street neighborhoods. A $662,000 reconstruction project by Haas Sons began on May 4. According to a city press release, the work “consists of the replacement of utilities, new curb and gutter, sidewalk repair, driveway approaches, bituminous pavement, signal replacement at the intersection of Lake Street and First Avenue, and boulevard restoration.” The work is slated to be finished by July 2. Detours will route traffic over the Water Street bridge, which itself will demolished and replaced beginning this fall in a yearlong, $8 million project. (Again, get ready for extensive detours as the nearly 70-year-old span is replaced.) Finally, the Eau Claire City Council recently approved a $547,000 bid from Lunda Construction of Black River Falls to repair the Madison Street bridge over the Chippewa River. That work will include replacing concrete approaches to the bridge, as well as sidewalks, curb and gutter, grading, and other work. That project will begin later this year is expected to wrap up by Nov. 1. Bottom line: When you’re getting around town this year, expect your trip to take a couple of extra minutes.