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< PORTFOLIO OF PICS
North Second Street Bridge
“The Cow Bridge”
1910
postcard of bridge replaced in 1950
WHS_PC_162
1862
10 16 SUIT
AGAINST CITY FOR LOSS OF SON WHO FELL THROUGH BRIDGE AND DROWNED
The Common Council held a special meeting,
pursuant to the call of the Mayor, on October 8th, 1862.
The Mayor stated that the purpose for calling
this special meeting was to advise with the council in regard to a suit brought
against the city by C. Achtenhagen for the loss of his son who fell through the
Second Street bridge and drowned, claiming damages to the amount of $2,000.
On motion of Ald. Fischer, the Mayor was
directed to employ legal assistance to defend the suit.
The Mayor introduced the following resolution
which was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That the Committee on Streets and
Bridges be and they are hereby directed to immediately examine
the several bridges of the city across Rock River, and if in their opinion
any of them are unsafe for travel they are directed to fence up the approaches
to the same in a substantial manner and also remove one tier of stringers on
each bridge in order to prevent foot travel.
Provided that any bridge which, in their opinion, can be made safe for
twenty-five dollars, they shall order the same repaired. WD
1863
01 29 PETITION
FOR SECOND STREET BRIDGE
Common Council Proceedings: Ald. Schatz introduced the petition of 183
inhabitants, praying that the City may expend towards erecting a bridge at the
foot of Second Street, the sum of $500.00, provided the parties living there
will finish the bridge.
RESOLVED, that the Committee of Highways and
Bridges is hereby authorized to expend the sum of five hundred dollars towards
erecting a Pile Bridge at the foot
of Second Street, in the Sixth Ward, provided that the citizens interested in
said bridge will finish the same, and before any sum shall be expended by said
Committee, execute a bond to the City, to be approved by the Mayor, conditioned
that if the City expends the sum of five hundred dollars on said bridge, they
will bind themselves to finish said bridge in a good and substantial manner,
and resolved further that orders be drawn on the City General Fund, in favor of
Committee of Highways and Bridges, for the sum of $500, when such bond shall
have been executed, approved and delivered to the Mayor. WD
01 28 By Ald. Beckman: Resolved, That the sum of __?__ hundred
dollars be and the same is hereby appropriated out the city general fund, for
and towards the building of the Second Street bridge across Rock River, and the
Clerk is hereby directed to issue an order for the above amount at any time
when the said bridge, being a one track bridge of fourteen feet wide (including
one sidewalk of the width of four feet) is completed in a workman-like
manner. On motion of Ald. Dennis, laid
over to the next meeting.
By Ald. Dennis:
Resolved, That the Alderman of the 6th Ward procure plans and
specifications for Second Street bridge.
WD
02 12 To Contractors – Notice is hereby given
that proposals will be received by the undersigned, Chairman of the Committee
on Streets and Bridges, until Monday, the 22nd of February, 1864, for building
Second Street bridge, County Line bridge, Smith’s bridge at east end of Main
Street, and for a bridge between [on] Waldron Street, in the 7th ward,
according to plans and specifications in my office.
Said bridges to be
finished within four months from the letting of the contract.
Michael McHugh, Chairman of the Committee on
Streets and Bridges.
03 31 Drowned – Last Tuesday forenoon, while
working on the Second Street bridge, Mr. Henry Elling fell into the river and
was drowned before he could be rescued.
His body was afterwards recovered.
He resided in the 6th ward, was about 40 years of age, and leaves a wife
and child to mourn his sudden loss. WD
04 14 By Alderman McHugh, estimate of work done
by W. Steffen on Second Street bridge contract, amounting to $550, accompanied
by the following resolution: Resolved,
That orders be issued on the city general fund in favor of W. Steffen, for four
hundred dollars, payable January 1st, 1865.
WD
1867
07 19 SECOND STREET BRIDGE BLOWN DOWN
On Tuesday of last week, during the heavy
storm of wind and rain in the afternoon, one end of the Second street bridge
across Rock river, better known by the popular name of “cow bridge,” was blown
down, and fell with a great splash into the water.
This bridge was condemned some time ago, and
lately had only been used for foot passengers.
Very fortunately no one was on the bridge at the time it fell. This bridge was comparatively new, and most
of the timbers in it were sound and good.
It was not constructed, however, so as to resist the action of the ice
in the river, and last winter it was twisted out of all shape and nearly
ruined.
Its loss will be felt by those living north
of the city on that road, who will now be obliged to cross at the Laberee
bridge (same as Fourth St. bridge), which, in fact, has been the case with
those having teams for several months. The Watertown Republican, 07 19 1867
1887
02 16 TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF STREET
COMMISSIONERS
Gentlemen: Your
committee on streets and bridges, having since the last meeting of this board,
on its own motion, taken under further consideration the building of Second
Street bridge, and having been to Milwaukee to confer with certain bridge
builders regarding the same, have requested Mr. Keepers, of the Milwaukee
Bridge and Iron works, to make an estimate of the cost of said bridge, and lay
a formal proposal for building the same before this board for its consideration
and action, accompanying the proposal with plans and specifications.
U.
Habhegger, D. H. Beuehaus, Committee on Streets and Bridges.
The report was
accepted. Mr. Keepers, of the Milwaukee
Bridge and Ironworks, being present, laid before the board a sealed proposal
and plans for building Second Street bridge, according to said plans and
specifications, for the sum of $5,947.
Mr. Keepers’ bid was accepted and the city clerk directed to enter into a
contract with him, provided the Milwaukee Bridge and Iron works give a bond of
indemnity to the city and guarantee the durability of the said bridge for the
space of ten years..
c.1900
c.1910
1939
11 20 NO NEW BRIDGE AT THIS TIME
Watertown will get no new bridge in
North Second Street for the present, unless the span
is built by the city. The city has been notified
that the application for a grant for the bridge, the resolution for which was
sponsored by Alderman Louis Scholl, Second Ward, has been cancelled. There also
was an application for a new span over Rock River at Silver Creek. That, too,
is cancelled.
The Second Street bridge, also known as
the “Cow Bridge,” is one of the oldest in the city and in bad condition. It has long been posted against heavy traffic
and because it is quite narrow it is not considered a fit structure for modern
traffic.
There used to be an old legend about
that bridge which had folks a generation or two ago feeling quite eerie at
night. According to the story, a ghostly
figure would cross the bridge each night along about midnight. There were folks years ago who were ready to
take an oath that they had seen the apparition.
The story was quite widespread and many believed it and wouldn't venture
near the bridge around midnight.
1949
05 24 REPLACING THE 1887 BRIDGE PLANNED
The 62-year old bridge had been posted
against loads of more than three tons for some time. Property owners north of the bridge protested
that posted structure necessitates that fire trucks must therefore cross the North
Fourth Street bridge, delaying response time.
1950
--
-- NEW SECOND STREET BRIDGE
The Second Street Bridge was scheduled for replacement in 1950 when the
council decided that the $112,962 bid for a new bridge was acceptable.
The
new bridge was built of steel girders and concrete and had a sidewalk on both
sides. The old bridge has a walk only on
the west side.
The
need for a new bridge at North Second Street has been repeatedly cited by
residents of the area who had several times petitioned for one. The old structure has been posted against
heavy loads for some years and the city's fire trucks could no longer travel
over it because of the heavy load. As a
result, residents of the area north of the bridge did not have the fire protection
they feel they are entitled to, since fire trucks had to travel either over the
Silver Creek bridge or the North Fourth Street bridge to reach points north of
the bridge area.
03
07 PRELIMINARY WORK ON NEW BRIDGE
Preliminary work on the construction of the new North Second Street
Bridge has begun, it was announced today at the office of City Manager Dean Van
Ness. The lowest bidder for the work was
William E. Brinkman, Elmhurst, Ill., who has been awarded the contract. His bid was $112,962. It was accepted at the Feb. 21 meeting of the
council. Machinery and equipment for the
construction of the bridge has been moved here and work will be underway from
now on. The bridge is still open to
traffic, but it will be blocked as soon as required to get the new span
underway. WDT
05
06 NEW BRIDGE ON SCHEDULE
05
06 NEW BRIDGE OPENED
10
18 WILL NOT RAISE RAILINGS
TO PREVENT SOMEONE TOPPLING
INTO THE ROCK RIVER
No action is contemplated by the city of Watertown in the matter of a
higher railing for the new North Second Street bridge as was recommended by the
jury which sat in the inquest into the recent death by accidental drowning of
Edward P. Strahota, 60, while fishing from the bridge.
This was indicated last night when the jury’s recommendation reached the
council. The councilmen received and
filed the report after getting word from the city engineer, Vaso Bjelajac, that
the bridge railing more than meets state requirements. The railing is three inches higher than state
specifications require for a bridge of that type, it was asserted. The engineer also quoted bridge factors, such
as sidewalk widths, etc., which determine the state’s requirements for the height
of the railings.
After hearing the report, the council took no further action.
The jury which made the recommendation after finding Strahota’s death
was an accident consisted of William A. Bast, Louis H. Doubleday, Edgar
Kellerman, Joseph Checkai, Fred Klecker and Carl E. West. The report was also signed by the coroner,
Robert Edwards of Beaver Dam.
One official who had interested himself in the matter was quoted as
saying that the city could build bridge railings six feet high or higher and a
fisherman, climbing to the top and sitting on it to fish from there, could
still topple into the water and drown if he were seized by a heart attack, a
dizzy spell or lost his balance.
All bridge railings in the city more than meet necessary safety
requirements. Anyone who climbs on or
over the railings is doing so at his own risk.
2001
Rock River Sea Monster, story of,
seen from Second Street bridge.
2013
11 13 SECOND
STREET BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT
City
hopes to start receiving bids for the construction on the bridge some time in
2015, with construction starting that year and being completed in 2016. The bridge replacement is estimated to cost
$3.1 million with the city paying roughly $680,000.
2016
11 05 STRUCTURAL
CONCERNS CLOSE BRIDGE
The
North Second Street bridge was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic after
a small portion of deck collapsed. City
officials said efforts will be made to ensure accessibility to area residents
and businesses affected by this bridge closure.
The bridge was last reconstructed in 1950.
2017
BEGINNING FALL 2017, N. SECOND STREET BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
The
City of Watertown is proposing improvements to the N. Second Street bridge over
the Rock River. This project is set to
begin in fall of 2017, is included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement
Program (STIP) 2016-2019 and will have partial funding by the Wisconsin DOT's
Local Bridge Program 205.
The
proposed improvements will begin on N. 2nd Street approximately 0.06 miles
north of the N. 2nd Street Bridge. It
will extend south from the river crossing approximately 0.04 miles and will
include one local street intersection and several residential driveway
connections. Although the existing bridge was built in 1950, it
is not considered a historic structure and is therefore ineligible for the
National Register.
The
reasons for the N. Second Street bridge replacement are numerous. The City of Watertown elected to post the
bridge with a weight limit of 20 tons on 11/19/15 due to the deteriorating
condition. The four piers on the current
structure are obstacles for debris, produce maintenance issues for the City of
Watertown, and are a safety concern for recreational users. The existing vertical profile of the bridge
limits navigability by providing limited (less than 4-feet) clearance between
the bridge and the water surface. This
creates an impediment for recreational users of the Rock River and forces
boaters to duck and ensure canopies and other boat accessories are down before
passing under the structure in order to clear the crossing. On the drivable surface of the bridge, the
clear roadway width on the existing structure only accommodates 12-ft travel
lanes and less than 6-ft of sidewalk width outside of the curb. These narrow
widths create a restricted feeling for users making this an undesirable route
for pedestrians and bicyclists. The existing pavement condition of the roadway
and sidewalk is also deteriorating which makes the surface unsafe.
The
improvements for the replacement of the N. 2nd Street bridge will include: A 3-span pre-stressed concrete girder bridge
which reduces number of piers in the Rock River (minimizing maintenance and
debris collection); a roadway which will include 12-ft travel lanes, 6-ft bike
lanes and 8-ft sidewalks outside of the curb; increased navigable clearance
under the structure for boat traffic; a shorter structure length eliminating
the need for expansion joints which will reduce long term maintenance; improved
sight distance for adjacent driveways; and street lighting as aesthetic
enhancements.
N. 2nd
Street will be closed for the duration of the project. Demolition of the existing structure is
anticipated to begin fall 2017.
Replacement of the crossing will begin in spring 2018 and completion is
set for summer 2018. A detour route will
be posted for the duration of construction and will include Cady Street, Church
Street, and Spaulding Street. The total
estimated cost of the proposed action is approximately $3,100,000 and a total
project length of 0.15 miles.
02 23 CITY
CLOSES BRIDGE DUE TO SAFETY CONCERN
North
Second Street bridge was closed the week of February 26 due to structural
concerns. Concrete is falling off and
there are additional issues. The bridge
was originally scheduled for closure late this summer for water main and
sanitary work, shortly before its full reconstruction in fall. The bridge will remain closed until
construction is completed in July of 2018.
Until then citizens will have to choose a different route.
2018
01 19 BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
03 29 BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
08 08 NEW BRIDGE OPENED
< PORTFOLIO
OF PICS
Cross Reference:
“For a
while in the latter half of the nineteenth century there was a belief that a
specter haunted the center of the North Second Street bridge, known in
Watertown as ‘the Cow Bridge.’ And people
in the area were filled with fear at the prospect of having to travel across
the bridge at night. Though the specter
hasn’t been seen in years, there are those living in Watertown today who claim
that one of the houses located on the south end of the bridge is haunted. It is said that strange lights have been seen
coming from its windows.” – Wicked Watertown (WI): History You
Weren't Supposed to Know, W.F. Jannke III (Author)
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin