According to an update from the City of Watertown, Downtown Watertown soon will soon see temporary public artwork to brighten up the on-hold reconstruction of the historic Cole Bridge. This spring, inspectors discovered that part of the walkway on the north side of the bridge was unsafe, and promptly barricaded the area and provided a safe route for pedestrians. Alderperson Dana Davis, District 1, is spearheading a beautification project to paint the concrete barriers in cooperation with some charitable local artists. The artwork will remain in place until 2025 when the State of Wisconsin is slated to reconstruct the bridge. This beautification will happen in two phases with minimal – but some – interruption to downtown traffic.
The westbound lane will be diverted on West Main Street between 1st and Water Streets on Wednesday, September 15 to paint the barriers with primer. This will create a canvas for the artists. Both lanes will be open, and flaggers will direct traffic during this phase. There will be no parking on the south side of Main Street to accommodate two lanes of traffic. This phase will begin approximately at 1 p.m. and is planned to be completed by approximately 3 p.m.
Phase 2 happens on Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 8 a.m. to noon. A short-term street detour is planned to provide safety to the artists. The detour will divert eastbound traffic south down Church Street to Milwaukee Street, east down Milwaukee Street to 1st Street, north up 1st Street to Main Street where the detour will end. Westbound traffic will start at 1st Street, continue south down 1st Street to Milwaukee Street, west down Milwaukee Street to Church Street, north up Church Street to Main Street where the detour will end.
Rain dates are planned for September 16 (Phase 1) and September 24 (Phase 2).
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