Racine West 6th Street over Root River Bridge Replacement

The City of Racine hired Ayres to design the replacement of the historic West 6th Street bridge over the Root River and Horlick Drive. The 1929 bridge is a 161-foot-long combination open spandrel concrete arch structure. An alternative being considered is a two-span concrete bridge incorporating aesthetic treatments according to the City’s desires, particularly aesthetics that resemble the current bridge’s terra cotta and tile mosaic treatments. Arched precast fascia will be considered to emulate the existing spandrel arch shape. Ayres used HD scanning to capture the unique features of the existing bridge in measurable digital detail to aid in emulating those features in the new structure’s design. The scan also included relevant details from the surrounding street and community, including a building directly next to the channel wall of the river. HD scanning gathered detailed measurements while minimizing site visit costs, exposure to heavy traffic, and the need to access private property. Please see the Media tab of this project profile to see videos compiled from the HD scanninng.Sidewalks and on-road bicycle accommodations will also be incorporated into the project along West 6th Street. As part of the bridge replacement, the project will also investigate improvements at the intersection of Kinzie Avenue, Horlick Drive, West 6th Street, and Carmel Avenue. Improvements will take place along Horlick Drive to improve vertical clearance at the bridge and to provide adequate width under the structure to accommodate the Root River Pathway.