Racine’s Main Street bridge closing for 4 months

The Main Street bridge at the north end of downtown Racine will be closed for four months — December, January, February, and March — beginning this Friday, November 30, according to a Journal Times story.

The bridge needs a protective coat of paint, which it last received in 1996. Apparently the lack of boat traffic in winter is a more important scheduling factor than weather.

The suggested detour route is shown on this map: State Street to Douglas Avenue to Hamilton Street — or the reverse when travelling from the north.

With this inconvenience, Racine should continue to be the hardest-to-traverse small city in the greater tri-state area. There are the basic cemetery, country club, airport, and city park obstacles to begin with, plus recent road construction projects on Sixth Street and Douglas Avenue finally wrapping up. This bridge closure will help to make sure that getting from one side of town to the other remains a minor pain in the neck, at least into the spring.