Lake Park is one of Milwaukee County’s prized parcels. The park’s 130-plus acres hug the bluff above Lake Michigan on Milwaukee’s east side.
Famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park. He included a short, curvy road that cuts through a ravine. The picturesque drive links Lincoln Memorial Dr. below to Lake Drive above.
But drivers haven’t been able to traverse the ravine for nearly a decade.
According to Milwaukee County Parks, Ravine Road remains closed as a safety precaution. Park advocates and county leaders are debating what should be done next.
For more than 100 years, cars drove up and down through a lush canopy on steep, curved Ravine Road. It offers stunning views at both ends. There’s Lake Michigan below, and the beloved Frederick-Law-Olmsted-designed Lake Park above.
Then in 2014, the roadway was shut down because the pedestrian bridge spanning the ravine above was in bad shape. The bridge raised its own high level of debate. It was ultimately restored, and reopened in November 2022.
But Ravine Road has remained closed—- barricated and fenced at both ends. Milwaukee County argues it’s unsafe “due to its condition and other factors.” At a recent town hall meeting East side County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman told a roomful of resident there are several options for the road’s future.
“Closing the road for automobile traffic, and opening for bikes and pedestrians; or reopening for automobiles, or do a hybrid approach or various other options along those lines,” Wasserman says.
The nonprofit group Lake Park Friends wants the county to immediately reopen Ravine Road in keeping with Frederick Law Olmsted’s intent and the road’s place in Lake Park’s historic designation.
Earlier this month, the group sent Wasserman a letter urging reopening.
At the town hall gathering, Friends’ president Anne Hamilton added a caveat, saying the group is willing to strike a compromise.
“We propose afternoon and evening closures on weekends and holidays, during the summer and weather-related closures in the winter. These are the times of greatest traffic. Compromised proposals and logistics can be worked out over time once the road is opened to vehicular traffic,” Hamilton says. “We need to open the road now.”
Supervisor Wasserman says the Friends’ request cannot be granted. For starters, Milwaukee County needs to make sure Ravine Road is safe for any use. “We will follow historic precedence, we believe in historic preservation, but vehicle could also mean bicycle,” he says.
Some in the room agreed with the Friends group: The road should be reopened to cars. In Brenda Wood’s view that means at least some of the time in order to be truly inclusive.
“We as a community should think about how everyone can use the park and give access to the entire community, not just some users. All users should have access to the park,” Wood says.
But the Friends’ position was not shared by everyone. A woman who only gave her first name spoke out against allowing cars to make the scenic drive.
“I’m Tia, and this is my partner Elliot who just spoke earlier. Elliot grew up on Newberry Boulevard and we’re now new homeowners on the east side and I really would like to see Ravine Road stay pedestrian and bike-friendly without automobiles. I just think the way our world is going as a whole we need more space that is outside where people can be active and stay healthy and we have plenty of space for cars in other spaces, so I’d really like us to prioritize pedestrian space,” Tia says.
As the evening wore on, fewer people who spoke shared their names. One mom stood up, her young son at her side.
“I would never let my son ride his bike down a road where cars can also speed down. Opening it to cars actually limits more people’s access because it won’t be user-friendly to families and I think that’s a really valuable thing about Lake Park. Everyone who comes to this neighborhood and lives in this neighborhood, for it to be safe for children and families,” she says.
Then there were the Fred Geilfuss’ in the room — people who have fond memories of rides on the serpentine road. Guilfuss recalls his parents driving him. Years later, he took his own kids for a ride.
“Introduced them to it and they were always very excited to drive through there. I drove my elderly parents through there. I don’t understand a lot of the issues that have come up. I’ve seen the DOT statistics about accidents and there’s more accidents in my driveway than there have been on that road, unfortunately,” Geilfuss says.
Residents will have a second chance to share their memories, suggestions and concerns at a town hall meeting hosted by Supervisor Wasserman on Tuesday, Sept. 12. It starts at 6:00 p.m. at the East Branch Library.
Wasserman says he’ll consider residents’ opinions as decisions about Ravine Road are made. The Parks Department proposes allocating $500,000 to plan and design Ravine Road. The County Board will consider the ask in October.
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