The 24-acre Three Bridges Park, the largest public park developed in Milwaukee in decades, will open to the public on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Menomonee Valley between downtown Milwaukee and Miller Park.
The grand opening will feature a dedication and free family celebration including kayak demonstrations, bike rides, fishing, food trucks and live music.
The park covers the area between the 35th and 27th Street viaducts and along the southern bank of the Menomonee River.
Three Bridges Park features two miles of accessible biking and walking trails, river access for fishing and canoeing, as well as three new bike/pedestrian bridges providing access to area residents and workers to the new park and jobs in the valley.
The grand opening will feature a ceremonial blessing by a Potawatomi Tribe leader and
live music by Paul Cebar and the Afro-Cuban/Latin Jazz band De La Buena.
Three Bridges Park will be cooperatively owned by the State and City and become a part of the Hank Aaron State Trail.
The park’s completion caps $26 million in interconnected projects to improve access to jobs, environmental education, outdoor recreation and neighborhood vitality. Partners in the effort include Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation, the City of Milwaukee, Menomonee Valley Partners and the Urban Ecology Center.
Laura Bray, executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners, said the word “bridges” in the park’s name “captures the spirit of the community initiative that is transforming the valley into a place that connects people to jobs, nature and each other.”
