DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Next week, the long-anticipated southern bridge in Brown County is expected to officially have a name.
The bridge has been talked about for 55 years but received its most significant boost last week when $50 million was included in the state budget for construction.
The proposed connection over the Fox River to relieve congestion and create easier travel paths from eastern Brown County to the Fox Valley has long gone by southern bridge, but that is expected to change on Tuesday with a vote from De Pere’s common council.
“This is a go project,” said De Pere Mayor James Boyd. “This is just one more step, naming of the bridge, that tells us we’re going to get there.”
To come up with a name, Boyd phoned the De Pere Historical Society, which his brother, McKim, happens to be the president of.
“The first name that came to mind for me was Arthur Altmeyer, probably the most significant person to come from De Pere, Wisconsin,” said McKim Boyd.
“Arthur Altmeyer is probably one of the most famous De Pere residents that nobody knows about,” said James Boyd.
Arthur Altmeyer graduated from De Pere High School in 1910. He went on to help create and become the first commissioner of for the Social Security Administration.
“He was considered Mr. Social Security by Franklin Roosevelt, the then President,” said McKim Boyd. “The irony is the headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland for the Social Security Administration are named after Arthur Altmeyer.”
De Pere’s plan commission provided initial approval of the name last month.
“We’ve heard nothing but positive,” said James Boyd. “The people that understand history, understand what he had done and what he meant to this country. I think they fully realize this is due.”
There is already an Altmayer Elementary School in De Pere. That is named for Susie, an educator, and while Altmayer is spelled differently, Susie and Arthur were first cousins, according to the Boyds.
There is much more to this project beyond the bridge, which will be two miles south of the Claude Allouez Bridge, which runs through downtown De Pere.
Construction on an interchange from I-41 is expected to start in early 2025. Actual bridge construction is expected to start two years later.
The entire project is scheduled to be done by 2030.
