Next time you're in Venice, remember that "the Calatrava" might mean something entirely different than it does in Milwaukee.
As work continues on his sleek footbridge over the Grand Canal -- the first new bridge in the northeastern Italian city in 70 years -- many Venetians are upset that the modern design will clash with the centuries-old landscape of the city.
Others have gone ballistic over the cost, which started at 4 million Euros and has climbed to more than 6.5 million thanks to overruns.
Still others have complained about the fact that Calatrava didn't make the bridge wheelchair accessible.
Now, the worst nightmare of others appears to be coming true. Some had argued the bridge could be unsafe and that unless it is built precisely to the exact millimeter, it could fail. In fact the bridge has an apparently alarming four-centimeter tolerance.
Today, media reports have said that sensors will need to be added to the bridge and that they will have to be monitored on a 24-hour basis -- forever!!! -- because there is potential for the bridge to fail under the stress of crowds crossing over it (Norman Foster will remember this controversy from the ill-fated opening of his Thames River footbridge in London). That means maintenance costs have now immediately skyrocketed.
The headline in today's La Repubblica says it all, "The Calatrava bridge, beautiful but unstable, will be constantly monitored."
The engineer in charge of the project was quoted as saying, "Every day there is a surprise. In the initial phase there was a great underestimation of the difficulties and the costs of so special a project."
But, unexpected surprises can happen anywhere. Those with keen memories will recall that even the bridge connecting the Milwaukee Art Museum to "the mainland" had its problems. When it first opened, people tripped over the area where supporting cables anchored to the center of the walkway and some not terribly attractive barriers had to be erected.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
