Officials close Milwaukee road, bridge for safety

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Parks officials have closed a road and walking bridge in Lake Park amid safety concerns.

Officials say pieces of cement have been falling from the Ravine Bridge, which is more than 70 years old. Signs and barriers now block off Ravine Road, which runs below the bridge. Officials say they couldn't guarantee the safety of people passing underneath the bridge while its structural integrity is in question.

Jeff Baudry of the parks department says officials have hired an outside engineering firm to evaluate the bridge. The department says it's too early to know how serious the damage is or how much repairs might cost.

The damage to the bridge isn't related to a November incident in which a semitrailer drove onto a different footbridge nearby.