Andrea Hughes has an uplifting vision for Madison’s downtown: “I think a zipline would celebrate State Street.”
How can Madison activate the top of State Street? Andrea Hughes has an idea: launch people on a zipline high above pedestrian traffic at 30 miles an hour toward the Library Mall.
Hughes’ idea was one of two the city received for a request for proposals aimed at curbing bad behavior at the State Street spot. Her inspiration came from a zipline that Minneapolis installed across the Mississippi River for Super Bowl LII last year.
“That zipline in Minnesota sold out...and it was in the middle of winter,” says Hughes. “I think it would be a delightful, fun thing to zipline down State Street. I think it fits the bill of the RFP pretty well.”
Hughes envisions the zipline spanning the entirety of State Street — a little over a half mile. She sees people climbing a tower where a flower bed currently is located at West Mifflin and North Carroll streets. A rider would zoom down eight blocks tethered to a metal line and end up on Library Mall. Hughes estimates charging $40 to $75 for the trip depending on the time of day.
“When I tell people about it, I usually get a big smile. That tells me people have a good feeling about it,” says Hughes, who helped start Wisconsin’s first corn maze in the 1990s. “I still have a lot of details to work out. But I feel like I need at least a nod of support from the city before I spend time and money on the next steps.”
The other proposal the city received was for a public restroom and educational kiosk submitted by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. Parks Superintendent Eric Knepp says neither idea was given the nod of support.
“Both proposals missed the mark on being simple and quick to implement,” writes Knepp in an email.
Downtown Ald. Mike Verveer says businesses and residents have long complained about aggressive panhandling, drug dealing and fighting at the busy intersection where the Square meets State Street. “This has been an ongoing problem for several summers now,” Verveer says. “A primary concern is violence among people who seem to know each other. Less frequent but still often, police report that they have concerns about human trafficking. There are many people who feel very uncomfortable walking through the area. The perception is it’s an unsafe, scary place that you stay away from.”
The Downtown Business Improvement District sponsors weekly music performances on the corner. However, Verveer says the city has “thrown in the towel” on getting other activities running there this summer.
Jason Ilstrup, with Downtown Madison Inc., is hopeful that a private-public partnership — similar to the Olbrich Biergarten, Brittingham Boats and other private business operating in Madison parks — would “bring some life to the area that’s good for everyone.” DMI encouraged ideas by offering a cash prize to the winner. Ilstrup isn’t giving up on the idea of placemaking.
“There’s some really cool things that could happen here. The area has so much untapped potential,” says Ilstrup. “Our first attempt [at an RFP] didn’t go as well as we planned. We need to understand why it didn’t go well and engage the community on what they want and push for those proposals to come in.”
Hughes is not giving up on her zipline. “I think a zipline would celebrate State Street,” says Hughes. “It will quite literally bring people from the Capitol to the university.”