Waukesha company wins contract to fix Leo Frigo Bridge

GREEN BAY (WITI) -- Zenith Tech, Inc. of Waukesha has been awarded the contract to repair Green Bay's Leo Frigo Bridge. The company posted a bid of $7.7 million.

The Leo Frigo Bridge, which carries Interstate 43 over the Fox River on Green Bay’s north side,  has been closed since September 25th, when one of the bridge's piers unexpectedly sank two feet. Department of Transportation officials say Pier 22 sank as the result of corrosion to the pier’s pilings due to the unique soil conditions surrounding them. These same conditions are found from Pier 21 to 25 and all of these piers will be repaired.

The DOT originally projected repairs to the sagging bridge could cost $50 million. But three bids that were submitted to the state for repair work were all in the $8 million range.

The DOT says the ongoing stabilization work will cost around $1.6 million and the investigation should run around $1 million. The DOT says there could be other costs around $4.6 million, like traffic patrol and future preventative maintenance. Most of that should be paid for by the federal government.

The contractor will have to install new cement supports around five piers. They could start work next week. Their contract says the bridge must reopen by January 17th.