New report shows more than 1,200 Wisconsin bridges are in need of repair

BROWN DEER -- A new report finds more than 1,200 bridges across the state are in bad condition -- many of them are right here in south-central Wisconsin.

Bridge at Green Bay and Brown Deer Roads

The bridge at Green Bay and Brown Deer Roads is one of 14,000 total bridges in Wisconsin listed in the report that is in need of repair or replacement. The state has one of the highest percentage of these deteriorating bridges in the country.

Each day, 21,000 vehicles cross the bridge at Green Bay and Brown Deer Roads in Brown Deer.

Built in 1963, it's among the nine percent of bridges in the state and one of eight most traveled bridges in southeastern Wisconsin that are considered "structurally deficient" according to a newly released report.

"It is still safe for the public to drive on. It just means it's a bridge that the DOT is monitoring a little bit closer," said Brown Deer Director of Public Works Matthew Maederer.

The report comes from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, an organization that supports road building projects. Its website says all of the information used though comes from state transportation officials.

Also on the list, the bridge over Lincoln Creek at Hampton Avenue in Milwaukee. A spokeswoman with the city's Department of Public Works said the bridge is in need of a new roadway, but assured it isn't dangerous. The project is expected to start within the next year or two.

Bridge over Lincoln Creek at Hampton Avenue

Maederer said the bridge in question in Brown Deer is already slated to be removed entirely by 2020.

"This is going to be a part of the Urban Interchange redesign and it's part of an even larger DOT project. They're going to resurface Highway 57 all the way to Ozaukee County from Brown Deer," said Maederer.

One of the bridges on the list at 76th Street over Honey Creek in West Allis has actually already been repaired. West Allis officials said its Department of Public Works spent $220,000 in 2015 to update the infrastructure.