WisDOT MAPSS - Preservation - Local Bridge Condition - Protecting, maintaining and operating Wisconsin's transportation system efficiently by making sound investments that preserve and extend the life of our infrastructure, while protecting our natural environment.
Local Bridge Condition - Protecting, maintaining and operating Wisconsin's transportation system efficiently by making sound investments that preserve and extend the life of our infrastructure, while protecting our natural environment.Well-maintained local bridges are a vital link that ensures the overall capacity of our highway system. Local units of government submit bridge condition data to the department, and WisDOT recommends which bridges are eligible for rehabilitation. Our goal is to have 90% of locally owned or maintained bridges rated in fair condition or better.
Wisconsin’s bridges are critical infrastructure assets of the transportation network. Ensuring the safety for the traveling public is a top priority for the department. Inspecting and evaluating bridges is a key component of meeting this objective. Bridges with a condition rating of poor are considered deficient and may need corrective action to ensure current and future operation of the transportation system. An accurate understanding of the condition of the inventory of bridges allows for planning and prioritizing limited resources to address operational needs. Although local bridges are maintained, repaired or replaced through local direction, there are state programs that provide funding to help offset this expense.
Local bridge conditions are affected by the increasing age of bridges, bridge damage caused by corrosion, vehicle collision and other environmental factors, changing traffic counts, completion of bridge rehabilitation and replacement projects, and funding availability on a state and local level. Decisions on rehabilitating or replacing locally owned bridges are the sole responsibility of the local units of government.
The Local Bridge Program was established to rehabilitate and replace the most seriously deficient existing local bridges on Wisconsin's local highway and road systems. WisDOT publishes list of deficient bridges and WisDOT regional staff work with counties and local governments to identify and prioritize rehabilitation projects for consideration of funding. WisDOT has implemented a change management system to keep projects on schedule as well as design strategies that limits state-federal funding to the essential scope necessary for preserving safety and efficiency to improve more bridges via the program in the future. The increased federal funding for local bridges through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for project scheduling in FYs2022-2029, including the availability of 100% federal funding for off-system local bridges that were awarded from 2023-2026, has facilitated the continued maintenance of local bridges and contributed to a stable condition percentage.