The Interstate 43 bridge in Green Bay is closed to traffic and will be so indefinitely after a 20-inch “sag” was discovered early this morning.
Engineers are working to find the cause and a fix for the Leo Frigo bridge, which is a major transportation link for Northeastern Wisconsin. The bridge crosses the Fox River where it meets the bay of Green Bay. It’s heavily trafficked, with 40,000 vehicles crossing it every day.
The closure was enough to bring Gov. Scott Walker to a news conference at the regional Department of Transportation offices in Green Bay.
“I-43, as it goes over the Fox River, is both important to this region and the state when it comes to transportation,” said Walker. “It's also important when it comes to commerce.”
DOT engineers say one of the piers, or supports, of the bridge is sinking and has caused the sag across all four lanes of the bridge. Decking on the bridge was replaced this summer. But DOT spokesman Kim Rudat says it's not known if that caused the sag. He also says it's too early for a cost estimate, or to say when the bridge will reopen.
“This is a brand new event: It just happened this morning, and we're trying to be careful,” said Rudat. “We do not believe the bridge is going to collapse.”
Walker wrapped up the news conference with a pledge of state resources: “Once we know the full details of what's required to fix this bridge we will fix this bridge.”
Traffic is being re-routed through the city of Green Bay or to Highway 41, which is now under construction for an unrelated improvement project.
