Madison Reporter

Transportation officials in Wisconsin are reminding drivers of bridge safety with 14,000 bridges in the state of Wisconsin and only 1,800 in need of repair.

Earlier this week, a bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh, inciting concern and questions across the country from drivers who traverse bridges every day. Now, in Wisconsin, Department of Transportation officials are reminding drivers that the vast majority of the state's bridges are safe for use, despite Wisconsin's "C" grade from the Infrastructure Report Card.

"Poor doesn't mean unsafe," said Josh Dietsche, a bridge engineer and WI DOT Director of Bureau of Structures, according to WKOW. "Poor means that they have deteriorated to the point where there's something that we're watching a little more closely." 

Numbers reported by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) ranked Wisconsin 19th overall in the country based on the number of structurally deficient bridges, with 7% of all the state's bridges being considered deficient. Rock, Columbia and Portage counties each possessed at least one structurally deficient bridge while Milwaukee County had a total of 10 structurally deficient bridges, the highest in the state, according to WKOW.

"It's something you can't take your eye off of," said Steven Baas, executive director of the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, according to WKOW. "You have to keep up with it and keep them in shape, and that's why the DOT does such a good job of regularly inspecting bridges for safety."

Out of all the Wisconsin bridges in need of repair, the Pheasant Creek Bridge has been an area of concern for officials after it was inspected earlier this month due to its rating of four or less on the nine-point scale that is used to rate a bridge's durability and safeness. However, the bridge was still determined to be drivable despite its rating, according to WKOW.