OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Bureau of Structures has announced an update to the repair scope and schedule for the Oregon/Jackson Street bridge in downtown Oshkosh.
“They found some more damage that we didn’t see originally,” said DOT Bridge Specialist, Jim McDowell. “Now we’re looking at another four weeks, so we’re looking at 13 weeks total. That puts us down around the end of September to get the bridge back [in operation].”
That follows the discovery of additional damage inside a failed gear box. Regal/Rexnord, the company manufacturing the new gears and refurbishing the gearbox, recently identified additional damage in the gearbox that extends the manufacturing process to build the additional parts.
“The cost is roughly another 11,000 more than what was originally scoped. So we’re looking at the $130k-$140k range,” McDowell told WTAQ News. “They’re working the hardest they can, given the circumstances with supply issues that we’ve got. As soon as we get that gear box back from them, we’re going to work as hard as we can to get that bridge operational again and get traffic back across…The traveling public won’t really notice anything. It’s the same bridge. But at least it’ll go up and down.”
The bridge has been closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic since inspectors found damaged gear teeth during a routine inspection on May 25th.
The DOT released the following plan updates on Thursday morning:
Updated Oregon/Jackson Street bridge repair plan, schedule and cost
- Repair
o Remove old gearbox (finished)
o Manufacturer new gears and realign shaft bores (underway)
o Install new parts in gearbox (end of September)
o Reinstall gearbox in bridge (end of September)
- Schedule
o Parts manufacturing: 12 weeks (modified from original eight-week timeframe)
o Reinstallation and testing: One week
o Estimated repair finish and opening of bridge: Sept. 30, 2022.
- Traffic impacts
o The bridge will remain closed to vehicles and pedestrian traffic during repairs.
o Repairs may also affect passage of marine traffic for brief periods.
- Cost Estimate
o $136,000 up from $125,000 (increased due to additional parts manufacturing)
Regal/Rexnord reviewed the excessive wear on the gears and believe a corrupt bearing caused instability in the gearbox resulting in the gear wear. WisDOT investigated gear components on similar bridges and found no issues with gear wear.
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