The stretch of I-41 in Oshkosh that the city plans to build a pedestrian bridge to cross. July 29, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Down I-41 in Oshkosh, traffic is roaring.
With few ways to cross, the city proposed a new pedestrian bridge across the highway.
While the project was approved last September by the Department of Transportation, the city has had to press pause on its plans.
“When then new administration came in in Washington, there were a lot of projects that were put on hold, if their grant agreements had not been fully executed,” said Oshkosh Public Works Director James Rabe.
Rabe said the U.S. Department of Transportation is reviewing the agreements and they’ve been in talks to reinstate the grant.
“We kind of had to start over, because there were some, priorities change as administrations change. So there was some language that was a priority for the prior administration that wasn’t for this administration,” Rabe said.
The bridge is still in its conceptual phase, meaning changes to the grant wouldn’t impact current progress. The city is still confident the money will come through.
We’re about back to the same spot that we were in in December, January. So certainly that’s an eight to nine month delay, versus where we could have been. But we’ve still got time in the agreement.
Rabe said the bridge is crucial to pedestrian safety in Oshkosh, as the roundabouts getting on and off the highway are currently unsafe for people walking.
“For as much as [roundabouts] improve vehicular safety, they are a challenge for bicycles and pedestrians to navigate as well,” Rabe said. “This would provide a safe crossing that would not have any of those other conflict points that really are a challenge for bikes and pedestrians.”
The city still expects the project to be done within the next three to five years, pending grant approval.
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