Sagging Wis. Bridge Prompts Concerns for Safety

The sagging of a segment of Leo Frigo Bridge on I-43, which crosses the Fox River in Green Bay, likely was caused when one of the piers holding up the bridge settled, state officials said Wednesday afternoon.

"The bridge is not in any danger of collapse," state Department of Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb said during a news conference, but the major thoroughfare will be closed indefinitely while the investigation continues.

The likely culprit is the settling of Pier 22, which is on the east approach to the bridge, Gottlieb said.

The pier settled a little over two feet, and the state DOT will continue taking periodic measurements to see if it's continuing to settle or if any other piers are affected, he said.

The bridge, formerly known as the Tower Drive bridge, will remain closed as inspections continue, said Kim Rudat, regional communication manager for the state Department of Transportation's northeast region.

"We need to inspect it, determine what happened, determine if any other part of the bridge is at risk and develop a plan to fix it," Rudat said.

The specific area of sagging is between Quincy St. and the Fox River, which is a section of bridge that is not over water, said Gov. Scott Walker during a news conference.

That part of the bridge is near Pier 22, which officials believe has "settled," Walker said.

"Our No. 1 objective is public safety," Walker said, as he asked people to stay off the bridge.

A driver initially reported the dip in the bridge, prompting the closure of I-43 between Atkinson Dr. and Webster St. Detours are posted.

The bridge was part of a $17 million construction project that ended earlier this year. The work included resurfacing the span, replacing bridge joints, repainting of steel support girders, installing traffic cameras and adding access-control gates at the ramps to get on I-43, according to Press-Gazette Media.

The bridge was built in 1981 and carries about 40,000 vehicles a day.

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