5/11/26, Brownfield Ag News – The Wisconsin Transportation Development Association has identified rural bridges that need repair or replacement.
Executive Director Debby Jackson tells Brownfield Wisconsin has seventeen thousand culverts or bridges shorter than twenty feet, so they’re not officially a bridge by state or federal statutes. “But, you can’t fix an issue if you don’t know how many structures there are, you don’t know their condition, and so our first step was going to the legislature in the 23-25 budget and asking for 12.5 million dollars for the simple goal of inventorying and assessing these structures.”
Jackson says over sixteen-hundred of the structures are in poor condition, and have caused problems for delivering farm goods and emergency services. She says having a complete inventory now allows them to approach the legislature with real numbers, real economic impact, and a request to fund bridge work. “They’re not really eligible for federal funding. They don’t have a state-designated funding source, and so, what we see is that local communities have a very hard time replacing them in their current budgets.”
Jackson says the bridge assessments have led to additional weight limits and closures and emphasizes the need to fund repairs and replacements. She says Wisconsin probably needs at least 200-million more dollars to fix or replace small bridges.
Jackson says the state’s Local Small Structure Improvement Program received thirty million dollars in the state budget, and there are more requests for aid than the budget allows. She says the Agricultural Road Improvement Program has 20% of its budget earmarked for bridges and culverts, but it is a different program with different requirements.
The Wisconsin Transportation Development Association map with county-by-county details can be found at their website here.
AUDIO: Debby Jackson discusses the bridge survey with Brownfield’s Larry Lee