Oshkosh’s Oregon/Jackson St. Bridge repair pushed back to November

OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) - Repairs to the Oregon/Jackson St. Bridge in Oshkosh are pushed back two more months.

The bridge has been closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic since June. A routine inspection found worn gear teeth components -- which are critical for raising and lowering the bridge -- including one gear tooth that was badly damaged.

Repairs were scheduled to start Monday, Sept. 26, but the manufacturer couldn’t deliver components in time. The manufacturer believes it can deliver the components by November 11.

Installation of a new gearbox is now pushed back to mid-November, then it will undergo a week of testing.

The estimated cost of repairing the bridge is $136,000, which is more than the $120,000 initially estimated in July, before additional damage to the gearbox was found.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation inspected gear components on similar bridges and didn’t find any issues with worn gears. Bridge engineers think the damage to the Oshkosh bridge was caused by a corrupt bearing, which caused instability in the gearbox that caused additional wear and tear.

The Oregon/Jackson St. Bridge was built in 1956. The city says on average it opens and closes 30 times a day depending on the season and the weather.