Whatever the cause, the April 25 collapse of the Lapham Street Bridge has likely set back a construction plan that aimed for the completion of the bridge by September 2026.
Will it now have to undergo complete reconstruction? Was weather a factor? Those are among the questions lingering as officials consider all the details in a project that began in February to turn the outdated, one-lane bridge into a dependable and safe two-lane structure.
Newly elected Oconomowoc Mayor Matt Rosek said the process, at least informally, will begin with an early afternoon meeting on April 27 with local officials and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the lead agency in the bridge construction project.
“I wouldn’t consider this yet a formal act or action,” Rosek said in a phone interview. “We’re just kind of walking through what happened, what they think occurred and our next steps. Part of that discussion is going to be are the remaining spans [of the bridge] safe, and how do we determine that?”
What happened, and what will happen, are still unknown
The middle of three spans collapsed at about noon April 25, sending debris into the Oconomowoc River, according to reports from city officials and the Western Lakes Fire District, which responded to the potential emergency situation. Rosek said cleanup efforts by the construction crew, with an assist from city staff, was completed Sunday, April 26, and Monday, April 27.
Rosek did not want to speculate on what caused the failure, setting aside any thoughts some might have that weather was the primary factor. The incident occurred about a week after Waukesha County fell under flood warnings from heavy rains spread over five days. A formal review will be more telling, he added.
“This is a DOT project, and we are going to be asking them to put out information on what occurred and how do we prevent this in the future,” he said.
Rosek anticipates the damage will affect the project’s timeline. “I expect there is going to be a delay. We just don’t know what that is going to be yet,” he said.
WisDOT did not immediately respond to a request by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for a statement or further information on the bridge project and collapse.
Lapham bridge doesn’t affect drivers, already restricted from its use
Notably, the collapse has not inconvenienced drivers, Rosek said. That’s because it was already gated, allowing only limited use for emergencies and one-way traffic, and has been considered unsafe for routine traffic for some time. It’s one of the reasons the reconstruction project was planned.
But the collapse will for now prevent kayakers accustomed to maneuvering under the bridge while recreationally traversing the river, he noted.
Once rebuilt, the bridge will be a certified two-lane vehicular bridge, allowing residents along that stretch more convenient travel from the south toward Washington Street or from the north toward Wisconsin Avenue. A project summary also noted that the development more than two decades ago of Thurow’s Golden View Estates, south of the bridge, assumed the bridge would be upgraded to make Lapham Street a north-south collector road.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Collapse raises questions about Lapham Street Bridge’s status
Reporting by Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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