OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — It's become a familiar sight for Oshkosh residents the last six months, the Oregon/Jackson Street Bridge has been a major headache for Oshkosh residents, but it's finally set to end next week.
“They expect to start working on the repair having the parts and start the installation on Monday, November 14.," says Oshkosh Director of Public Works James Rabe, "and if everything goes well sometime next week…I think Thursday maybe they’re saying…hopefully the bridge will be open.”
According to Rabe, the bridge first closed in May, after a set of gears needed to raise and lower it were found to be stripped. Six months later, the replacement parts have finally arrived, but Rabe acknowledges the long delay has already hurt local businesses.
“This has been difficult for those businesses that are very near to the bridge because they’re not getting the traffic that normally they would have and it’s much harder for people to get to them,” he said.
Emma Martin and Nick Riffe—who both worked at Greene's Pour House a block away from the bridge, say the closure has slowed business.
They hope the bridge's long-delayed re-opening will make their lives just a little easier.
“I live across the bridge," says Martin "so I think it’ll also help with employees getting to work as well. Because I know a lot of us do live over by campus, so that is across the bridge. So we do have to make another route to get across the bridge.”
“It’s long overdue" adds Riffe.
See the official WisDOT repairs announcement here.
