Lift Bridges

Maintenance & Inspection

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Overview

Bascule lift bridges are essential movable structures that balance the demands of marine navigation and highway travel. Often called a drawbridge, these are structures with a deck that pivots upward, using a counterweight system to balance the weight for quick, energy-efficient opening. This provides unobstructed passage for boats, ships and other vessels while maintaining a stable, level roadway when closed.

  • For all lift bridge maintenance and inspections, along with bridge traffic impacts, closures and detour routes, please visit 511WI.

This design offers key advantages over alternatives such as vertical or swing bridges. Bascule lift bridges are often more cost-effective for most spans, require counterweights only equal to the deck's weight (enabling heavier-duty construction for railroads or highways) and deliver reliable performance under heavy loads. They minimize energy use through efficient counterweight systems and allow quick, controlled operations with electric motors, traffic signals and barriers to safely manage road traffic during openings.

In regions such as the Great Lakes and Northeast Wisconsin – where waterways support commercial shipping, recreation and freight – lift bridges are vital. They enable large vessels to navigate rivers and channels without detours, supporting marine commerce while ensuring continuous connectivity for vehicles, pedestrians and freight on land. Without them, marine and highway travel would face significant disruptions, higher costs and safety risks.

Locations

WisDOT maintains 12 such bridges statewide, nearly all in the Northeast Region:

  • Oshkosh (4): Congress Avenue, Wisconsin Street, Jackson Street, Main Street
  • Sturgeon Bay (3): Bay View, Oregon Street, Michigan Street
  • Green Bay (2): Walnut Street, Mason Street
  • Menasha (1): Tayco Street
  • Marinette (1): Menekaunee (Ogden Street)
  • Prescott (1): Prescott Bascule Bridge (noted as bascule but included in WisDOT movable oversight)

Maintenance

These bridges form critical links in the region's transportation network, facilitating both waterborne trade and overland mobility. Preparing them for the navigation season (early spring to mid-autumn) demands rigorous maintenance.

WisDOT teams, often collaborating with local city and county forces, conduct thorough inspections, greasing, washing to remove corrosive road salt, dirt and bird droppings and ice removal if needed. Critical components – brakes, motors, limit switches, electrical contacts – are checked meticulously. Full preparation can take 10 hours per bridge and involves a dozen or more personnel over one or several days. Bridges are then closely monitored during test openings and closings.

This proactive care ensures safe, dependable operation and significantly extends each bridge's service life – often spanning decades – ultimately saving taxpayer dollars by reducing the need for premature replacements or major repairs.

In summary, vertical lift bridges are indispensable infrastructure in Wisconsin's Northeast, harmonizing marine and highway travel through engineering efficiency, reliability and dedicated upkeep.

For more information, contact WisDOT engineers Jim McDowell (920-492-7720) or Jason Lahm (920-360-2374).