Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System Receives $2M for Three Railroad Swing Bridges

Courtesy of WLUK/David Duchan

GREEN BAY, Wis. – $2 million from the FRA under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has gone to the Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System in Wisconsin.

As part of the $1.4 billion in grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law from the Federal Railroad Administration, $2 million has gone to the Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System in Wisconsin. The grants will “help prepare for the rehabilitation of three railroad swing bridges which cross the Fox River in Green bay and Appleton,” according to Fox 11 News.

The three bridges in need of repair are broken down as follows:

1. One bridge is located across the Fox River in Green Bay, north of Leicht Park, and the estimated rehabilitation cost is $6.8 million.
2. The second bridge is also located across the Fox River in between Green Bay and Allouez, north of Georgia-Pacific’s Broadway mill. The cost is estimated to be $11.6 million.
3. The third bridge is located across the Fox River on the east end of the flats in Appleton, and the estimated cost to repair the bridge is $2.9 million.

The project seeks to rehab the three bridges which have seen deterioration and decay due to age. The bridges are on FOXY’s rail line, and it often takes the bridges out of service, leading to shipment delays. The project would result in “long-term” benefits, including meeting the anticipated demand by increasing load carrying capacity to an industry standard of 286,000 pounds. 

Brown County Planning Director, Cole Runge, said: “The safe and efficient flow of commodities is essential to the growth and prosperity of our county, region, and state, and the CRISI funding will help ensure that reliable rail service continues to be available to existing and prospective businesses and industries.”

Ken Lucht, Assistant Vice President of Government and Industry Relations for Watco commented: “Watco and the Fox Valley & Lake Super Rail System (FOXY) are excited to receive a federal CRISI grant to help improve our railroad infrastructure in Brown and Outagamie Counties. . . This grant will enable Watco to make strategic investments in freight rail infrastructure that will help improve rail service throughout the region and help grow our economy.”

At the time of reporting, a starting date for work has not been released.