Michigan Street Bridge study funding

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Michigan Street Bridge study

Funding

Environmental document

Michigan Street Bridge study funding

There are many unique funding issues regarding the Michigan Street Bridge. This section provides information on:

State funding
Federal funding
Alternative selection and project funding

State funding

84.10 designation
WisDOT derives its authority to spend state funds on the Michigan Street Bridge from Section 84.10 of the State Statutes. This section of state law provides WisDOT with the authority to spend funds, under certain conditions, on bridges that are not on the state trunk highway system.

There are 50 other bridges in Wisconsin that are also covered under Section 84.10. Twenty of these bridges are on streets that are designated as connecting highways, and thirty others are, like the Michigan Street Bridge, on local streets.

Spending beyond maintenance
There is a point in the life of any bridge when traditional maintenance activities are no longer cost-effective. When WisDOT believes it is not in the best interest of taxpayers to continue to fix or rehabilitate an existing 84.10 bridge, the bridge can be replaced in-kind. For example, a two-lane bridge is replaced with a two-lane bridge.

Any functional improvement to the structure of an 84.10 bridge, such as adding lanes or reconfiguring the approaches, exceeds WisDOT's maintenance authority. These costs are entirely the responsibility of the locality proposing the improvement. A change in this policy would have significant cost implications for projects on all 84.10 bridges statewide.

Responsibility for operating and maintenance costs
When an 84.10 bridge not on a connecting highway is improved, it is WisDOT policy for the local jurisdiction to assume ownership of the new bridge, including all maintenance and operating costs. Since 1993, two 84.10 bridges have been returned to local ownership (Rhinelander and Wisconsin Rapids).

In response to concerns raised by officials in Sturgeon Bay, WisDOT modified this policy to provide continued WisDOT ownership and cost responsibility when any 84.10 lift bridge is reconstructed or replaced. This policy pertains to the Michigan Street Bridge and three other 84.10 lift bridges not on the connecting highway system.

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Federal funding

Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (HBRRP)
The Michigan Street Bridge project is eligible for Federal participation under the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (HBRRP). (While Wisconsin statutes don't allow us to pay for additional costs associated with increased capacity, federal funding is only available if the capacity is increased.)

HBRRP funds may be used for:

The total replacement of a structurally deficient or functionally obsolete highway bridge on any public road with a new facility constructed in the same general traffic corridor.
The rehabilitation that is required to restore the structural integrity of a bridge on any public road, as well as the rehabilitation work necessary to correct major safety (functional) defects.

Deficient highway bridges eligible for replacement or rehabilitation must be over waterways, other topographical barriers, other highways, or railroads. They must, however, as determined by the state and the Secretary of Transportation, be significantly important and unsafe because of structural deficiencies, physical deterioration, or functional obsolescence.

Administration of funds
All federal money spent on highway-related projects in Wisconsin is administered through WisDOT. Federal law requires projects to meet different criteria in order to be eligible for federal aid. Even if a project is eligible for federal funding, it does not mean Wisconsin is allocated more federal money. The state receives one, predetermined amount of federal money annually.

Because there is not enough federal funding to pay for all desired projects, WisDOT must prioritize and, in some cases, delay or scale back projects around the state. Limited funding and many needs has caused some of WisDOT's regulations to be even more restrictive than the federal regulations in how the money can be used. The department must administer the available federal funds fairly, wisely and in the best interest of all citizens. Funding for the Michigan Street Bridge would be weighed against other statewide needs.

Discretionary and demonstration funds
Additional federal funding for specific projects is sometimes available because the project is approved in either the federal demonstration or federal discretionary aid programs. Many deserving projects from across the country compete for these federal funds each year. Political support has influenced the application of these funds in the past.

Alternative selection and project funding

Project alternatives are not preferred or eliminated based on cost or funding implications alone. After the environmental process is complete, a locally preferred alternative or alternatives is selected. WisDOT considers the locally preferred alternative/s and all other available information, including funding, and makes a decision regarding what alternative to implement. In some cases, an alternative other than the locally preferred alternative may be implemented as a result of funding constraints.

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