13-05-2025
EC City to close off traffic on Eddy Street Bridge for repairs
EAU CLAIRE — The City of Eau Claire is expecting the closure of Eddy Street Bridge to have an impact on traffic as repairs become necessary.
'Right now, we are looking at potentially closing the bridge to vehicular traffic the week of May 19,' said Leah Ness, engineering director for Eau Claire.
According to the city's website, the Eddy Street Bridge, which is owned by Union Pacific, had undergone a recent inspection which identified structural flaws. Immediate weight restrictions were put in place, preventing semi-trucks, buses and other public transit from passing over the bridge.
'We did meet with the railroad and the Eau Claire County Highway Commissioner and Wisconsin Department of Transportation-Bureau of Structures on May 1,' Ness said.
'At that time, the city reduced the load restriction on the bridge to five tons, which limits there to be no semi traffic across the structure, or school bus traffic or Eau Claire transit traffic using the structure due to the weight restriction. So it has had an impact on Eau Claire transit bus routes, hence the reference to that on the city web page.'
Steps with Eau Claire Transit are currently being taken to ensure transport to the Mt. Simon area. Ness said they are determining detours and getting ready to get necessary information out to the public while determining the impact.
Part of the uniqueness of the situation comes from the fact that the bridge is privately owned by Union Pacific, or the Chicago North Western Railway, and goes over a railroad track. One way this can impact the bridge is through funding, as the private ownership makes it ineligible for state funding programs.
'Typically, if the city owns the structure, or the state [owns it], we'd have it in a repaired timeline and we'd have the inspection information,' Ness said. 'We'd understand what's going on with the structure and the maintenance related to it, and are able to make decisions based off of our inspections that are on a regular basis.
'When we were on site, they did indicate they would be willing to do maintenance to the structure. At this time, we don't know what that would entail. So we are looking at different options with the railroad moving forward. '
Ness said her hope is to meet with the railroad and the county this week to start things in motion, submitting a request for inspection and load rating.
'We'll have to talk through those details with them,' she said. 'Later this week, we'd probably have more details on timelines related to the process.
'We are at this point where we are looking at impact to transit and providing routes to detour routes around the structure. As we get into the project, we'll know more about working with the railroad on other impacts as well.'
As the project progresses, Ness said they would update their Facebook page and website, with details.
