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The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad Co. (WSOR) is advancing a $10 million plan to upgrade various bridges systemwide. The regional plans to repair or replace 33 bridges over the next two years.

The program involves bridges as long as 2,200 feet and as short as 15 feet in length. A majority of the bridge work will involve correcting poor conditions; some smaller span bridges will be removed and replaced with large capacity culverts.

"This bridge program is essential to extending the useful life of these bridges, and will result in enhancing the load-bearing capacity to 286,000 pounds [286k]," WSOR officials said in a news item posted on the railroad's web site.

WSOR currently is replacing a 112-foot bridge in Madison, Wis. Years of timber pile decay has caused extensive settling in a lake bed, WSOR officials said. The new standard steel trestle will accommodate 286k loads.

In June, WSOR awarded a $773,900 contract to Lunda Construction. The project is jointly funded by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and WSOR.