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Last month, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation released a study on publicly owned railroad bridges, which shows 26 Monroe- and Milwaukee-area structures used by the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co. (WSOR) will need to be upgraded during the next five years to handle 286,000-pound rail cars.

Entitled “Impact of Railcar Weight Change on Wisconsin Bridges,” the study analyzed more than 200 railroad bridges, most of which are more than 80 years old and rated for 263,000-pound cars. Public- and private-sector engineers, including WSOR’s, conducted the study and determined the 26 bridges need repairs costing more than $2.9 million to achieve a 286k rating.

“The challenges that lie ahead include … seeking out all appropriate funding sources for conducting these improvements in a timely fashion,” said WSOR President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Gardner in a prepared statement.

WSOR officials are lobbying Wisconsin lawmakers to adopt the 700-mile regional’s “8+3 Plan,” which calls for $8 million per year in state funding for rail infrastructure upgrades and $3 million per year for acquisitions. If the plan is approved in the state’s 2007/2009 biennial budget, the railroad would receive annual funding for bridge projects.