County to apply for grant to replace bridge, Town of Sharon to cover cost of application
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
The Walworth County Public Works Committee voted in favor May 18 of submitting an application for a grant that would help to replace the Town of Sharon’s Peters Road Bridge.
The bridge, which crosses over the Wisconsin Southern Railroad tracks, was closed July 24, 2014, to all foot and vehicle traffic after being deemed unsafe by both Walworth County and the State of Wisconsin Railroad Commission. The bridge is closed for an undefined amount of time, as the Town of Sharon does not have the funds to fix the unsafe bridge and the railroad claims it does not own the bridge and will not pay to replace or repair it.
Residents of the Town of Sharon were distraught over the closing of the bridge, as they claimed it’s not only land-locked them from the north, but also put them in potential danger.
Walworth County Director of Central Services Kevin Brunner told committee members on May 18 at this time, the best step the county can take is to apply for funding under the local bridge improvement program through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
For the complete story, see the May 29 edition of the Walworth Times.
