DOT testing remote bridge operations in Oshkosh

The Department of Transportation is testing remote operation of the drawbridges in Oshkosh. Since April, the D-O-T has been remotely opening and closing the Main, Wisconsin and Oshkosh Avenue bridges–but with tenders still in the towers. Testing on the Oregon Street Bridge will start this month. Remote operation depends upon cameras on the bridges that include night-vision technology–with a single operator able to control dozens of spans at a time. The Coast Guard estimates 100-boats a day pass through the Oshkosh bridges.