Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 84.15

  • Department: means the department of transportation. See Wisconsin Statutes 84.001
  • Highway: includes all public ways and thoroughfares and all bridges upon the same. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • State: when applied to states of the United States, includes the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the several territories organized by Congress. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Town: may be construed to include cities, villages, wards or districts. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Village: means incorporated village. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
   (1)    Maintenance and operation of intrastate bridges. Except as provided in a jurisdictional transfer agreement under s. 84.16, all matters relating to the maintenance and operation of bridges constructed, reconstructed or purchased under s. 84.11 before August 9, 1989, shall be under the jurisdiction and complete control of the department and the cost of such maintenance and operation thereof shall be the direct obligation of the state. Such portion of the approaches as may be determined by the department shall be considered a part of such bridge for maintenance and operation purposes. The portion of the approaches or highway not considered a part of such bridge for maintenance and operation purposes as determined by the department shall be maintained by the town, city or village in which it lies but this provision shall not diminish or otherwise affect the duty of the county with respect to the county trunk highways or the state with respect to the state trunk highways. Authority is given the department to carry fire or tornado insurance, or both, on bridges where such hazard exists and the premium on such insurance shall be included as a portion of such maintenance and operation costs.
   (2)   Across bay of Great Lakes. In the case of any intrastate bridge built across a bay of any of the Great Lakes, the maintenance under sub. (1) shall be deemed to include repair or reconstruction necessitated by any accidental damage done to such bridge by vessels using such bay, or some other catastrophe, in which event the department may use for such repair or reconstruction moneys available for the construction of such bridges.
   (3)   Interstate bridges, Wisconsin’s share. The provisions of this section shall also apply to all interstate bridges constructed, reconstructed or purchased under s. 84.12; and the term “bridge” as used in sub. (1) means Wisconsin’s portion of such interstate bridges.