The Green Bay Bridge in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has been closed after a driver called 911 to report that the bridge was sagging, according to CNN.
A pier that supports the bridge, which is part of Interstate 43, sank between 22 and 27 inches. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has indefinitely closed the bridge as a result.
"We understand the disruption this is going to cause to traffic," Mark Gottlieb, the Wisconsin Transportation Secretary, said.
Investigators believe that the pier sank relatively quickly, based on the reports from drivers. The sinking pier caused the soil near the bridge to crack.
"I hope it's not an emergency," a caller can be heard saying in a 911 call. "I didn't know who else to call.
"It looks like there's a part [of the I-43 bridge] that's sagging," the caller continued. "There's a section of the bridge that's actually a dip."
Federal experts and consultants are assisting investigators in evaluating the bridge, which sees nearly 40,000 vehicles travel over it each day. Officials expect to have a better idea of the situation and how long the closure will last by sometime next week.
The closure will cause major traffic problems in the area.
"It's a big hassle, because of all the construction that's going around town," Dennis Kelln, a motorist, said to WLUK. "The downtown bridge was closed for how long?
"Now this one is out?" he continued. "It's just like it's a never-ending problem here."
The bridge was built in 1980 and was last inspected in August 2012, when it was declared sound and renovated, according to Kim Rudat, the regional communications manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The bridge was named after Leo Frigo, who ran Frigo Cheese Corp. until he retired in 1983.
There are three other bridges that traverse the Fox River within two miles of the Green Bay Bridge.
News coverage of the bridge closure, including the 911 call.
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