The Wisconsin Recreational River Bridge will connect two of Wisconsin’s scenic trails – the Great Sauk State Trail and the Walking Iron Trail – via a 500-foot bridge over the Wisconsin River. With construction targeted for fall of 2024, the bridge will further connect Dane and Sauk Counties’ trail systems creating a true destination for walkers, bikers, hikers and snowmobilers.
Dane and Sauk Counties each contributed an initial $2 million to the project which enabled MSA Engineering to move forward with design and engineering. Construction of the bridge is estimated to cost around $10 million. U.S. Representative Mark Pocan secured a Federal earmark of $2 million toward the bridge construction and Governor Evers included an additional $2 million in the proposed State budget. A Transportation Alternatives (TAP) grant was submitted for the balance of the construction costs in March.
In early October 2023, WisDOT released the list of TAP grant awardees following the spring 2023 application cycle. The Bike Fed is thrilled to announce that the Wisconsin Recreational River Bridge project was awarded $5,587,672 towards the completion of this bridge project. Along with sizable financial commitments from both Sauk and Dane counties as well as the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs (AWSC), getting all of the funding necessary for the completion of this project was a real community effort. The Bike Fed would like to thank both Sauk and Dane counties for partnering on this project, Dane County Director of AWSC Sam Landes, and especially project lead and Sauk County Supervisor Marty Krueger.