Photos: Bridges help create connection for recreational trails in Sauk and Dane counties
By next summer, bicyclists, walkers, anglers and later in the year, snowmobilers, will be able to cross the Wisconsin River on the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge & Trail.
Alex DeSmidt, park planning manager at Dane County Parks, walks beneath a former railway trestle that will soon get new decking and become part of the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge & Trail over the Wisconsin River.Â
Alex DeSmidt, park planning manager for Dane County Parks, shows off a railway trestle that will be part of the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge & Trail that will connect the Great Sauk State Trail in Sauk County with the proposed Walking Iron Trail in Dane County. A new bridge is also being constructed over the main channel of the bridge and should be ready by summer 2026.
A rendering of the multi-use recreation bridge that would span the Wisconsin River and connect Dane and Sauk counties. Dane County park plans have called for building the bridge for about two decades.Â
A crowd gathers during an event to celebrate the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge and Trail, which will connect The Great Sauk Trail to the future Walking Iron Trail in Sauk City, Wis. Thursday, May 8, 2025. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A failing railroad bridge over the main channel of the Wisconsin River in Sauk City was removed in 2018, but a new bridge is under construction that will carry bicyclists, walkers, anglers and snowmobilers.
Cyclists ride on the 11.5 mile paved Great Sauk State Trail along the Wisconsin River in Prairie du Sac.Â
Mike Mossman, of Leland, president of the Badger History Group, uses binoculars to get a look across the Wisconsin River where work has begun on the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge & Trail.
(From left) Tim McCumber, chair, Sauk County Board of Supervisors, Gov. Tony Evers, and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard look toward the Wisconsin River during an event to celebrate the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge and Trail that will connect The Great Sauk Trail to the future Walking Iron Trail in Sauk City, Wis. Thursday, May 8, 2025. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Construction is underway on the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge and Trail over the Wisconsin River, which will connect The Great Sauk Trail to the future Walking Iron Trail in Sauk City, Wis. Thursday, May 8, 2025. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A cyclist rides on The Great Sauk Trail along the Wisconsin River in Sauk City, Wis. Thursday, May 8, 2025. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A rendering of the Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge & Trail is seen above an old photograph of the former railroad trestle during an event last week to celebrate the connection of the Great Sauk Trail in Sauk City to the future Walking Iron Trail in Dane County. The locomotive seen in the bottom photo is the 1385 now owned by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum and nearing a multiyear restoration.
A cyclist rides on the Great Sauk State Trail along the Wisconsin River in Prairie du Sac. The 11.5-mile trail runs between Sauk City's southeast side and the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area on property that had been Badger Army Ammunition.
The Wisconsin River Recreational Bridge & Trail will provide a connection between the Great Sauk State Trail in Sauk County and the proposed Walking Iron Trail on the Dane County side of the river.
Sauk County board members will move forward with leasing the Sauk County Healthcare Center to Aria Healthcare, following an affirmative vote in a special meeting Thursday night.Â
A 19-year-old accused in connection to a November 2024 shooting pleaded not guilty during a May 8 hearing.
Christopher Martinez of Waukegan, Illinois, accused in the death of James Hamilton pleaded guilty during a hearing May 9. He had previously pleaded not guilty.
