Photos: A new interstate bridge with another on the way over the Wisconsin River
New bridges are being constructed over the Wisconsin River on I-39/90/94 near Poynette on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
The first of two Interstate 39-90-94 bridges under construction over the Wisconsin River is nearing completion near Poynette and is scheduled to be open to traffic in August, when it will carry three lanes of traffic in each direction. Work will then begin on removing the two bridges, at left, constructed in 1961, so that a new bridge for southbound traffic can be constructed. That bridge is slated to be finished by summer 2028.
Crews worked last week to prepare the new northbound bridge over the Wisconsin River near Poynette for its deck to be poured. The work is part of a four-year, $170 million project by the state Department of Transportation.
Jake Gregerson, with Kraemer North America in Plain, gives a tour below the first of two new bridges on Interstate 39-90-94 that will soon carry traffic over the Wisconsin River.
Work to build two bridges over the Wisconsin River on Interstate 39-90-94 in Columbia County began in 2024 and should be completed by summer 2028.
Crews work on the construction of a new bridge on I-39/90/94 over the Wisconsin River near Poynette, Wis. Wednesday, June 24, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Building bridges over a river is not a light undertaking. This project over the Wisconsin River in Columbia County includes multiple cranes, two tugboats, two motorboats and barges.
Crews work on the construction of a new bridge over the Wisconsin River on I-39/90/94 near Poynette, Wis. Wednesday, June 24, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Dustin Hunt, project engineer with HNTD, looks over a cofferdam as he stands on the new northbound bridge over the Wisconsin River near Poynette. The dam, which supports a road for construction vehicles, will be removed upon completion of the $170 million project to build two bridges on Interstate 39-90-94.
It takes 117 concrete girders laid out in nine rows to provide enough support for the deck of each of the two bridges being built over the Wisconsin River on Interstate 39-90-94. The bridges are expected to have a 100-year lifespan.
The first of two replacement bridges, at left, is being constructed as traffic goes by on the existing bridges on I-39/90/94 over the Wisconsin River near Poynette, Wis. Wednesday, June 24, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
The $170 million project on Interstate 39/90/94 in Columbia County is nearly halfway done.
