| Though it could be placed in my Remnants of the Milwaukee Road album, it is probably more suited for this placement in Look Before It's Gone. This bridge, currently owned by the State of Wisconsin and under the WSOR is slated for demolition, as of summer 2017. The bridge was built for the Milwaukee Road in 1911 by the American Bridge Company, Chicago Branch. It was 455 feet long across the Wisconsin River on the branch form Mazomonie to Sauk City/Prairie Du Sac. It was a combination of Warren Pony Truss and deck girder spans. The bridge also included a swing span that dated from 1901. In 1941 this branch was extended from Prairie Du Sac to reach the Badger Ammunition Plant. This plant was also served by the Chicago and Northwestern coming out of Madison on the Reedsburg line. This bridge became part of the Wisconsin Western Railroad after the Milwaukee Road sold the line in 1982. The Wisconsin Western was the bought by the Wisconsin and Calumet in 1985. In 1992, the Wisconsin and Calumet was purchased by the Wisconsin and Southern (WSOR). The WSOR operated over this until the northern truss span over the river began to shift in March 2002. Attempts to stabilize the bridge failed and consequently, the span and a failing pier were demolished. In 2016 attempts to incorporate the bridge into a bike trail were beginning to come to fruition, however in 2017 another pier was found to be failing and the bridge is now planned to be removed completely. More information can be found at johnmarvigbridges.org. There are also many closer shots of the bridge and it's details. |