Proximity will also be important, to maintain context. In the case of new uses and new owners for any of the Lone Rock trio, “public access will weigh in the highest priority,” he says.

Bridges are moved to parks, pedestrian and bike trails and even to flat ground. So who takes them? Municipalities? People with large creeks? Wealthy eccentrics?

He estimates that during his 20 years at the department he’s already tried to give away five bridges. Schelfhout is not new to this sort of thing. We’re in the business of transportation.” “It’s just that the DOT isn’t in the business of historic structures. “Our goal is to preserve them,” says Schelfhout. Among their fans is the Wisconsin Department of Transportation itself. The Lone Rock bridges have been found eligible for nomination to the register. Wisconsin has 28 bridges on the National Register of Historic Places. Site of the planned new Wisconsin River crossing for State Highway 130, around 900 feet west of the current bridges. They’ve inspired creation of preservation advocacy groups such as and the Historic Bridge Foundation, both of which offer resources and counsel. But it became clear that “the cost of rehabilitation was approaching the cost of replacement, just to get another 20 years of life, versus 75 to 100 years with a new structure.”īridges by their very nature seem to evoke deep feelings, framing a journey from near to far, hanging unchanged over ever-changing waters. Instead, the department adopted an extensive preservation and maintenance approach, he says. “One of the considerations was removing the crossing altogether.” “The range of alternatives was pretty wide,” recalls Francis Schelfhout, an urban and regional planner with the DOT. Planning for a new crossing began in 2013. Or maybe these picturesque landmarks are cherished by so many locals, preservationists and tourists that a big backlash will erupt,” says Doherty, formerly an editor and writer at Smithsonian Magazine. “Maybe folks these days are too worn out politically to get exercised about an old truss bridge. But they’re functionally and structurally obsolete according to the DOT, not only because of their age but because of changing standards, such as width and load-bearing capacity. “They imbue the river and landscape with so much character and nostalgia,” says area resident Jim Doherty.

They’ve been beloved landmarks for boaters, an evocative backdrop for senior photos, and a Mayberry-esque welcome to the Richland County village of about 900 residents. The current bridges were built between 19.

The middle bridge crossing the Wisconsin River at Lone Rock. Its construction could begin as early as next fall, with completion by the end of 2024. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is offering them free, and will even kick in funds to assist in their removal.Ī new $34.5 million bridge will be constructed approximately 900 feet to the west of the existing sructures. The historic steel truss bridges connect two islands and the north and south shores of the Wisconsin River at Lone Rock, on Wisconsin Highway 130. An hour west of Madison are three you can have for the low, low price of free. You no longer have to go to Brooklyn to buy a bridge.

Wisconsin overpass